Food Choices Instead of Hormone Therapy

Trailrunner4 · January 2018

I am troubled by the things I hear and sometimes read that women can lower their estrogen by switching to a plant based diet and therefore not need hormone therapy. I find it troubling because I can't tell if it's magical thinking or if there is actually some science behind it. I've been pescatarian (vegetarian + fish) for almost 10 years and I'm moving into becoming vegan, so I'm already close to a fully plant based diet. If there's any truth to it, then I'd like to try it....but at what risk and what cost if I find out five years from now that it didn't work? It's frustratingly tantalizing. And if it's true and I put my body through a synthetic medication, then I'll feel bad for taking the Tamoxifen.

Similarly, I've had well meaning people insinuate that sugar caused my cancer or eating cheese because cheese comes from mammals with mammary glands and estrogen. I really hate this because it makes me feel guilty. And the reality is that it's probably the genetic mutations I carry and my strong family history that caused the cancer, not because I loved smoked gouda and brownies.

Where I live, though, there is such a war on western medicine and big pharma that I'm not always good at remaining steadfast in my belief in science. I'll go ahead and become vegan because that's what I want to do and maybe that will help in the fight, but for now I think I'll keep taking my Tamoxifen too.

Anyone else struggle with this?

dani_katze141914 · February 2018

Hi Tailrunner!

I'm struggling with the same thing. I try to eat ealthy food, for what I think is healthy: fish, vegetables, fruits, grains... but it's hard for me to cut all the processed food, not only because it taste good, but also because I don't like to cook that much and don't have much time.Sometimes I try, buying vegetables and to cook for myself everyday, but then I give up... it also happens to me with wine...

Lula73 · February 2018

if you want to make the switch to a plant based diet that's all well and good. However, you have to know what plants to eat and which to avoid. So many have phytoestrogens in them and the jury is still out on whether or not they are good, bad or indifferent when it comes to BC. And there is no data saying a plant based diet protects you from getting it in the first place. Unless you're eating foods that suppress estrogen and/or block estrogen receptors (and in the correct quantities) all you're really doing is maybe reducing some excess estrogen from food intake and if you're leaner, you won't have as much testosterone turned to estrogen as you would have at your heavier weight. I personally will put my faith in the medications and take them as prescribed. Some of the SEs you experience on them are from the drug, but many of the SEs are actually from the lack of estrogen in your body. You would expect to get the latter regardless of how you suppressed/blocked the estrogen.

Food Choices Instead of Hormone Therapy

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