Anybody on the no sugar, no flour, no alcohol diet

I stayed on a "no diet" prescribed by an MD for a couple of months after diagnosis.  On that diet, if you wonder if you should eat this food or that food, the answer is probably "No!".

I gradually came out of the diet but I did make some permanent changes.  I think a more reasonable approach is to eat a low-carb, unprocessed diet.  I think metformin or berberine are worth considering for keeping blood sugar stable and at a lower level.

My docs did not put me on this and I started it after treatment, but I do no sugar, no flour, no grain or rice, no dairy, no alcohol, only high-fiber/low sugar fruit, lean grass-fed or pasture-raised beef/chicken/eggs, organic vegetables that are non-starchy, very limited caffeine - sorry can't give up coffee completely.  I had tried South Beach to take off the chemo weight gain - had no success, but I lost 10 lbs. within 4-6 weeks on this diet.  Also, improved joint pain on aromatase inhibitors, which I believe may be linked to going gluten-free.

Wow!  You ladies amaze me!  I have been gluten-free now since early June.  I found out through genetic testing that I have inherited the genes from both parents that would make me especially at high risk for gluten-related health problems.  I am working with a naturopath.  She also wants me to limit carbs and get 100 g. protein per day.  I was a vegetarian, but started eating chicken again because I just couldn't figure what I was going to eat under those requirements.  I'm amazed that some of you do it all!  I'm afraid that her next step is going to test me for casein allergy, which is likely along with the gluten one. I'm also trying to take off more weight.  I have lost more than 20 lbs. in this past year since diagnosis, half of it or more during chemo.  I'd like to lose another 20 lbs. to be in the best BMI range.

If anyone would share a couple of days meal plans here or in another forum, that would be great. 

SpecialK and sweetbean - kudos!  Now I need to climb back on the wagon.  Or at least walk near it!

I think going gluten-free really helps with going low-carb.  My blood tests did not show gluten antibodies, but I do have one of the two gluten genes. Mary, maybe you had a better genetic test than I did - mine didn't say anything about whether I inherited from both parents. My doc hasn't mentioned casein.  Hmm.

I eat kale-banana-blueberry-protein powder smoothies for breakfast a lot; I did try to eliminate the banana but couldn't do it.  I pull the kale leaves off the stems.  It's not really low carb, but it does get in some green veggies.

I also eat boiled eggs and blueberries and strawberries for breakfast, sometimes with 1/2 slice of gluten-free toast.

For lunch, I usually eat a big salad with carrots and cucumber and tomatoes and usually chicken. Grilled chicken with lots of pepper!  Sometimes cheese.  I tried fake cheese but it wasn't very good and I found it had casein anyway.  In the winter, I'm going to make the salad smaller and have some soup on the side.  I just have to get used to making my own soup to avoid the BPA in soup can liners.

For dinner, I have the meat and two veggies or a double portion of the green veggie and skip the starch. Sometimes I eat a little of my husband's baked potato. My husband does a lot of cooking - yay!

Desserts and snacks are where I go wrong. And coffee. I went decaf, at least, but that didn't last.

Some old habits and recipes are still around, though. I make some tasty stews that are not low-carb and aren't high protein, either. I live in Denver and can't get by without green chili.

I read Kris Carr's books and had given up coffee, alcohol, sugar, dairy, eggs, meat and wheat.  I also juice in the morning and do a smoothie in the afternoon.  I did this back in March when I was diagnosed.  I definately felt much better and I lost about 25 pounds.  But now that I am going through chemo I have been eating fish and some chicken.  I was told that I needed a lot more protein while going thru chemo.  As soon as I am done I plan to go back to being vegan.  I also read the book The Ultimate PH Solution and it just makes sense to me.  I have asthma so I was told years ago to give up dairy. The hardest thing to give up was the coffee.  I only have some now as a special treat and then I dilute it with almond milk. I have learned to eat lots of avocados, nut butters, and hummus.

I would appreciate any other info on being vegan as it is a totally new way of eating for me. 

Insulin is a very strong hormone. It makes diabetics very prone to heart/kidney disease and cancer and it was one of the reasons they noticed diabetics on metformin had significantly reduced incidences of cancer. White flour, sugar, rice etc. acts like table sugar in raising blood sugars dramatically. You don't want to do that. It is true that cancer "likes" sugar...they are a fast dividing cell that needs alot of energy...but that being said, simple carbs are more inclined to make you store fat which store estrogen. Being overweight and/or obese is the REAL culprit so eating, say, a mediterrainean is very good for you etc. but as anyone knows, even marthon runners, organic food eaters, vegetarians can all get cancer. We can only reduce risks, not eliminate them. So getting back to a healthy weight, exercising and eating healthy foods will go a long way. You do your best and that's about all we can do.

Sunflowers, may I ask you which brand and dose of bitter melon you use?

Momine - no particular brand - just make sure it has NO SOY, organic, all that stuff - I also use Lipoic Acid, and several Blood Glucose Support combinations - but the MAIN thing is the Bitter Melon.  If you google it - you'll see it's pretty commonly used to lower blood glucose.

Momine - I don't follow ANY kind of a dosage - notice when I eat the vegetable, as well as the tablets - it REALLLLLY drops.  So, to begin, I suggest just following what ever the bottle says.  Most good health food stores also have a combination labeled something like Blood Sugar Support.  I also use MASSES of fresh cinnamon ( the bark, I chop it up) in green tea every day - pots full.

i do!!

I'm not on a NO diet, but do try to limit as much as my mental health allows. Just wanted to add something on bitter melon. An acquaintance of mine I bumped into just recently recommended bitter melon as the one on top of her list for breast cancer. She worked 14 years as an oncology nurse. Unscientific evidence, I know, but since I love bitter melon, I might as well go out of my way to buy it in an Asian food store.