What foods are you eating to reduce recurrence?
Comments
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seaweed is good iodine content, difficult to know hoe to fix it too, tasty though -
just add tumeric to all meat and veggie dishes. Its got antibacterial and anti-tumor properties. -
Here's some changes I've made as well as things I've always done and will keep doing. I do as much as possible, but realize it's hard to eliminate absolutely everything out of our diet that shouldn't be there. I don't see this as "alternative" or "complimentary" or any other adjectives of similar type, but as standard procedure and common sense. Most of these scenarios have been FORCED upon us and are relatively "new". By that I mean in recent decades, these have been getting progressively worse. After doing my own study Ive found there's enough conclusive evidence from what I would call reliable sources which would raise a red flag in anyone's thinking. For example, GE. I've also included toxins that find their ways into our food chain like residues left on dishes from dish washing liquid. SO here goes:
- ANYTHING GE or GMO
- No soy if at all possible (I REALLY work hard at this one and I have to because most of it is GE, never mind that it is a serious endocrine disruptor GE or not)
- No msg
- No aspartame
- Use Organic where possible including milk
- As least sugar as possible and then brown or raw sugar. (trying to learn how to process stevia)
- Eat NZ made where possible. This is to avoid irradiated foods (which Im told destroys almost, if not all, nutrients) or anything fumigated at customs.
- Rinse dishes with clean water before drying and use the least toxic dishwashing liquid I can find.
- Drink sky supply (non chlorinated) water which is boiled
- Eat NZ meat where it hasn't been fed GE food.
- SOurce local chicken which ISNT pumped full of soy and other toxins and is free range.
- Use our own free range eggs. Chickens only fed locally grown ingredients which we make up ourselves.
- Grow our own veges where possible and have spray free.
- USe rock salt
- Use baking soda for dental needs. -
@schoolcounselor....I think we need to stop beating ourselves for getting breast cancer. It is true that all of us did alot of the "right" things and still developed breast cancer. In my case I had children young, breastfed and had no risk factors except being female and did I mention no risk factors. I exercised and was in the best shape of my life. I was actually proud of good I looked and felt when I found the lump/tumor. I believe the risk factors need list needs to be modified. There are a ton of people who are in this boat. I think that the public awareness is wrong. We don't really what causes breast cancer. My oncologist was baffled and wanted me to have the BRCa test which was thankfully negative. The truth is in life we sometimes do all the right things and wind up with the wrong result. For example you study for a test and you still winding failing. If that happens usually people get disheartened and stop studying - that usually has dire effects. I went to the gym for the first time in gym in 10 months. It really felt good. It gave some sense of normalcy. I've decided to rejoin the gym. Yes, despite working I developed breast cancer but while I worked out I felt great - on top of the world. By working out I can perhaps get some of that feeling back. I have tried to eat better. These improvement can only help not hurt. Eating healthy food is good thing. Can it ward off a recurrence or mets....only time will tell. Making positive lifestyle changes can only have positive impact.
I honestly believe faith also helps. You all are in my prayers. May Luck also be on our side. -
As far as different diets...atkins, paleo, macrobiotic (anti-cancer) they also have pro and cons. As long they work for a particular individual thats great.
Please kindly post foods that make you feel good. Lets face it...cancer treatment is really horrifying. So anything that improves your immunity and helps you feel better is worth it. -
I read somewhere that all people have cancer cells in their bodies. usually our bodies are able to prevent those cells from proliferating. Essentially in cancer patients those cells go haywire. Cells are supposed to do their job and self destruct (atopsis). So due to cell damage the cells continue to abnormally devide. This the precise reason why I think if there are foods that work on cellular level than perhaps we can keep cancer at bay. I know some people argue that it is not so simple. But honestly if mother nature created a problem then it probably created a solution for it. Tumeric is being studied for anti-cancer properties. I make a paste and rub it on my chest well and breast. It might help...but I dont think it will hurt. -
I have 2 more TCs to go and this active treatment phase is over. My blood counts were good. So I guess diet was on the right track. Basically balance diet. Still eat meat but majority veggie and fruits. I wrote to my nutritionist again the past week about my other trivial doubts. e.g. Can I drink coffee or wine (I meant after treatments), can I still eat my favorite muffins (Would there be refined sugar?), what about birthday cake? can I eat chicken? (one of my friend who dx 5 years ago cut off all chicken consumption) Mostly or all organic, staying away from Soy and tofu, no problem but I want to maintain my life! I never addicted to any particular food. But all these tx are over, I am hoping to get back to occasional coffee (ok, I can break my daily coffee and mix my days with green tea) and good wines? I agree with Schoolcouncelor that sometime there may be environmental things bigger than just our diets!
Annika, I am interested to learn more from your finding about avoiding cysts. I do have fibryocysts showed in my left and both my SO and MO reassured me that is fine. So keeping them away or shrink is a good idea!
Love, Jen
ps. My nutritionist just wrote me back saying chicken is okay! Yeah! It will be for dinner tonite! -
Sophie I watched a TED talk the other day. 40% of women between 40 and50 have microscopicc cancer so yes we need to figure out why only 12% of us go on to tumors. He talked about the various froods that may help. From the posts it seems many are familiar with these foods but this is a good reference. http://www.eattobeat.org/food
I have always eaten a lot of fruit and salads. So I try to think how can that be improved. I recently purchased a broccoli sprouter because sprouts are supposed to be more powerful than the broccoli. I've also tried to focus on more cabbage based salads rather than just lettuce salads since it seems to be a more powerful cancer fighter.
Jen I've given up a lot for this cancer but I ain't giving up coffee or chocolate! -
Totally get it and agree, Gully! -
Feel so pathetic to have just learned that I can add equal amounts water to tahini and whisk (w/lemon, garlic, salt, etc) to make a tahini sauce. Love tahini anything with roasted broccoli, or other vegetables, raw too. Used to always mix with some yogurt or eat as humous... -
anyone using coconut or hemp oil. It seems everywhere I look I see the benefits of coconut oil. I have started to use it on my skin and on my hair - so I get some hair and stop wearing a wig sometime soon.
I went to Wegmanns over the weekend. I have always heard a lot of about the store but never venture there as it is far from my house. But wow they have a HUGE organic/natural foods section. I was blown away. There are so many products. I bought hemp seed, organic wheatgrass powder, Ezkeial bread and chia seeds. I saw MACa powder and so many other things. They are quite expensive though. I will try a few products at a time. Spent a lot of money. Hope its worth. I never paid attention to these products before. Hope they are worth it. -
anyone following any good food or cancer prevention blogs? I found one called wellness mama. I subscribed to it. I also follow Raw for Beauty and Juicing for life. Both are pretty good..although some of posts are bit over the top. could anyone make some other suggestions.
btw the way I've been doing the lemon with warm water - first thing in the morning. Have been reading the benefits of this all over the internet as well. My skin looks better and I think my AST or Alt ( test for liver function) has been coming in the normal range. -
I am all for changing eating habits and I have added new things. What bothers me is that I feel upset when I continue to read about how from the experts that IF we eat this and take that supplement and exercise this amount we will not get cancer nor a recurrence. I just don't believe it A lot of the women on these boards had done everything correct in the medias mind and still got it.. Women from all over the world get it and eat differently , exercise differently and take different supplements and still get it. If all this was true by the experts it would be pushed in the media to only eat this and take that and do this exercise which would eliminate breast cancer forever.. ! In a way it makes me and I don't know how many others feel quilty like I am the reason I got this and IF only I had done these things I would n't have it. Well I did eat well , take supplements and exercised all my life and got it. The media( Dr Oz included should quit saying things that really has no truth to it because women get it anyway... I believe it is something that just changes in our bodies and we get it.. We all ate differently, and do different things to stay healthy and got it and there are many people in the world who don't eat correctly nor exercise nor take the correct supplements and still never get cancer. . Sorry if venting but I am just tired of media. -
i don't believe there is a talisman that protects us from cancer. There are too many thin, vegetarian, nonsmoking, nondrinking marathon runners here who still got breast cancer. Maintaining a lean body weight and exercising might help some, but as to how you do that, I don't see the evidence thatdefinitively argues one way against another. -
Melissa, thank you. I've been looking for the word, "talisman" for some time. If our diet could control cancer, I guarantee some of our stage four sisters, here or elsewhere, would be trumpeting the cure from the heavens! That said, I confess that I've done all I could to live the healthy life. For years, I've cooked everything from scratch. I store leftovers only in glass or ceramic, even moved from suburbs to a rural environment for clean(er) air and water, grow lots of my own veggies, eggs from my own pampered chickens. I'm making my own somewhat random dietary changes. I've abandoned my beloved high fat diet and lost 25 pounds. My onc indicates that, statistically, the best thing we ER + people can do is lose weight. He also says circulating insulin (the pancreas' response to a sugar hit) supports tumor growth, so I'm trying to avoid sugar highs. I hate to even mention it here, but my current wonderment is whether, as protein is necessary for cell growth, maybe it might be important to reduce protein in our diets?
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Peb and MelissaD - so totally agree with what you stated. I have really changed my eating habits since dx but still do not feel that it will prevent recurrence. IMO reading through articles there are so many outside factors that can trigger cancer. Some of us may have a certain genetic profile and be primed for an uncontrolled mutation to take off - just need the right "trigger". Exposure to environmental toxins and don't forget viruses may cause cancer in certain individuals. Besides we can't do anything about exposure to DDT as children many years ago when it was widely used. There is a definite link between early exposure in youth and then later developing breast cancers YEARS later....
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Musical- I so agree in all the issues you bring up regarding GE foods. I will be more alert to my dishwashing soaps too Re heating stored foods on plastic containers that have PCBs in them. -
Don you have to find an Indian Goods Store to find Tumeric, I still have not found any -
GrammyR, you can buy tumeric powder or fresh thru Amazon
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very very interesting. my lesion began to show red at just about the time of the fukishima disaster. a coincicence? probably -
GrammyR, did you mean fresh turmeric root? I found organic turmeric powder in the health foods section at Fred Meyer. -
some whole food stores have fresh root: mother nature storehouse(?) in Kingston ny, havn't gotten it or used it yet, out market here has organic powdered -
Look there is no talisman or guarantee to protect any of us from cancer. Its a crapshot and other being a woman I have no risk factors - yet here I am . None us asked for cancer and I have yet to see the blessings of cancer that some people speak of. However, I would like to take charge of my health. I don't know if better will prevent a recurrence or mets in the future (I'm hoping and praying it does for all of us) however eating well has OTHER SIDE BENEFITS! During chemo - my oncologist and physicians were so eager to push pills to me. I wanted to control the amount of medications I was taking. At one point during chemo I had 20 plus medications on my night table (prescribed for depression, nausea, mouth sores, diarrhea, hurt burn, coughing....etc). I already was on a strong chemo regimen and I refused to take more medications than I already had to. Controlling what I put into my body helped me control the side effects. I became interested in the Natural foods as a method of healing. Look if you believe that no matter what you do you will still get cancer then respectfully go ahead and do as you please. What frustrates me is when somebody tries to burst the bubble for others.
Yes I personally am aware that cancer can be fatal. We all know of people who have died from cancer. We are all facing are mortality. We will all die one day. That's a fact.
Is it necessary to put down the efforts that some people are making? I think that while we are here the best thing we can hold on to is HOPE and feel as good as we can. I've been thru chemo, surgery and radiation and none of it was pleasant. I have kids and responsibilities to fulfill. I'm grateful to wake up each morning. Life is a precious gift. I don't know how much time I have and most people don't know either ( Look anyone of us could be hit a bus and not see tommorrow. There are no guarantees in life). The goal of this thread was to encourage people who wish to pursue food as medicine and to feel as good we can while we are here on earth. Peace. -
Sophie, nobody is putting down anyone's position. I'm just stating my opinion that there is no one "right" way to do it. Some people take supplements. Some people do low carb. Some people do low fat. Some people go vegetarian. There are as many ways to go about this as there are people on the board. -
Melissa ... you are right. And, I would add, that the discussion threads on BCO are - also - for asking questions, requesting sources, questioning interpretations, and debating research. I don't think anyone should feel offended or put down if someone questions how you reached your opinion. It's all part of the "discussion".
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Yes - we are simply batting around opinions and observations but certainly not suggesting that anyone should not make healthy choices. It's just that some patients were already doing that when they were dx. For what it's worth, I know someone dx around 20 years ago who does not eat healthy or exercise (only drinks diet soda as beverage) and she is obviously doing fine. It really does seem like a crap shoot for some of us....
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Melissa, agreed. I have definitely revamped my diet in a fairly major way. I certainly hope that it may help hold off the cancer, but there is not much evidence to back my hope at this stage. What is certain is that my overall health will be better if I stick with the healthy eating and get my exercise. -
I've been working hard at trying to get my weight down to reduce my estrogen level as at this point I don't think I can do the Aromasin to lower my risk. I've lost thirty pounds so far on Atkins, which i'm sure a lot of folks here would think is awful because of the high fat & cheese. However, what I am trying to say is that I think the most important thing is getting the weight off. Not whether I do it drinking rice protein kale smoothies. -
Can anyone recommend a protein powder for smoothies that doesn't contain soy ? -
Designs for health pea protein, that's what I use.
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