Cancer Survivors Overestimate Quality of Their Diets

I think the study is right—most of us (including myself) think we have a pretty healthy diet. We compare ourselves to others who eat lots of “junk food” and we feel good about ourselves.

I’ve recently started to track what I eat (again) in order to be more aware. The online app shows me my nutrients, macros, and calories. I’m not doing as well as I would like.

Moth,

some insurance companies do cover a dietary consult. As a registered dietitian, I share in the frustration...this is healthy, this should be avoided, wait...this is good...nope, we think you shouldn't consume that, blah, blah, blah....The keto/low carb diet is a prime example...I was trained that saturated fat is unhealthy but study after study shows that is not always true. I was trained that carbs are good for us but new research shows that for some of us, even "healthy" whole grains are not always great. I was trained that too much protein can be hard on the kidneys (amongst other things) but illness sometimes requires higher protein. Research shows that as we age, we really should consume more protein. We all know the eggs are bad, wait, eggs are good....I think finding a diet that is healthy and works will play out in the genomics.

I certainly do not delude myself about my diet. I was doing everything "right" pre cancer...as a registered dietitian that understood the machinations of what goes on and why....organic, plant based, low fat, blah, blah....and I have to say, every friend and acquaintance in my circle (as well as myself) were simply horrified that I got cancer, especially since there was no history of cancer, much less breast cancer, in my family tree (that we know of). One of my RD friends chimed in and said as much..."we are both so devoted to this science that if they told us cardboard would be healthy, we'd be eating cardboard and praising its virtue..." I felt betrayed and deceived. Sure, genetics and epigenetics has to have a role in some of this, plus environment....but it really helped me see the futility of trying to "control" things.

Sure, I still eat a lot of plants and whole grains and organic when I can....but I don't deprive myself nearly as much as I did before my Dx. I eat for flavor and joy, keeping health in the background. Life is short. No cardboard here, anymore..........

Excellent post, Wallycat.

There is so little certainty about what's good for us and what's not, and in what quantities, that it has never made sense to me to go on a strict or heavily restricted diet. Plus, as you point out, some diet recommendations make sense for one health issue but not necessarily for another - and as we age, we inevitably are dealing with more health issues. So I've always landed on simply ensuring that I have a balanced diet and that I consume more of the good stuff - fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy, fish and lean meat, for example - and don't consume too much of the stuff that is generally agreed to not be the best for us, things like red meat and high fat dairy. I'm lucky that I've never been someone who can't resist the chips or cookies and eats through the whole package. I can have a few chips or one cookie, or a couple of small pieces of chocolate (pretty much daily) and I've had my treat and I'm satisfied. How that stacks up against the guidelines, I don't know and I don't care.

I think the enjoyment of a good meal or a favorite food is one of the wonderful pleasures in life. Why let breast cancer take that away?

Yeah moth, I struggle with the protein amounts too.

Was vegetarian, now giving veganism a try (three weeks in) and the protein goal remains elusive. I track my food so I can keep an eye on my nutrients as I'd far rather get them from food than supplements. Although, yes, I've added B12 to the mix!

Thank you Wallycat. I have been vegetarian through my 2 pregnancies and then I gave up when my youngest was born with food allergies to everything but meat. I do love fruit and veggies but not meat so I run low on protein. Since I started AI, I have lost so much muscle and I don't know how to gain it other than exercise. I am sure many of us who started AI and were forced to menopause are dealing with rapid muscle loss. Any suggestions?

So I did have a vague memory that Ginny Messina talks about this in her book Vegan for Her. I'll have to look at the book again but she has some info on her blog https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutrition-primers/plant-protein-a-vegan-nutrition-primer/

Also she says protein needs increase as you age & I figure that cancer pts - esp those in active treatment - need to be at the higher end of the daily recommendations. Also apparently lysine can become low if you don't eat lots of legumes in the diet so plant based people need to watch that as they age. My vegan protein shake has 1.3 g of lysine per serving so I will try to gulp that down more frequently. It's not the most palatable lol but vegan protein supplements are all kind of like this apparently.

Even though I'm only 53, I think I'm going to use the calculation the UK Vegan Society has for adults over 65: 1-1.2 g/kg of body weight.

wallycat - I went to the harvard article & they link to a site where you're supposed to be able to calculate your RDA but it's a dead link

Does 1-1.2g/kg sound reasonable to you?

At the time I believe my cancer developed, I was eating a fairly low fat diet with no red meat, a little fish and poultry, and lots of vegetables like broccoli, spinach, cabbage, green beans and asparagus and seasonings such as turmeric and rosemary. Most of my fat intake came in the form of nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pecans, and legumes such as peanuts, and canola based margerine. I drank about two cups of black tea per day at the time, in which I would put 99% organic cocoa powder or small peice of 90% dark chocolate. My sugar intake was probably lower than average at this time. I did consume dairy but mainly in the form of low fat cottage cheese or dannon yoghurt though I only ate a spoon full here and there.

At one point I saw a nutritionist to determine if my diet could be improved in any way. She did not find much fault with it recommended I add more variety and go vegetarian. I had previously been a vegetarian as a child, in to my late teens and determined that I did a little better with a little poultry and fish in my diet, so I was not interested in reverting back entirely, however I did reduce my already low intake of poultry and fish.

Unfortunately, I replaced it with more dairy. Primarily more cottage cheese and yoghurt. My intake of cheeses also increased but I don't know that it would have been considered a substantial amount and I believe I already had cancer by this point.

Currently I wouldn't say my diet is the best. I have been eating a lot of fruit, and while fruit is thought of as conventionally healthful, it is acidic so hard on the teeth, and with the high fructose content, I don't think it's the best thing as far as cancer goes. I also have a stash of candy.

56% is more than half, but what about the error? Maybe actually half of them do and half of them don't, and then you couldn't say "cancer survivors overestimate the quality of their diets." It also didn't say the percent in the general population who overestimate. It could be the same.