Cancer is an opportunity to change the way you eat

The best thing I did during my "year of cancer" in 2012 was to visit a nutritionist {who works in the same medical group as my oncologist}.

I had become a pescatarian in 2004 following my bout with cervical cancer at age 38.  When invasive breast cancer hit me in 2012, I decided to further take the reigns of one of the few precious things I could control: diet. 

So many questions. No sugar or little sugar?  A lemon a day?  Which foods should I load up on? What about organic? What about carbs? What about soy? What about dairy? What about seafood? What about vegetarianism or veganism?

The reality is no one is 100% sure today about the exact link between diet and breast cancer. I was told the best thing to do was to gather the opinions of an oncolgogist and a nutritionist and follow the ongoing advice of Dr Weil and Dr Oz. I was told the single most important thing to do is buy organic.  I was told a moderate dose of whole soy foods may prevent breast cancer {tofu, tempeh, soy milk, edamame}.  But highly processed foods with soy protein isolates and concentrates are probably best avoided {most vegan meats}.  I was told cancer can't live without sugar.  I was told yogurt is a good thing to eat daily. I was told my pescatarian diet, newly tweaked by eschewing processed foods, and focusing on whole foods, yes even whole grains, was very good. I was told to focus on anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory foods. I was told the alkalyze theory is bunk yet consuming a lemon a day is a very good thing. I was told to take all this information and create a diet that I can be personally comfortable with and at peace with.

Despite how frightening and brutal cancer is, I have decided to find a silver lining:  cancer is an opportunity to change the way you eat.  Whatever that personally means to you. I have started a food blog - documenting all the recipes I am making as part of my new "cooking-from-scratch" way of life. I hope you'll check it out and even more importantly, I hope if you are reading this and are newly facing cancer or like me, afraid of a recurrence, you'll see a qualified nutritionist.

xoxo - Jill {www.savorysweetandspicy.blogspot.com}