What to eat is stressing me out

Honestly, I think chemo is so toxic that if it's going to work, it will work regardless of diet in the moment. The changes you're making will help stabilize blood sugar and reduce inflammation in the body and that will help with her recovery and reduce risk of recurrence so I say keep it up

you may also want to check out two threads on this board: Diet & Lifestyle (the first page is kind of weird as we're actually re-creating a thread that got deleted so just bear with it until you get to the good details about what we're all doing to improve our odds). https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topics...

& plant-based & vegan resources thread https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/58/topics...

Also, the website Foods for Breast Cancer has interesting lists of what foods to eat & avoid during various parts of treatment. https://foodforbreastcancer.com/

best wishes!

Dear Pelapi,

I hope this message finds you as well and strong as can be as you take care of your lovely wife. I certainly second what the previous posters have noted and wanted to add some food for thought . I was on a bit of a different chemo regimen but I had a difficult time and here are a few gems I learned.

1. I went to see the main breast cancer researcher at a well known institution to discuss foods. He told me that the women who did the best on chemo in terms of reducing feeling poorly were those that ate a rather standard American diet. And he meant the SAD diet, which I have avoided much of my life. This meant breads, potatoes, cereals, etc. So I went toward that diet but with a healthier twist, like organic whole grain breads, organic oatmeal, sweet potatoes, etc. Toward the end of my infusions (about 10 months -out of 12 into it) I ate nothing but mashed bananas and oatmeal sweetened with maple syrup. It was all my stomach could handle. My weight stayed steady and I felt fine with this. I am a huge lover of all things green and salads but my stomach could not manage them. Almost all the oncologists I spoke with (and there were over 8) said to eat what I could keep down, and that liquid was the most important. If I couldn't drink water then I was to drink whatever I could. We also discussed the emotional value of eating what felt right to someone. If cake sounded good and was what worked at the time, "then eat cake". Supportive treats are important for emotional well-being.

2. My husband is a medical researcher and he found very interesting information from Dr. Valter Longo at USC. Dr. Longo's research supports the idea that fasting right before, during, and a few days before chemo infusions that the chemo is more effective at killing cancer, and that the healthy cells are protected and are not damaged as much. There is a good amount of research to support this online. I did not follow his protocol at the time because I was so overwhelmed that I didn't feel the energy or capacity to do so, but should it return and I have to do chemo again I would follow this. Dr. Ruth Patterson at UCSD has researched and written about fasting as a method to reduce recurrence in women with breast cancer. I am following her program and that of the Salk Institute by fasting daily for 14 hours (beginning early evening). You can find her articles on Pub Med as well as Longo's and both have interviews up on You Tube. Dr. Panda at Salk is the premier researcher in the world on fasting and there is much info on him as well.

I wish you and your wife the very best throughout treatment and beyond. Sending warmth and love to you both.