Looking for Diet and Lifestyle Advice from Long Term Survivors

Momine

Melissa, me too. I don't think there is any real point in restricting protein. The only thing I would say is to avoid cheese and red meat, so this means fish, lean poultry and beans, nuts, maybe some low-fat dairy in moderation. Also, most people in the West eat way more protein than they really need. 3-4 ounces of poultry or fish is plenty for a meal and will leave room for all those veggies we probably should be eating

SelenaWolf

MelissaDallas... I'm the same way.  I try to eat healthy diet with a focus on plant foods, but I do eat chicken and red meat in moderation.  I've been doing really well at incorporating more fish into my diet, so I'm pleased about that.  I still eat whole grains and the occasional bowl of pasta.  I'm way to active not to have some carbs in my diet; without the complex carbs and protein, I tire too easily on my 30 mile bike hikes.  I watch portion sizes, enjoy an occasional treat (like pizza twice a year) and don't beat myself up over the few glasses of wine I have in a month.  Maintaining my weight and health is important not just for breast cancer, but for the extremely high incidence of heart disease in my family.  But I want to enjoy my life too and food is a big part of it.

nihahi

selenawolf.........

warriorchick

Warrior 50 - I am surprised MD Anderson does not have better guidelines regarding foods to avoid for er+ breast cancer since it is the most common. I really expected them to hand me a list like my allergist did when they diagnosed my food allergies.

Momine - I love your green bean recipe. I think the Greek diet is great! I am going to look for a Greek cookbook.

I am very concerned since I only have a few Taxol treatments left and really feel I need my diet and exercise choices perfected by then. I have so many allergies that it makes it difficult to incorporate some of the healthy things suggested. I am allergic to fish but can eat shellfish and I debate if shellfish is healthy or not. I am allergic to nuts, flax and sesame which also offer health benefits.

Does anyone have an opinion on Greek yogurt? Most people avoid dairy so I'm wondering if Greek yogurt should be avoided as well.

I need feedback. I'm not sure if this is the best plan but this has been my basic diet on days I'm home. My breakfast is easy I have been eating either a organic bran or oatmeal with a cup of berries. Lunch is a kale salad with pumpkin seeds, Crasins, balsamic vinegar and evoo. I snack on a variety of fruit, carrots or Greek yogurt. Dinner is Chicken or Shrimp, the same kale salad as lunch, a cruciferous vegetable and brown rice, quinoa, or a organic baked potato with organic butter.

Does anyone eat out? How do you know what's best when eating out? Is sushi and miso soup on the condemned food list

BrooksideVT

Warriorchick, your diet does sound a bit limited.  If you've been enjoying kale salad twice daily for years, that's awesome.  If you are trying out a new routine, you might want to introduce some more menu choices.  For most of us on restrictive diets, it's only a matter of time before boredom sets in and kick over the traces and wallow in all the no-no's.  Also, for those of us who have allergies, rotating foods in three-day cycles is recommended in order to avoid developing new food issues.

You might also want to consider your protein intake.  Grains combine with seeds or legumes to form complete proteins.  You'd get more bang for your buck if you were to sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on your breakfast grains and move your quinoa (the only grain that is a complete protein) to your lunch salad.

sbpop

Hi Ladies,

Several of you have mentioned acupuncture, which I am interested in. Tell me if its true that med insurance does not cover it, or if there are any instances where ins MIGHT cover it. Is it expensive? One person told me it costs around $85 a session. 

Thanks to all who share!  I was recently diagnosed and had a lumpectomy, and am waiting for dr.visits to find out my treatments. I love to hear about long term survivors. It is very encouraging to those of us just beginning our journeys. 

God bless!

Heidihill

I also focus on exercise. I have upped my exercise levels every year for 7 years now (assuming I'm successful this year). I started with easy walks daily. Now I have to try to get DD to exercise more and some Guidelines say for her age it should be at least 20 minutes of jogging daily or an hour of walking. I may be adding 20 minutes of jogging to my routine if I want her to get moving more. LOL. As for diet, I have been eating at least 8 portions of fruits and veggies a day for many years now. My stomach doesn't like the calcium tablets so my doctor said to stick with dairy. I get Vitamin D infusions at my onc's, as well as Vitamin B12 and iron every once in a while. I also think getting adequate sleep is essential as our circadian rhythm seems to have a lot to do with metabolism and maybe immunity. Apropos exercise, it helped me stay on track  when I read studies indicating exercise can increase immunity against viruses up to 4 hours after training and boosts natural killer cells (which can help fight cancer) for even much longer. These might have been on mice, but that was good enough for me.

gildedcage

Hi everyone - Can I just vent my frustration? I've spent the last few months trying to figure out this diet thing. The hard part is that I've been a vegetarian for years, had a healthy weight and lifestyle that included exercise, had a mostly healthy diet (probably 80/20 ratio of healthy to unhealthy) - and yet I still got breast cancer at 38 years old. I got the book The Pink Ribbon Diet from the library and it basically suggested eating all that I was eating before I got cancer. When I was diagnosed all my friends were shocked because my diet and lifestyle are healthier than the vast majority of people and yet I got cancer. My oncologist told me that other than having BC I am in excellent health. I've been looking around to see if there are any further modifications I can make to my diet to help prevent a recurrence. I came across the Eat to Beat Cancer website, which is based on Dr. William Li's work on  angiogenesis and cancer. I did some reading and downloaded the list of foods suggested. Of course, many of those foods are on the "do not eat" list for the ketogenic diet plan. So, who do I trust and what do I do? I'm about ready just to throw out all the rules and just do what makes sense which is generally eating well with occasional treats and exercising frequently - which is what I did before the cancer. It's disappointing that there doesn't seem to be any real clear rules for eating right to prevent a recurrence. There are many theories but there is no way to tell which one is most accurate. 

wrenn

I think the stress of trying to figure out exactly what to eat is harder on your immune system than a donut.  Try to relax and just think healthy.  It wasn't your diet that caused your cancer so changing it won't prevent recurrence.  

It is a scary disease to get for sure.

gildedcage

Thank you, Wrenn. You are right. I've done the right things to prevent getting BC and I still got it. I'm just going to focus on the big picture which is living well, enjoying life and doing what I can to be healthy. I'm just going to go zen out a bit now.

warriorchick

Brookside, sorry for taking so long to respond but I just finished chemo yay I was trying to decide if I should do radiation or not which gave me quite a bit of homework. 

Thank you for the advice. It made me focus upon the importance of balancing meals. I started incorporating chia seeds into my oatmeal and berries. When I have cold bran cereal I sprinkle it on a small Greek yogurt and add fruit as well.  I also started adding a rotation of tuna, avocado, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds to my kale or spring mix lunch salad. I must admit dinner is the toughest because my family enjoys weekly pizza and still want pasta. It's tough for me to resist because they are also my favorite cheat foods. Can we eat any of this this safely? 

I am er/pr positive so I check everything for soy but I wasn't sure if small amounts of bread or pasta and vegetables are harmful and if so why? My doctor says everything in moderation but I'm not sure I am comfortable with that theory. Help!

Sierra

Hi Ladies:

some great posts here

and long time thrivers as well

I just hit the l4 yr mark, thriver

very blessed

my diet, I try to eat lots of kale, and the cruciferous veggies

papyas, mangos, kiwis, an assortment of fruit

really with veg, try to get an assortment of colours on ur plate

I do drink a glass of red wine

dont walk enough but will start again

and try to keep my stress level down

I have high BP

i have tofu the odd time, dont have red meat v. often

organic chicken and salmon

and a regime of vitamins

wishing you all well on ur journey

and hoping Spring arrives soon

I do drink lots of water

Sierra

Gardengirl66

gildedcage, I have had a similar diet to you, and similar response from my friends. My thoughts on my diet, was just to increase the amount of fruit and veg, and more variety and not change to much more. my thoughts , are maybe being "healthy" before, made the cancer smaller , or came later in life or maybe it might have been worst if I had done things differently. I think your comments to Wren , sums it up, for everybody and us. 

wishing you zen moments !

BrooksideVT

Warriorchick, I'm kind of in sync with all the latest posters--The healthier the diet, the better, but within reason. Personally, I would not rule any food out 100%.  That said, I have eaten almost no beef, pizza, or pasta since diagnosis.  If someone ordered a pizza, however, I'd either have a slice, or make my own with some kind of veggie base (Artichoke? Squash? Turnip?) and tomato sauce, veggies and cheeses on top.  As for pasta, there is always spaghetti squash.  I don't know any more about this than any of the rest of us, but my guess would be that the absolutely best time to watch your diet like a hawk would indeed be while you are/were going through chemo and rads (anything to help those treatments zap the little buggers). As far as I recall, the only actions (other than treatments) statistically proven to reduce recurrence are reducing fat in our diets and on our tummies, and getting three hours or more of exercise/week.  Circulating insulin is shown to be a growth factor for BC, so it's wise to limit carbs, and try to combine them with protein foods. 

If only food could control cancer!  There is lots of advice out there, but thus far no cure, and no proven unsafe foods or food groups.  As others have said, the key seems to be moderation and variety.  Like most of us, I've grilled my onc, and he just says that we ER+ ladies, "Can't be too thin."  Sigh. 

Sharon1942

Am I the last one to hear about the benefits of peaches to prevent breast cancer? Peaches Prevent Breast Cancer in Elder

DawnCT

Brookside - Yes, sigh. We can't be too thin but it is so so hard if not impossible to lose weight due to menopause and effects of anti horminals (tamoxifen for me).   I have been exercising regularly and really watching the carbs and the scale has hardly budged.