Calling all vegans/vegetartians for advice, protein sources?
I am not a vegan or vegetarian but I would like to eliminate or at least reduce the amount of meat & fish that I eat. I did some research on the web to find other sources of protein but some of the options are phytoestrogens and my breast cancer is ER+ so I am avoiding those foods such as soy, chick peas, and several other legumes. So far I have this list(?):
1. Quinoa and whole grains (but not lignans which are found in the outer layer of the grain since they contain phytoestrogens).
2. Beans & Legumes (w/ no phytoestrogens including lentils?)
3. Nuts & Seeds (some have phytoestrogens too).
4. Veggie Burgers (I think I have to make my own because I can find some without soy but they contain potatoes which I don't eat).
I have a link to a good recipe, well it sounds good I still need to try it:
http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/no-bean-no-soy-no-gluten-veggie-burgers.html
5. Kidney beans, flagelot, split peas, haricot (?), lentils (red, green or brown) all contain phytoestrogens too?
6. Nuts like cashews, peanuts, walnuts & almonds all contain phytoestrogens too?
7. Blue-green algae (I haven't tried this one yet)
Here is the article I used to get info on phytoestrogens:
http://www.ehow.com/info_8253671_list-phytoestrogens.html
I assume, that some of the items have minimal amounts of phytoestrogens.
For women/men with breast cancer:
Memorial Sloan Kettering says to not eat phytoestrogens (well sort of, they say to limit soy products and no flaxseed among other things)
But Livestrong says flaxseed is benefcial: http://www.livestrong.com/article/434812-quinoa-flaxseed/
It seems this is like everything else in health care, "Do this, no wait, don't do that, do this".
I am so confused. Can anyone shed any light on this? Especially someone who is a long term survivor (any stage), possibly the moderators?
In other words, if you are a vegan/vegetarian and a long term survivor what proteins do you eat?
Comments
-
Musiclover. My oncologists are from a NCI cancer center, and they told me that a serving or so a day of even soy, as long as it was a natural version, such as tofu or edamame, is fine, and, in fact, studies show higher intake of natural soy, despite phytoestrogens, increases longevity. -
It is difficult to know what to eat and the medical community is NO help. I read these two books to help with general information:
Foods to Fight Cancer
The Anti Cancer - A New Way of Life
Both did help me understand how our bodies use foods to prevent cancer or accelerate it. I also do avoid meats a lot more now. I eat a lot of beans and nuts among other things. I do eat some cheeses but hormone free and organic.
-
I am not yet a long-term survivor as it has been less than two years since my dx, but I am a "part-time vegetarian"--I eat mostly vegetarian except the occasional piece of fish, and a nibble of turkey on Thursday. One easy way to add protein to your diet is with protein powder. Lots of people add the powder to smoothies, but I'm not a big smoothie fan, so I add it to baked goods. You can also put it in things like thick soups or stews, if you get the unflavored variety. I use a rice-based powder but there are also hemp-based protein powders and I have used those with good results too. The hemp powder did turn my muffins a very strange color, but they tasted just fine. I am also trying to regain some of the weight I lost unintentionally, so I drink a nutritional drink called Komplete if I there weren't enough calories in the food I ate that day. It's vegan and soy-free and comes in vanilla, chocolate or coffee flavor. I have been getting it at a local supplement store, but I'm going to see if I can find it online less expensively. So far I have regained nearly four pounds! There is another similar drink available called Orgain. I think that one is also soy-free, but I don't remember if it is vegan or not--it might get the protein from whey.
I also eat non-fat cottage cheese. There is a thread somewhere here on bco about a study that was done on dairy foods and breast cancer, and as I recall the results suggested that most of the estrogen in milk products is in the milk fat, so if you stick to non-fat dairy you won't "feed" the cancer. So I try to avoid butter and cream, but don't worry about non-fat cottage cheese or skim milk. -
Where can you get hormone-free cheese? Never heard of that. -
I drink a protein powder and eat oatmeal, rice, beans, lentils, pasta, peanut butter and lots of veggies and fruits I also eat veggie burgers - have been told soy is ok in moderation by my onc.
No dairy products, no meat, chicken or fish. I only miss the cheese--- -
Thank you all for your suggestions. I just suggested protein powder to someone for weight gain and I really forgot that I could take it for the protein. Hormone-free cheese is probably available at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or even some vitamin stores or health food stores have lots of food items. I forgot about peanut butter and the whole wheat pasta that I eat already. I just switched to almond milk in place of non-fat milk, the one that bought has some sugar added so next time I am going to look for one without any. I also think that some phytoestrogens are ok too. I just started eating nuts and I am not ready to give those up yet.
Curveball, How are you doing on the taxol? Why the switch from the hormone therapy, progression? I really hope that you are doing ok. -
@MusicLover, you got it right on the first guess. I tried two different AIs but had progression on both. I am on a three on/one off schedule but got my oncologist's OK to have an extra week of infusion in the first cycle. That moved my week off to this week, so I got a week off for Thanksgiving, then I will have three weeks on and the week after that is Christmas. I am doing OK so far. I don't like having no hair, but if this gets the mets to stable or better I may be able to go back on a less-toxic treatment after a while, and then it will grow back. Other than that, the side effects are not bad. -
dogs, another BCO member once gave me a great tip re. cheese, which is that those made in Europe have far less hormones than cheeses made in the US. And the sometimes pricier cost actually makes me view it more as a treat than a staple, so I'm eating much less of it than I did pre-bc dx.
For what it's worth, my ND encouraged me to keep a Greek yogurt (preferably organic) in my diet for the calcium content, and it's also a source of protein. Her preference is a goats milk yogurt, which I haven't yet embraced. For now, I rotate between Green Valley, Fage, and Trader Joe's Greek yogurt. I add ground flax, nuts, berries, dried cranberries, shredded natural coconut, pomegranate seeds, a handful of granola -- whatever I have on hand to the yogurt. I don't worry about phytoestrogens b'cuz I'm post-menopausal. If I was premenopausal, I might feel differently.
I also snack on nuts, and DH puts either macadamia powder (available at Trader Joe's) or almond meal (in bulk @ Sprouts) in his protein drink for extra grams of protein and flavor. We've switched to almond milk for most things, and a snack of natural almond butter or peanut butter with apples slices is good for additional protein. Deanna -
Thanks Deanna! I love almond milk. Will try the European cheese. -
I hope that taxol does the job for you curveball.
Thanks again everyone. I think I am not going to be too concerned with the phytoestrogen issue except no soy and no flaxseed. Thanks for your other ideas. I am not going vegan quite yet either because I lost more weight as it is,. Even though I still have an appetite and eat 3 meals, I lost @18lbs since the end of Aug, 5'6" and 112lbs, not good. The only change I made was to not eat sugar for the most part, nothing processed (I was sort of doing that already), no dairy and only whole grain stuff. I also added more vegetables, fruits and nuts. I think the weight loss is due to nerves more than anything else. -
@MusicLover, can you talk with a dietician or nutritionist? I lost weight just as you are doing—not as much or as fast but I am about the same height and got down to just under 115 lbs. I thought it was because I used more calories helping my mom clear out her house in August, but it continued after the move was finished. I used a computer program called CRONometer to track what and how much I was eating. There is a web-based version that any kind of computer can use, plus versions for smart phones if you have one of those. I didn't think I had changed how much I was eating, in fact I thought while I was staying with my mom the last year I probably was getting a little more caloric intake than I thought, but it turned out I was simply not taking in enough calories to maintain my weight. Maybe cancer was grabbing some of it too, since I had slow progression during that time. Anyway, since I added those supplemental drinks I have stopped losing weight and gained some. Maybe you need to check your intake too. -
Hi Everyone, There is an app called My Fitness Pal and it's free. It can be used to help with weight gain or loss. It's a bit labor intense since everything that goes into your mouth has to be entered, but it gives a very good picture of your daily nutritional needs, or not
For those that have lost weigh, I'm in the same boat. It's tough if you are an emotional non-eater like I am, and people simply do not understand that it can be as difficult to gain weight as it is to lose it. -
can you ladies tell me the benefits of hemp powder? is it ok to have a tsp every day? my nutritionist loves it -
Such a great thread!!!! I'm nearly vegan - no dairy vegetarian is probably the best way to describe me. I do eat some eggs of the organic, free range variety…
As for protein - one thing to remember is that most folks around here get too much protein (first world problem). If you look at the protein content of your food and look at your own body's needs, one does not have to work too hard to ensure sufficient protein intake.
Some great protein sources have been listed above.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that a wide variety of nom noms be eaten… And eat colorful things - like broccoli and red cabbage and beets and things. Don't eat what you hate… eat what you love within reason… I hate lima beans - I don't eat them. Period.
My main protein sources are
peas, lentils, beans (black beans, white beans, etc… - the slow cooker is my friend here)
nuts like peanuts (not actually nuts), walnuts, almonds
seeds like sun flower seeds
wheat gluten (not too much - i consider this a pretty highly processed food)
and some soy - not every day… but I sure like stir fried tofu… especially when it's firm and nicely spiced up.
I stick with mostly whole grains…
My main food groups are:
Thai chilli paste
vegan dark chocolate
Coffee
Whole foods
Beer (ok ok - I know I should consume less of this food group….)
Seriously though, I truly believe that we all need to eat mostly plants, whole plants, most of the time… and that those plants should be DELICIOUS (cue - hot thai chili paste or curry or sriracha). If you eat something "naughty" now and again… don't sweat it. It seems to me that the 5% of your calories idea is a good one, although I'm no professional in this field. Basically, if fewer than 5% of your calories come from animals… don't sweat it. For most of us, I think that's in the neighborhood of about 100 calories per day on average.
I don't worry about fats coming from things like olives and avocados…
I avoid trans fats carefully…
And every now and again, I indulge in coconut milk ice cream…
As for weight - I am an emotional faster - I get stressed - I don't eat. I lost quite a bit of weight before and during treatment. Then - shocker - I kind of forgot to stop trying to get back to a normal weight… and overshot. OOOOOPS. It wasn't too bad to lose the extra weight… but it sure took me by surprise!
Anyway, to keep myself from losing to much weight, I focused on eating on a schedule. I ate 4-5 times per day… at prescribed times. That helped a lot…
For those on the other end of the spectrum… surprisingly, I think the same approach works. Eat on a schedule to prevent snacking one's way to a cherub like body… Of course, nausea management might call for a different approach on "those" days…
And lastly - MOVE!!!! An active life style is critical, I think, to keeping in touch with our appetite and maintaining our health. It also reduces our risk of recurrence and reduces the horribleness of chemo side effects… helps us stay strong… and regain strength.
So, there are my two cents!
Lee
PS - easy lentil soup recipe for all….
Veggie broth, chopped celery, chopped carrots, green lentils, brown rice in pot. Add garlic. Boil for a while - like 40 minutes… Add salt to your preferred saltiness… For the last 2-3 minutes… Add a green thing of your choosing - we like kale or chard. That's it! Super duper comfort food… My child loves it. I add hot thai chili paste to mine (no one eats from my bowl!)… My better half adds a milder pepper… Everyone's happy… It also does well in a slow cooker… -
PS - I steer away from most protein powders… Pea protein I can get down with… Hemp protein too… Soy and Whey proteins - no thank you…. -
@rozem, hemp powder is just one way among many to add protein to one's diet. -
so hemp powder is the same thing as hemp protein?
im not a vegan but I am trying to cut back on animal sources of protein and yes I get tired of the usual lentils, chick peas etc
I have tried mung beans and they are delicious, they take about an hour to cook but add some spinach and it is really tasty
I recently also tried kamut grain which is supposed to be a super grain but on their own I find it is just too hard (even after an hour of cooking) so I added some cooked kamut to other, softer, grains
can we talk almond milk - is this ok when purchased in those tetra packs or do I need to have some special non-processed organic type. Im feeling like this is probably worse for me then I think it is ( I use it in smoothies and love it!) -
rozem, Sorry, I don't know about the almond milk tetra packs. I wanted to ask you whether you have heard of seitan. It's protein made from wheat and is used similarity to tofu. -
Thank you for your tips. I finally spoke to a nutrionist today and she made some of the same suggestions like 5 meals a day as opposed to the 3 I have now and she to make sure that I am eating a lot of colorful vegetables and fruits. The additional two meals can be snack type meals. I never realized that there is such a thing as non-dairy yogurt so I might try that. She also suggested whole wheat bread w/peanut butter or almond butter, eggs, avocado and pasta with some olive oil for extra calories. I am going to look into the hemp powder that sounds interesting too and the pea powder. I also asked the nutrionist about the phytoestrogen issue and she said that the soy products are ok in moderation like tofu and edamame but not soy powder. I hope I can gain back at least 5-6 pounds since very few of my pants fit right now and I have no intention of buying new clothes!
-
@Rozem, if you like the flavor of Kamut grain, you might try a pressure cooker. I've never tried that specific food, but in general cooking things in a pressure cooker is faster than on the stove-top. I googled "kamut pressure cooker" (without the quotation marks) and got over 10000 hits. -
thanks curveball - I think it is time for me to get a pressure cooker - growing up cooking this way (and crock pots) were so foreign to me, just not something many Europeans do. thanks for the suggestion - I think this will make it easier to enjoy the long cooking grains -
soaking your kamut overnight before cooking it will soften it up….
pressure cookers are great… so are slow cookers.
for our slow cooker, i usually put everything in and then add boiling water… saves a few hours because the heating up phase of the slow cooker is really slow… -
At your local health food store, or co-op. Nutiva organic Hemp Powder Protein, Nutiva organic hulled hemp seeds.
Most good co-ops have in their bulk section, Nutritional Yeast Flakes. Excellent source of most of the important B vitamins, esp B12. Yummy on organic fresh popped popcorn -
Sunflowers, I eat my popcorn the same way with the addition of tamari. Give the flakes something to stick to. Yum -
MusicLover - I have been eating a lot of lentils, legumes, and quinoa. It's hard finding a good source of protein. I was reading your post on legumes, lentils and phytoestrogens. Are all beans, legumes and lentils to be avoided? I don't eat meat. Just occasional wild caught salmon and once a week I will have organic eggs. I eat brown rice with veggies. I have drastically cut down on all dairy. Eliminated sweets and processed foods. I am ER positive so do I have to avoid beans, legumes, lentils and quinoa too? I eat brown rice pasta with organic pasta sauce and veggies. I was under the impression I was eating healthy. I feel quite confused and frustrated at what is good and what is bad
-
Septmom, I spoke to a nutristionist and they said only to avoid soy and even then it is ok to have a little soy. I was confused also when I posted this but it turns out you are ok with those foods.
-
Thanks Music lover for the clarification
I
-
It's mainly soy isolate protein that should be avoided. That's the form that's in everything-protein bars, protein powder, tofurkey, phony bologna (as I call it) etc…..
-
Have you seen the documentary called Forks Over Knives? It convinced me to become vegan/whole foods. I also found a lot of information on their website and support on soy choices from doctors and nutritionists. The flim is on Netflix!
-
Excellent documentary!!
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team