Diet changes ?

hkkw17

Hi everyone need advice from all of you who have gone through this and are long time survivors .. did u all make changes to your diet ? I have been diagnosed with stage 1 er+pr+hr-, went through lumpectomy/radiation and now on tamoxifen..!!

Any advice or suggestions will be really appropriated !

Thanking you all in advance ..

God bless you all !!

grainne

Hello and welcome. I suspect all of us try to make changes to lifestyle along the usual healthy living lines....less fat and sugar, more fruit and veg. I think if there was a magic bullet in the form of tumeric or vitimins etc someone would have identified it by now.

Our stats are similar and I am now 3 years out. The one thing I really recommend is exercise..just even getting out for a good walk every day. It has made a huge difference to me mentally and has been shown to reduce recurrence rates and help with the side effects of medication.

I've cut down on alcohol though I still enjoy a glass of wine a couple of times a week. I take a baby aspirin and vitamin d every night with tamoxifen. I know sugar is supposed to be bad but I have a sweet tooth so I struggle with that.

I'm not sure when you were diagnosed but it seems probably within the last few months. Good luck with your journey. The worst part is the fear of recurrence and the anxiety that goes with that. That really does improve over time and this is the place to come for reassurance and empathy in the meantime. Keep in touch.

GreenHarbor

My MO recommended limited red/processed meat, a low fat diet, plenty of fruits and vegetables and only 1-2 drinks per week. I’m being mindful of white carbs like bread and pasta, and also trying to eat better quality food. She also stressed that whatever diet I choose has to be something I can live with long term. I'm the kind of person that if you tell me to completely cut out a certain food (like dessert), I just want it more. So, I plan my sweet treats. For me, the biggest change has been increasing my exercise. I joined a gym for the first time in 52 years. MUCH to my surprise, I love it. I sleep better, have more energy and feel less stressed. I attend group classes, and think of them as another appointment in my calendar. Studies has shown that 150 minutes of exercise per week will cut the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 40%. That was the motivation I needed to get up off my beloved sofa. Any prior diet and exercise plans have been with a certain weight or clothing size in mind. This time, I'm focusing on overall health and decreasing my risk of recurrence. Good luck!

santabarbarian

There is a great book on this subject by Dr Keith Block who is an integrative MO and runs a cancer center in Chicago. "Life Over Cancer." I followed his plan and it is a good one for lifelong eating. I also consulted a naturopath regarding nutrients and supplements and got similar advice. It is not "one size fits all," but rather depending on what kind of cancer. Also I did a Keto diet during chemo as this is considered helpful against TNBC. And wherever possible, I ate organic foods. And I fasted (fasting mimicking) prior to each chemo.

My diet was essentially a rainbow of vegetables, berries and low glycemic foods, nuts and seeds and healthy fats (avocado, olive oil etc) , fish, and small amounts of organic meats, egg, & full fat organic dairy products. (Dairy is has good nutrients, but it is inflammatory.)

I have been pretty hard core during treatment. I lightened up a little when I got a pCR in chemo and gave myself a little break -- ate a few forbidden things and had a few drinks-- and while those were yummy, I felt it. I felt worse.... polluted. I felt the sugar in my system. Now, after 6 mos of clean eating, an apple is a dessert-level of sweet for me. And, after 6 months of supplements, all my former "pushing 60" aches and pains have gone. I think the inflammation in my system has gone way down and I feel fantastic overall.

For me, processed meat, white flour and white sugar, rice and other low-nutrient carbs are just off my list. There are good alternatives... no-nitrite organic bacon, quinoa, etc. Healthy carbs are nutrient dense (lentils, sweet potato, beans) and I treat them like desert in terms of frequency and portion size.

I plan to be very strict w myself throughout my window of recurrence (3 years). To make it sustainable, I decided that every week is 21 meals, so if I loosen up on one or two meals per week, that's a very reasonable ratio, and a dinner party or a birthday can be accommodated with ease. And I plan to fast for a few days every 2 months to keep my immune system 'on point.'

The evidence is excellent on who has the lowest recurrence-- people who eat clean and move around. More and more the thinking is that cancer is a metabolic disease caused by the western diet. Countries that adopt the western processed diet see rates of cancer spike up.

gb2115

I now rarely drink alcohol, avoid artificial sweeteners, and avoid heating food up in plastic containers. I was already trying to eat less processed meat before I got cancer, but we do still have it on occasion.