Diet and Lifestyle

Warrior2018

I’ll join you there if you start one! 👋🏻

GoKale4320

I would love to see a plant based thread. I am on the Forks over knives Facebook page, but there are thousands of members and its not the most friendly page.

nonomimi5

Wow. What a sweet husband. Salad looks amazing

DearLife

Moth I would join you too, though I am in transition still. There have been short threads on this topic in the past but I think interest is growing. I am looking for really delicious bean and legume recipes to keep up protein.

Pi-Xi

Sara536, this time he just chose the ripest stalks and we had it raw. The sweet potatoes provided the sweetness offset. Besides, I don't allow added sugar (except about 1/3 cup in a double batch of spelt carrot and pineapple muffins, but even there, I'm reducing).


DearLife and Warrior, I have passed along the compliments!


We had an awesome time eating and dancing on Saturday night. 😊

Warrior2018

So it’s way too hot here in OH today to turn on the oven so tonight it’s vegan lasagna in the crockpot!

Pi-Xi

Yum. What is in your vegan lasagna, Warrior?

Warrior2018

On bottom is Marinara sauce, then Gardien beefless ground mixed with with diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning and some red pepper flakes, and also fresh basil (since I have an abundance of it), then a layer of noodles (which is actually about two noodles broken up since I’m using a smaller crockpot plus I want less carbs 😉), then vegan ricotta. For the ricotta I used lemon and olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pep and vegan Parmesan cheese mixed together. I’ve made it a few ways- with nutritional yeast and/or Daiya cheese mixed in but went with a lighter taste today. I just layered until I couldn’t layer any more then topped with more sauce and more fresh basil. If I had any spinach I would have added that too but maybe next time 😊

Pi-Xi

Thanks for the details, Warrior! I've never made lasagna in a crock pot before. (Let's face it, I've made very little in general. Thanks, DH!) A great idea when you want something warm on a hot day.

Warrior2018

You’re welcome 😊😉

thereisnodespair

B"H

Hi all.... I am quite confused because some say to stay away from foods such as chickpeas etc. Articles such as these:

http://www.healthywomen.org/content/ask-expert/155...

It would seem that there are certain foods that are in general very healthy but not for women with estrogen positive BC..... yet here and in other places I see that women who are very health-food conscious actually have a diet which is rich in these foods...

????

thanks so much...

Anonymous

Redgirl, Yay..ponies!

Moth, I also would be interested in plant based thread, as I'm slowly transitioning.

Last week I made Lentil spaghetti...simply replaced ground beef with cooked lentils and my children liked it AND said they would eat it again!

moth

thereisnodespair - IMO, that article is woefully out of date. In fact, at the bottom it links to AICR and here is their article on soy, which is one of the phytoestrogens the article speaks about. http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/soy.ht...

"overall, human studies show soy foods do not increase risk and in some cases, research suggests they may lower it."

Also, see CMAJ 2017 "Although randomized trials would be necessary to confirm that soy intake truly reduces breast cancer recurrence, there is sufficient evidence to at least conclude that soy products need not be avoided. Regardless of whether soy independently reduces recurrence, increasing dietary soy intake may help facilitate weight management if soy products replace higher-calorie sources of protein such as meat"

bottom line is phytoestrogens are not the same as estrogens

thereisnodespair

B"H

i was just asking the question because my myself am confused. and the more i research, the more confusing it gets. i am surprised that it is presented here as an unquestionable fact, that there is no worry at all about phytoestrogens/ that to me too is confusing.

GoKale4320

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-soy-healthy-fo...

https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/breast-cancer-su...

Thereisnodespair - the links above are from Nutritionfacts.org, author of "How Not to Die" and a proponent of a plant-based diet. Hopefully, you will find some reassurance there. I find his information to be powerfully motivating/convincing.

Wildtulip - Lentil spaghetti sounds great! Using lentils to replace meat is exciting to me - so easy and yummy. I will try that soon on my family.

PiXi - great salad idea - gorgeous pic, too!

Warrior - the lasagna looks wonderful - such a great idea to cook in the slow-cooker. I need to research some kitchen appliances - I am trying to downsize, and simplify. But if a new small appliance like a slow-cooker, Insta Pot, Vita Mix, etc would help me reduce cooking time, it might be worth it.

moth

I have a Vitamix and love it - though I stopped raw green smoothies during chemo. Once I get my neutrophils back up, I'm firing up the Vitamix again.

I'm also considering getting a slow-cooker again as all 4 adults living in this household will be super busy starting September. I just can't decide if we would use it enough. Otoh, they're not that expensive so it's just an investment in counter/cupboard space.

InstaPots are expensive but I think they might be on sale now or soon for amazon prime.

moth

If we start a plant based eating thread, where should I put it? Healthy recipes? That seems the most logical.
Fitness and getting back into shape? There are some diet threads there.
Complementary (I like that option the least tbh)

opinions?

Warrior2018

I say Fitness and getting back in shape since that’s where the other threads like paleo and keto show up. It’s confusing because it’s a lifestyle so.....I see the conundrum.

hapa

I don't know about most people but I navigate the forums by either active topics or google search, and I save anything of interest to my favorites. So it doesn't really matter to me where you put the thread.

I use lentils a lot as a sub for ground beef. I use either green or brown lentils as these seem the meatiest. They're great added to tomato sauces, or with taco seasoning in tacos, nachos, or taco salads. They don't need soaking, you can just boil them until they're as soft as you like, I personally like them almost falling apart. You can also add red lentils to tomato sauce. It makes the sauce thicker but the red lentils pretty much fall apart so there isn't the meatiness that you'd get with brown or green lentils.

I also make vegan ricotta out of tofu and nutritional yeast. Just get some firm tofu and put it in the food processor with some nutritional yeast and whatever spices you like. I usually either add spinach to the food processor or grated carrots/zucchini/etc. after it's been processed. It makes a great, healthy high protein lasagna.

Lots of vegan recipes call for nutritional yeast. It's basically yeast flakes with vitamins added, for the uninitiated. It has a savory, nutty, kind of cheesy taste and is an easy way to add flavor to things. I got it to make my own vegan cashew cheese but I'll throw it in soups and sauces too.

GoKale4320

Hapa - really great information about lentil varieties and all of the uses for them. Thanks also for the instructions on making ricotta with tofu and nutritional yeast. It sounds so simple, I'm so excited!! I intend to wow my family!

I did a quick search for nutritional yeast online. Has anyone found it in their normal grocery store? I am definitely going to look, and if I can't find it, I will order some online. We have Whole Foods here, but it's not convenient to me. I did find Chaga cheese in my normal grocery store, btw, but I haven't bought it yet.

hapa

You're unlikely to find nutritional yeast in a regular grocery store. I get it at Sprouts, you'll mostly find it at health food stores or organic groceries or places like whole foods. You can order it on amazon too. Be forewarned, it's kind of expensive. But you only need a couple tablespoons for most recipes.

Warrior2018

My regular grocery has it. The braggs brand. I like some nutritional yeast but I think too much of it in a recipe gives it an odd taste.

moth

I like nutritional yeast a lot (vegans call it "nooch") and go through large amounts. It's avail in most stores here but Vancouver is pretty hippy land... Bob's Red Mill brand seems to be the most widely avail here.

For lasagna, I make a tofu ricotta as well. This is my method: 16 oz pkg firm tofu (drained), 2+ crushed garlic cloves, juice from 1/2 lemon, 2 Tbsp minced fresh basil (or large pinch of dry). Mix in food processor with addition of approx 1/4 cup of non dairy milk to make it creamy but still have body. Mix with spinach and layer as normally.

Now that I think of it, I think it should have nooch added to it LOL...

Helenna

Moth - I’d suggest putting the plant based thread in Fitness and Getting Back in Shape mainly because it has 10 time’s the number of posts of the recipe and diet thread. Could you call it “Plant-Based / Vegan” as I know I searched for the word “vegan” over the years too.....might help more ladies find us, just a thought.

I buy nutritional yeast at Earth Fare grocery, it takes the place of butter on popcorn!

moth

ok, we have a plant-based & vegan thread


https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/58/topics...

Anonymous

Hapa, thanks for the lentil info. I'm newish to them and that helped! I have cooked them following package directions, but the water never fully absorbs even after simmering a long time. I then end up straining them. Thoughts on what I'm doing wrong?

Moth, Thanks for the new thread!

General question for everyone..what are your thoughts about anti-angiogenic eating vs plant based eating? The anti-angiogenic includes many plant based foods, but also some meat and cheese. https://www.eattobeat.org/foodlist Just curious and starting a discussion.

Oh, and I think I found my nutritional yeast at Trader Joes.

hapa

Wildtulip - For brown, green, or french lentils I just boil and drain. They hold up well so that doesn't seem to be a problem. Supposedly if you add salt to the water the skin will hold up better and they'll be less likely to fall apart, but I feel like there's enough time between when they're done and when they're falling apart that it isn't necessary, and also I try not to add salt to foods, especially with all the swelling I've been having from the taxotere. If the problem is with red or yellow, just use less water and add if necessary toward the end. When they start splitting apart they're done.

For me, I not only do plant based eating, I also try to stick with whole foods. No sugar, flours, and absolutely no processed foods (so no pop-tarts, cereal, pastries, etc). I also don't do soy isolates or other protein isolates, I stick with tofu and edamame or whole beans or legumes. I do eat noodles sometimes though, which does go against my no processed foods rule but hey, I'm half asian so not eating noodles ever wasn't realistic! (aside: I'm thinking about getting one of those philips pasta makers to make my own noodles, anyone have one?) Anyway, I think eating well 98% of the time is just as good as eating well 100% of the time, and a whole lot better than eating well 0% of the time. You get diminishing returns from almost everything in my experience.

DebAL

Hi everyone, hoping it's ok to post a fasting question here. For any of you that do fast do you not drinking anything at all for the duration of the fast? I'm asking because I get up for work at 330 am to be there by 430. Does that mean no water, black coffee, tea, nothing? Wouldn't mind trying but not sure I can swing that given my work schedule. Thanks for any advice!

WC3

When I first began looking in to this stuff, I started with sugars. I figured "I can a low glycemic diet, no problem. I've done it before." So I stopped putting sugar in my tea and went out and bought some whole grain bread.

Then I discovered that it was primarily fructose that was problematic. Ok, limit my fruit intake.

Then I discovered that the cells did more with amino acids such as glutamine. But a diet low in glutamine is high in refined carbs which brings is back to sugars.

Fine, no grains or fruit. I'll do vegetables and protein.

But but meat consuption is associated with an increase in cancer risk and also increases IGF-1 levels which can promote cell proliferation. No problem, dairy.

But dairy also contains and increases IGF-1 levels and contains a lot of estrogen and my cancer is ER+ and it also contains epidermal growth factor which triggers HER1 which triggers HER2 and I am HER2 positive.

Ok no dairy, Nuts and seeds.

But nuts and seeds contain a lot of fatty acids, some of which are associated with increased cancer metastasis such as palmitic acid.

Fine, peanuts. But peanuts contain peanut agglutinin which may also help drive metastasis.

Ok, I will live off of other legumes, pulses, and low fructose vegetables. But wait, legumes and pulses contain estrogen like compounds that habe bern shown to negate the effect of anti hormone therapy in ER+ breast cancer, and we are back to the carb problem again.

Ok I will live off of low fructose vegetables.

Can't. Not enough calories or protein or essentially fatty acids. You would die.

I won't even talk about soy. Basically I can find a study on just about any food that implicates it in cancer development. Even broccoli.

So just settled for cutting out high fat dairy and greatly reduced my intake of low fat dairy because I am ER+ and HER2+ and I've cut out things with added palm oil which contains the most palmitic acid. Other oils like olive oil also contain fairly high amounts of palmitic acid but olive oil also contains fatty acids that have been associated with reduced cancer risk and have been shown to have anti proliferative effects but there seems to be a lot of unanswered questions with oils. For example, is there a "golden ratio" of fatty acids that make an oil "safe" as far as cancer goes, or are these oils with both anti proliferative fatty acids and metastasis facilitating fatty acids inhibiting cell division while making cancerous cells more likely to migrate at the same time. I have no idea and oil is literally in everything these days unless you make the food yourself. Even steamed vegetables at hot food bars often have been coated with oil.

Anyway this is how I feel when researching this dietary stuff.

hapa

When I fast I drink black coffee and tea. Just be sure to drink a lot of water. Lack of water will make you tired real fast when you're fasting. I work out and do everything else normally when I fast. It's pretty liberating to not think about what I'm going to eat or go to the grocery store or have to cook or wash dishes for those days. It's amazing how much energy I spend on feeding myself!