I avoid dairy, soy, fennel, non grass-fed meats, and flax, and I limit pomegranate.

Nothing is wrong with it - but it can function as an aromatase inhibitor.  Since I take Femara already I am trying to control the amount since the drug can cause joint pain, and I don't know if the pomegranate can compound that.  Also, if I drink it I only drink the pure form, without sugar.

Hi- I am ER + any support as I am totally new to this, just thrown a cup of coffee down thew sink!  I am eating lots of green veg, organic of course, tomatoes fried as well in coconut oil but not sure what to avoid.  Any help would be appreciated.

regards Ailsa x

I refer to foodforbreastcancer.com for my diet. Like SpecialK, I avoid dairy, soy, flax (I am allergic to these first three anyway), non free-range beef, lamb and chicken. I have reduced the amount of eggs I used to eat, but still enjoy Omega3-enriched eggs several times a week. I also avoid other phytoestrogens that you can find listed on the site above. I do not drink more than one glass of wine per week, and I limit sugar. I eat a lot more brassica vegetables than before my diagnosis, and even more mushrooms than ever, which I love. I don't have a problem with gluten, so I eat whole wheat bread and pasta as well as brown rice, polenta, buckwheat and quinoa. I drink a lot of strong green tea and coconut water. I enjoy green drinks and smoothies with organic whey protein. Unfortunately, my restricted diet has caused me to lose too much weight, but then fat cells harbor estrogen, so I working on finding my ideal weight. Good luck to you!

Iabelle- Dark Chocolate is OK not like milk chocolate and dairy. My MO is of Chinese descent so encourages eating less meat. He said tofu is OK but I an wary of it and hormones. Generally avoiding sugar and eating more fruit and veggies. I made a delicious Asian lettuce wraps today w/brown rice, mushrooms and water chestnuts. I aim to lose a few lbs over Lent. I went back to prunes for fiber. Thise fiber gummies are useless for me and I read Flax contains Estrogen.

Actually, this topic comes up a fair amount. You might want to do a search because I know their are lots of posts about different diets, different makeup and different hair care products that people have changed to following their diagnosis. I was diagnosed it will be 5 years ago on March 1st and will hit my five year cancer free date on March 31 (hopefully). I did completely change my makeup and my hair care products because of trying to avoid potential chemicals/ingredients that have estrogen properties. My medical oncologist told me diet wise that I just needed to eat a balanced diet but to avoid soy as much as I could. I asked him if I needed to give up red meat and he said no that it was part of a balanced diet so I still eat and enjoy beef and do not worry about whether it is grass fed or not. Over the years from the things that I have read, I think that a low glycemic load diet is a good one for preventing cancer coming back so that is what I am trying to do.

I agree there are several other posts on this board about this. I know one is "what foods are you eating to reduce recurrence".

I too changed my personal care products like cowgal since our skin can absorb things. I avoid meats with hormones, soy and flax per my onco. I also went to a naturopath doctor who tested me for foods that I was sensitive too since I heard that inflammation is a precursor to cancer. He told me I was sensitive to dairy, most grains, preservatives and dyes so I avoid those too. Since changing my diet I was able to get off all 3 allergy medications I was on so that was a bonus.

I've found coconut aminos to be a good substitude for soy sauce.

Trvler - The way my MO explained "avoid soy" was that an occasional amount of it was okay but that you should not be eating it every day. So if for example you have a salad every day and you use a salad dressing that has soybean oil in it, then you need to find another salad dressing or better yet make one yourself. And yes, that meant soybeans, soybean oil, soy milk, etc. You can about drive yourself batty reading labels to find out how much soy is in foods that you would have never guessed it to be in. I also found that it was in a lot of cosmetics and hair products. I agree with SCVMOM65 about inflammation being the thing you want to avoid.

I'm limiting soy and sugar, and increasing fruits and vegetables. I have half and half in my coffee, but we don't use milk. We use almond or cashew milk instead. I still eat cheese and yogurt. As for meat, I only ate chicken before, and only when eating out. We were also more of a whole grain family already, so I'm still eating whole wheat products, along with quinoa, rolled oats, etc. I, too, found the foodforbreastcancer.com site helpful, especially the subsections for ER+ and HER2+. I'm also trying to absorb the advice in the books Anticancer and Life Over Cancer (I think that's the other title; I'd have to go look at my Nook). We opt for organic, non-GMO, etc. whenever we can. I'm avoiding soy protein isolates completely, and trying to add a cup of green tea to my daily routine.

cowgal- congrats on the 5 year mark. Just be very vigilant. Mine can back after 6 years and h

ad to get 6 weeks of RADS 2013 am now stable w /no new growth or treatment. I feel I must add that most MO have very little concern about diet and cancer. All they push are more drugs. I try to reduce hormones regardless of if MO suggests it or not. I was only advised no soy during chemo months. I still use low salt soy sauce occasionally as many recipes call for it.

GrammyR: I went to the doctor finally after spending a lifetime with off and on chronic constipation. I figured he might tell me to go gluten free or eat more fiber or something. He told me to try this fairly new medication. It actually worked like magic but I don't know why I even thought he would suggest a diet change. I did go to a GP about it about 25 years ago and he told me to eat more fiber.

"I avoid fennel because it is phytoestrogenic" Oh, for crying out loud!! I am beginning to think that there is absolutely nothing that it's safe to eat. I'm not going to die of bc, I'll starve to death instead...

I do like fennel and enjoy the occasional cup of fennel tea. I don't use either in large quantities, however, so may just make a mental note of this information and not eliminate it altogether.

I do think there is much greater need for caution with supplements or essential oils than with foods. It's good to be aware of the phytoestrogenic qualities of our foods and, armed with that information, make the decision to avoid or reduce consumption or to use them with restraint.

On the other hand, I love the look of fennel in the garden and sharing it with my neighbors, so I guess I'll just have more to share this year.

As always, thanks for the info, albeit unwelcome, SK.

Yes, I noted that with some dismay, SK. I've never consumed large quantities of it but occasionally use it in salads or the aforementioned tea, which I may ditch. I'll certainly be more conscious of how often I consume it.