ER+ ladies, what do you eat?

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited January 2012

    Eating more nutritious foods (along with exercise) will keep your body weight down, which will give you less body fat that in turn produces estrogen. Not good for the hormone positive cases of B/C.  That much is known.

    As far as certain food being "good" and "bad," I can't say that I worry over that much.  This year's list of "anti-cancer" foods will be on the list of no-nos next year, when somebody else's latest book comes out.  Yes, I AM cynical, and offering that perspective.

    Furthermore, were I to go on the healthiest of diets for the rest of my life, I don't know that it could ever off-set every food on the no-no list I have eaten up until this point.  So, I eat what I enjoy...that's kale AND Cheetos (not together, not yet anyway.)   I feel pretty healthy now.

    If I knew what caused my cancer, I would know what to avoid; but I don't, so I'd only be guessing.  

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  • jwilco
    jwilco Member Posts: 486
    edited January 2012

    elimar - I feel very similar.  I'm trying to avoid any foods that interact with Tamoxifen, and then just eat healthy.  Sometimes I still feel its a crap shoot.  I will try my best to learn and understand about what is best to eat and what is best to avoid.  I still find it confusing when I read about something that I thought was good for me is now on the "bad" list due to the estrogen factor.

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  • bcisnofun
    bcisnofun Member Posts: 488
    edited January 2012

    I agree with everyone who is confused! I'd love to think I could prevent recurrence by eating or not eating something. My doc definitely said no grapefruit. I've read in a couple places that it counteracts tamoxifen.

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  • Mandy1313
    Mandy1313 Member Posts: 1,692
    edited January 2012

    Grapefruit is a mystery to me. It makes me wonder why grapefruit and not all citrus. 

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Here's another recent study showing the benefit of fiber in our diets:

    Major New Analysis: Fiber May Prevent Breast Cancer 

    The study found that for every 10 grams of fiber consumed daily - slightly less than a cup of beans - the risk of breast cancer was 5 percent lower. Consuming 20 grams of fiber daily would mean a 10 percent lower risk, and so on. 

    BTW, I just happened upon that website, and I really like it:  American Institute for Cancer Research  

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  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited January 2012

    Thanks dancetrancer. That site is great for chunk reading about the various helpful foods.

    I am disappointed about the grapefruit issue. Breaks my heart that some of my favorite lower calorie foods are on the nix list! But it is true that there are so many new and interesting meals to be explored now. Not sure I would ever have eaten raw kale salad before this year and love it now. A bonus is that even "dressed" it doesn't go bad being stored in the refrigerator, making it a great option for next day's "lunch box". Would anyone on this strand ever want to share recipes of these great healthy choices?

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  • Pat634
    Pat634 Member Posts: 271
    edited January 2012

    So helpful when the docs cant even agree...sigh

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Lacey, I always love hearing new healthy recipes and sharing as well.  Perhaps we should start a thread just for that, so that tips/advice we share here don't get lost amongst the recipes?

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  • dreaming
    dreaming Member Posts: 473
    edited January 2012

    In the cancer center we tell patients that are been radiated to eat meat, helps heal tissues, I think to eat and drink in moderation, I was told to stay away of anything that has hormones, added or natural like soy,ginger. Also to consult before taking any vitamins, herbs,etc.

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  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited January 2012

    Good idea for a separate thread..."positively" healthy recipes for those of us trying to keep estrogen at bay.

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  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited January 2012

    I thought ginger was fine....just finished changing a slaw recipe dressing to delete the sesame oil and seeds, but planned to keep the ginger. Guess I hadn't seen ginger on any nix list!



    I also agree that the old maxim "moderation is the key" is the most sensible approach to this whole food business....but I do want to do everything I can to avoid recurrence. Is this just my newby "post treatment" status that is making me so obsessive about the food component.....ie that this is one of the variables related to possible recurrence that I can have some control over.

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Lacey, I know the feeling.  I feel like everything else is so out of my control that this is one area I can try to do something.  Whether it makes a difference in the end or not, who knows, but since I enjoy eating healthy and cooking anyways, it's a win-win for me. 

    Ok, so I started a thread on Healthy Soups.  I figured it would be helpful to have specific threads for various ideas (breakfast, entrees, side dishes, etc.) to help with categorizing and keeping track of recipes.   

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  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited January 2012

    Thanks for starting the soup thread, dancetrancer....this could be such a nice resource for everyone!

    I added a soup I love to make....and eat....tho it is discrepant to my current NE weather pattern!

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited January 2012

    Lacey, as far as I know ginger is not only fine but downright good.

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  • Mandalala
    Mandalala Member Posts: 162
    edited January 2012

    Sorry, what I posted here should have been posted in the alternative board or something like that. It wasn't really about food.

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  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited January 2012

    Moline, I always thought that ginger was a great healthy food too. Maybe it just got mistakenly lumped in with the soy and sesame products. I'm not abandoning it until I hear something serious! It's bad enough to have to depart from soy and sesame products. There goes my fast and easy veggie and hummus lunch!

    RIP soy, sesame, and tahini filled foods....:(

    But on to new culinary adventures! :)

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  • jwilco
    jwilco Member Posts: 486
    edited January 2012

    Maybe I missed something....why no sesame? 

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  • lulubee
    lulubee Member Posts: 1,493
    edited January 2012

    I've never heard one bad thing about ginger.  It is warming and thus might possibly trigger a hot flash or two if you're bothered by those and happen to consume something super gingery.  But other than that, everything I've read about it is good good good.

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited January 2012

    I checked that "what to eat/not to eat list" and ginger appears to be fine. It does suck about the hummus, although as far as I could make out, sesame in moderation is ok, if your diet is good.

    jwilco, sesame is supposedly not great if you have BC: http://foodforbreastcancer.com/food-list.php

    "However, there also is evidence that sesame seeds and sesame seed oil can promote breast cancer. Several studies have found that sesame seed components can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells, including MCF-7 cells. One study using a premenopausal ER+ mouse model to evaluate the interaction between tamoxifen and sesame seeds in the diet found that sesame seeds not only failed to inhibit human breast cancer growth, but also tended to negate the cancer inhibitory effect of tamoxifen by promoting cancer cell proliferation and decreasing apoptosis. On the other hand, there is some evidence that oleic acid (which is abundant in sesame seeds) can enhance the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel chemotherapy in breast cancer cells." http://foodforbreastcancer.com/foods/sesame-seeds-and-sesame-oil 

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  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited January 2012

    Love the soup thread idea.Will add some when I have the time.

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Momine, thanks for the info on sesame.  You could make hummus without the sesame, although I'm sure that the taste won't be quite as good.  I bet, though, if you add enough spices and things like sun-dried tomatoes or kalamata olives you wouldn't miss the tahini as much.  Just my guess, though - haven't tried it! 

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited January 2012

    Dancetrancer, that is a good idea. I think I will give it a try. Thanks!

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited January 2012

    Well, I don't know if it will taste like hummus since tahini gives it it's unique flavor but purreed(sp?) chick peas mixed with some of the things you suggest still sounds delicious!

    Caryn

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  • lulubee
    lulubee Member Posts: 1,493
    edited January 2012

    DANG it. I hadn't even thought about tahini being sesame seed paste.  DUH. 

    I love hummus and always keep a little container in the fridge.  DANG.  Did I say that already?

    If anyone figures out a way to make awesome hummus without tahini, DO SHARE.  Puhleez!

    Hopefully there's nothing wrong with baba ghanoush?  I love that stuff, too. 

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  • Mallory107
    Mallory107 Member Posts: 223
    edited January 2012

    You can make white bean hummus without Tahini.  They sell this at Trader Joes and I actually like it much better than the traditional hummus.

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Here's a tahini-free recipe, but I haven't tried it yet.  It gets rave reviews, but if you read the reviews, many people add sesame oil, which, uh, defeats the purpose!  LOL!  But this is where I got the ideas of adding the sun-dried tomatoes or olives - by reading the reviews.  Some people added lemon, which they said really helped.  

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/extra-easy-hummus/ 

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Sounds yummy Mallory - thanks for the idea!

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  • jwilco
    jwilco Member Posts: 486
    edited January 2012

    Thank you for the info on the sesame.  Actually I made hummus myself and didn't have the tahini.  I used chick peas, olive oil, garlic...and walnuts.  Everyone liked it.  

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  • dancetrancer
    dancetrancer Member Posts: 4,039
    edited January 2012

    Thanks jwilco - the walnuts sound like a very yummy idea!

    Just read this and thought HER2+ people would find it of interest:

    High intake of soy isoflavones increases risk of recurrence in HER2+ patients 

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  • Layla2525
    Layla2525 Member Posts: 827
    edited January 2012

    Thx Calamty ....I live a few blocks from Grassroots (natural foods) so I can get raw milk there in a glass jug which comes from cows near a little town about 30 min from me but worried it might be bad dairy. The China Study says all diseases come from animal food sources...but other scientists say its a flawed study.   Yep, Dancetrance...I got the Warrior Goddess book and its excellent,has amazing info on ayurevedic medicine (spelling?) from India. Thousands of yrs old health concepts that modern scientists are finding to be useful for health. I eat so bad tho. We constantly have office parties with tons of sugary pastries and then I get sleepy about 3 pm and go get a ready made cappucino full of caff & sugar...I am a bad little girl and like Alice in Wonder..."I give myself very good advice,but I very seldom take it". LOL However, I have no sugar in my house,i sometimes want something sweet. I use organic honey if I get a cold which is about once a yr and rest I use NuStevia in packets but I only put 1/2 a packet if any at all. Its so funny when people get tea or coffee and go searching my cupboards for sugar...love my guests' reactions while I secretly laugh to myself..fun with friends...hmm. Anyone eat lamb,I heard it was a clean food whatever that means? I put lamb and kale and chickpeas and onions and garlic and tomato sauce ....season however you like maybe a little lemon juice and some salt-free Ms Dash steak seasoning I use to make a great winter soup..you can throw in potatoes or other veggies or change up the type of meat..makes a big pot with crusty bread for winter nights even tho its seldom that cold in FL.

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