Plant-Based & Vegan - support & recipes

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  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited August 2018

    JWoo - have you looked at the alternatives on the page run by Horse Fund? http://horsefund.org/pmu-alternatives-to-cee-drugs...

    Also, not sure what tamoxifen se's you're looking at alleviating, but if it's vaginal dryness, this thread has tons of tips and recommendations https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/109/topic...


  • exercise_guru
    exercise_guru Member Posts: 716
    edited August 2018

    jwoo

    I am on Tamoxifen as well. My MO Obgyn recomended olive oil but I use coconut oil on that region for dryness and i also prefer it as a lubricant. My regular Obgyn told meto throw away premarin and prescribed some estace cream. It is compunded at a pharmacy. I will looke at it when i can and pm you ingredients. It works and i am very happy with it. Also try to find very breathable undergarments.

  • JWoo
    JWoo Member Posts: 1,171
    edited August 2018

    Hi

    Thanks for the info. It's not just dryness. I have atrophy, so need something that will actually contain or produce estrogen locally. No amount of lube will help this. That's how I ended up with the premarin. No lifestyle changes can do anything about it. And since we don't want systemic estrogen, the cream was brought up.

    Looking forward to hearing what your OBGYN gave you. My main concern is it not being a product that is made with animal ingredients. I know that the FDA here in the US requires animal testing. Unfortunately we still have a long fight as far as that goes. But I can't continue like this and need something to alleviate he 24/7 pain.

  • Warrior2018
    Warrior2018 Member Posts: 380
    edited August 2018

    JWoo- I really admire the fact that you’re going through the challenge of finding a vegan product to use. Kudos to you for making that a priority as you’re dealing with difficult side effect.

  • NVDobie
    NVDobie Member Posts: 184
    edited August 2018

    Moth and everyone

    What brand of vitamins and supplements you currently take? I m new to supplements,so kind of clueless on what to buy, and taking general store bought at the moment ( Jamieson)

    What are good sites to check on products as such. I have been using EWG for food and cosmetics.

    Thanks

  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited August 2018

    I just get mine at Costco NVDobie. I never know whether you can trust any brand. If you go to Inspire Health you can get a consult with the pharmacist who owns Pure Integrative Pharmacy. They sometimes give samples too.

  • Warrior2018
    Warrior2018 Member Posts: 380
    edited September 2018

    NVDobie- If I’m searching for vegan multi-vitamins, I check the amounts of D and B. Also, being able to take them on an empty stomach is important to me. So, I usually end up buying the brand Garden of life. Sometimes I just take D and a b complex instead of a multi.

  • odat4me
    odat4me Member Posts: 66
    edited September 2018

    I am currently reading How Not to Die and the companion cookbook. Trying to go more plant based. It hasn't been an easy change. I had a couple meat free meals. Sometimes the prep for some vegetarian meals takes so long. I got a Vitamix blender which has helped!

  • PatsyKB
    PatsyKB Member Posts: 272
    edited September 2018

    Here's a product recommendation: We really wanted tacos tonight but I didn't want meat or chicken or fish tacos, so...we'd read an article about jackfruit and how great the meat-like part of the fruit is in savory recipes. Evidently jackfruit is a pain in the butt to deal with, so when I saw Tex-Mex Jackfruit by The Jackfruit Company at a local store, all ready to heat and eat, I grabbed it.

    Verdict from non-vegan/non-vegetarian husband? Thumbs UP! Garnished our tacos with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a little salsa. He had shredded cheese. I sprinkled on some nutritional yeast. It was delicious!

    https://thejackfruitcompany.com

  • PatsyKB
    PatsyKB Member Posts: 272
    edited September 2018

    odat4me - glad you're reading How Not To Die. I loved the book, but don't use the cookbook much. I prefer the blogs I follow (chief among them, Minimalist Baker) and the Forks Over Knives cookbook as well as Dustin Harder's Simply Vegan cookbook. (Cancer-focused cookbooks The Cancer Fighting Kitchen and Cooking Through Cancer are also great but not meat-free.)

    Thinking about prep work, consider doing what I do: on one or two days a week, cook up a batch of black lentils and chill them (you're set for days and days); cook up a batch of kamut or quinoa or farro (set for days); roast some butternut squash (if you can get it already diced from the store, all the better - lots of produce departments will peel, cut/trim the squash for you so you don't have to cut it); roast some cauliflower & broccoli. Then you have the makings of a lot of meals. Oh, and sweet potatoes - bake a few, then cut them in half, wrap well and freeze. Pull a potato half out whenever you want it.


  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited September 2018

    NVDobie - for things like B12 or iron I usually take Sisu or Jamieson. My essential fatty acid is from Vegetology (order online from the UK). Vegetology also make a vegan vitamin D on its own but it's included in the efa formula.

  • exercise_guru
    exercise_guru Member Posts: 716
    edited September 2018

    the estace cream has three ingredients I think it is estradiol. It did give me relief from the pain and dryness. I don't have it with me so I will update this post Tuesday. I would definitely try that first BEFORE PREMARIN the horse hormone thing freaks me a bit.

    I would also try flax seed because it has shown up in a lot of breast cancer research and while it is somewhat physotestogenic the studies were positive. If you consume soy before BC then try a couple servings daily. They caution against it if you didn't consume it prior to diagnosis.

    What about the Estring? I have read it is safer foe BC survivors because of the focused dose. I don't think I could uses it as I don't have a cervix anymore having had a total hysterectomy.I had read there Is something similar that is small tablets you insert. If anyone finds a quality sage product please post .

  • Ibis
    Ibis Member Posts: 71
    edited September 2018

    PatsyKB...Thank you for the ideas. I’m going to look for that TexMex Jackfruit! For a shortcut, I buy the precooked lentils at Trader Joe’s (despite the added salt). Dinner is usually a big bowl of power greens (kale, spinach, chard), chopped, then microwaved for 1 1/2 minutes. Then add lentils, chopped broccoli and peppers, nuts,and guacamole for a dressing.

  • PatsyKB
    PatsyKB Member Posts: 272
    edited September 2018

    If you've already seen this on What's for Dinner, move along...otherwise, read on:

    Here's a healthy dinner we are having tonight (leftovers from the other night): Brown Rice & Black Lentil Salad. The reason for using BLACK lentils as opposed to the usual brown is that the black really hold their shape and firmness. (Browns are nice for soups and stews because they get so soft.)

    A note for anyone who has already-cooked rice and lentils on hand: Adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly. Don't do what I did when I used 1 cup of COOKED rice and 1/2 cup of COOKED lentils (instead of uncooked)...boy, were my proportions off on that batch! Way too much dressing and seasoning. So I threw in extra rice and lentils (had plenty) and all worked out fine.

    Oh, and I had a bunch of roasted butternut squash on hand so I used that instead of sweet potato.

    And, a final food note: I skipped the maple syrup altogether. No need for sweetener and besides, I don't even use maple syrup or any other sweeteners (honey, agave, coconut sugar/nectar, or any of that); I use only stevia, erythritol and sugar-free products (prediabetes).

    This is somewhat spicy, so go easy on all the seasons and adjust to taste closer to serving time.

    Serving this over some dark leafy greens or something peppery like arugula was great especially with some fresh lime wedges on the side.

    Oh, and some Beanitos for crunch (grain-free tortilla chips made from beans - they're delicious!)

    Bon appétit!

    http://www.crazyvegankitchen.com/brown-rice-black-...

    www.beanitos.com

  • NVDobie
    NVDobie Member Posts: 184
    edited September 2018

    Wrenn, moth

    Thanks for the tips on vitamins and supplements. :-)

  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited September 2018

    Has anyone done the reading/research on basmati rice & arsenic etc and can just give us the answers?

    Can I keep on having Indian basmati or does it need to be Californian? Because the Cali ones I've tried have sucked :(

  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited September 2018

    Regarding rice I found this by Dr. Greger. You have probably seen it already.

    https://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-rice-has-le...

    Other reports say to just swap it out for other grains or eat white periodically and make sure you rinse all rice several times with filtered water.

    I use the Lundberg rice blend from Costco and make batches of that with black beans, sweet potatoes and veg broth to freeze in single servings.You may have seen this as well


  • ABeautifulSunset
    ABeautifulSunset Member Posts: 990
    edited September 2018

    hello. I'm new to this thread. Starting Purium to help me get the proper nutrition and to gain some weight. Does anyone know anything about spirulina? I've heard mixed reviews and it's confusing if I should take it or not. I would LoVe some input from my fellow bc sisters.

    ABeautifulSunset

  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited September 2018

    wrenn - I did read that but he doesn't talk about basmati and that's what I mostly have (cause curry is on the menu here several times a week). I tried Lundberg basmati and kinda hated it :(

    ABeautifulSunset - Hi & welcome! Dr Greger is not very positive about spirulina https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/spirulina/ - too much risk of contamination. It's not something I have regularly, fwiw. I've never heard of Purium so can't help with that...

    If you're having problems keeping weight on & especially losing muscle, I'd suggest talking to your doctors about l-glutamine supplementation. I've seen it mentioned several places in the context of alleviating or ameliorating cachexia. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medi...


  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited September 2018

    Thanks for posting about the arsenic Moth. I had no idea. I guess I will just have it less often and rinse well. Hoping the good stuff counteracts the bad

  • exercise_guru
    exercise_guru Member Posts: 716
    edited September 2018

    I cook my rice with a lot of water in the rice cooker then dump off half the water in the middle.of cooking. I read 1 cup of rice to 6 cups water reduces the arsenic because it goes in the water ans you dump it out. I think that was from gregger. It's tough though because if you don't watch it the rice is a soggy mess.

    I also refrigerate ans eat left over rice because I read about "resistive starch" and I am trying to improve my gut.

  • Pi-Xi
    Pi-Xi Member Posts: 348
    edited September 2018

    My DH was busy with making some delicious plant-based options this week. Here is a delicious creation from roasted mushrooms tomato sauce served over zucchini "noodles"

    image

  • Pi-Xi
    Pi-Xi Member Posts: 348
    edited September 2018

    Here is his cauliflower rice with a mushroom and walnut faux chorizo stuffed pepper. Unbelievable! The recipe for the faux chorizo is from the Food Revolution.

    image

    https://www.foodrevolutionsummit.org/recipes/

  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 3,085
    edited September 2018

    Vegan keto probiotic protein smoothie extraordinaire

    This actually tastes excellent!

    Califia plain (nut-milk based) kefir (apx 1/2 C)

    Cocoyo coconut yogurt 1-2 T

    ~1/2 C berries - also sometimes add a 1/2 green banana (good pre-biotic). Mostly berries, but nectarine, mango or other orange fruit ok.

    organic whey protein powder isolate (Tera's) 1 or 2 scoops

    Super Greens green powder one scoop

    Reishi Mushroom powder one scoop.

    optional flax seeds, coconut, etc per taste plus ice cubes if desired.

    Saving my life on low appetite days.

  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited September 2018

    santabarbarian - sounds good but whey protein is not vegan. Vegans would need to replace with something like pea protein powder :)

  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 3,085
    edited September 2018

    whoops you are right... any protein powder will work

  • GoKale4320
    GoKale4320 Member Posts: 599
    edited September 2018

    Pi-Xi - those dishes look so yummy! I was just thinking about stuffed peppers this weekend, but have not made them. Question: what is chorizo?

    Patsy KB - I love your cooking tips! Such good ideas for saving time/batch cooking.

    Sadly, my black rice that I recently discovered and love is from China!! I will check the store again to see if they have another kind, but I think it might have been the only kind they had. Many stores don't carry it at all. Eating a good bit of Quinoa right now.

  • Pi-Xi
    Pi-Xi Member Posts: 348
    edited September 2018

    GoKale, chorizo is a type of spicy sausage, but the last time DH made it, he took the spices down a notch and it was even tastier. He tends to add more than the recipe says. 😊

    Of course this is not sausage and just mushroom and walnuts mainly

  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited September 2018

    Pi-xi - wow, lots of yummies! Thanks for sharing.

    I'm glad it's cooled a bit where I live and I recently enjoyed several warm soups incl a variation of this one: https://minimalistbaker.com/chipotle-black-bean-to...

    Two bowls of delicious vegan Black Bean Tortilla Soup topped with avocado and red onion

  • Warrior2018
    Warrior2018 Member Posts: 380
    edited September 2018

    That looks very good moth!!


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