anyone got any anti cancer diet advice?

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41

The way I look at it is that by doing the best we can with diet and cutting out as many toxins as we feasibly can then we are helping our bodies.

there is research that does show some foods are shown to increase risk to different cancers look at the World Cancer Research Fund site which goes into this in detail. For breast cancer the only proven link to date is with alcohol consumption. However that doesn’t mean that there aren’t others.

We know that to help prevent a range of illnesses that eating fruit and veg, keeping saturated fat low, salt and sugar low etc are important. Okay bad diet may not cause cancer but it won’t help our bodies.

It isn’t about blaming cancer patients - it’s about us trying to do the best we can for our bodies now we have cancer. Also perhaps helping our loved ones who don’t have cancer improve their diets.

Elinda x

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Nothing seems to arouse strong feelings like this forum!

Like Elinda, I’m all for healthy eating; there’s no doubt junk food is bad for everyone. But there’s plenty of people around who eat c**p all their lives and don’t get cancer.

Between my first primary and my second I did a load of ‘good’ things - stopped smoking, drastically reduced my alcohol intake, increased my exercise, improved my diet, reduced my commitments. I was ‘rewarded’ for all this endeavour with a Grade 3 tumour (the first was a grade 1). I don’t think any of it was wasted and I’m still glad I did it, but I’m relieved that I never saw it as any kind of ‘talisman’ for continued good health, as I would have been most seriously disappointed.

And there’s plenty who eat an exemplary diet and become seriously ill with this disease.

The way I look at is that I feel better when I eat well and that it helps to keep me in better shape to deal with everything this disease keeps throwing at me. But a blameless diet won’t overcome genetics or environmental factors (pollution, for example). Or just plain bad luck.

A positive mindset? Mmmmm. I tend to think that being positive, or perhaps I should say appearing to be positive, is of most benefit to other people. Makes them feel less uncomfortable around us and enables their own fears to recede a bit, probably.

People tell me I’m positive, but I’m not. But I’ve always just tried not to worry too much about the future and do my best to get the most of the here-and-now. And I’ve been told I’ve got liver secondaries (and that’s after even more efforts with diet, alcohol and exercise!). I’m realistic about what the future holds for me, but I don’t inflict too much of that knowledge on anyone else - that’s why they say I’m ‘positive’.

Rachy, ace point about the way positive thinking is reserved only for cancer patients. No-one has suggested it to my Type 1 diabetic brother, who will probably lose at least 10 years of his lifespan and has a good chance of going blind and having limbs amputated before that. It’s what JaneRA calls, I think, the ‘mystification’ of cancer.

On the other hand (I do love playing devil’s advocate), Buckwheat and Gardenbeetle if what you do makes you (and only you, not your rellies, colleagues, friends) feel better and more able to cope with the beamer that is breast cancer, then that can only be a good thing for you personally.

I really do think that diet is only one part of a complicated puzzle, tho’.

X to all

S

43

Just to say I went to the BCC healthy diet thingy yesterday in Bournemouth and it was excellent, basically everything bad in moderation, lots of veg and carbs and a bit less protein. Also exrcise! No proof organic makes any difference neither vegan/vegitarian diets.

However I have to say (and back what Rachy says) I’ve always eaten carefully and organic, have the right BMI for my height and have never been over weight. I’m a happy positive sole and always have been, I have 2 children and breast fed them each for 7 months. I’ve always also exercised and didn’t drink for years and I still got cancer… I have had soya, as I’m lactose intolerant, and worried that that may have caused my cancer but as it was pointed out to me those in the east all eat soya and lots of it and they have a low incedence of BC! The french study says 3 to 4 servings a week are fine, the candians say soy is beneficial and the Americans can’t make their minds up (depends on whos paying for the research in my opinion!)!

Soo - I’m going to stick with the dietry advise from BCC - split my plate in to the recommended protein/veg/carb intake. Have the occasional drink and chocolate (good quality stuff) and live every day positively.

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Sorry - but whilst I’m at it - my sister has an awful diet, eats all sorts of c**p and fast foods, definately not organic as she could never afford it. Drinks like a fish and when she was really broke drank white lighting cider (have I got that right, strong cheap stuff?). Had a very stressful life with an aggressive (now thankfully an x) husband, has shot nerves and smokes masses every day. She wouldn’t know exercise and uses the car to go 1/2 a mile down the road instead of walking! She hasn’t got cancer…

45

I think it is the luck of the draw. Just as some people smoke 40-a-day and live to a ripe old age.

We have risk factors for all sorts of things, but it is the combination which gives the result - like when someone has an accident of some description, it is a number of events which happen together, such as time, place, etc. On a different day, the accident doesn’t happen, but then you don’t know how close you were on that occasion!

Having said that, I do remember hearing about a religious man in the East who was able to grow and shrink a tumour by the power of thought. We don’t know enough about the brain to be able to say with certainty that it can, or can’t, do something.

I have been lent a cd of an audio book called “The China Study”, which I have only just started listening to, but so far the gist seems to be that any disease can be prevented or cured by a good diet, which seems to be plant based as far as I can make out. I am not convinced but am open minded enough to carry on listening. If I discover anything of use, I shall update you. Maybe some of you have already read the book. It’s American.

Ann x

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KatieF

Your sister is a shining example of what a lottery robust health continues to be, despite our (here I mean mankind’s) best efforts to unlock the key to it. Here’s another…

My OH is 68, has smoked more or less continously since he was 14, drinks rather more than the RDA, takes no exercise whatsoever, would happily eat any old rubbish. He’s never ill, has all his own teeth, hasn’t lost any hair, his BP is far lower than mine (and I’m on a ton of medication for it). All he’s got, after a lifetime of bad habits, is very slightly raised cholesterol.

I’ve told him he needs to donate his body to medical research. If they can find out what has enabled him to withstand such an onslaught for the best part of 50 years, they’ll have made a real breakthrough.

I’m 53 and try to be ‘good’ and do ‘good’ things without being obsessive about any of it. I’ve had cancer twice…

X to all

S

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In my next life I will be wicked and break all the rules! lol

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I have done that already, Katie !!! I am not the most disciplined soul and since bc etc i am worse ! I think the psychological part of bc has broken any discipline I had for myself also my dad’s sudden death has alot to do with it too.

R xx

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Dear Ladies, Love this thread, and diet is always an emotive issue!I am convinced that my cancer was caused by nearly 2 years of a highly stressful situation with my daughters epilepsy.
At the time, I didn’t look after myself,I ate the wrong things and drank a lot of alcohol. When my daughter stopped fitting and I started to get on with my life, 3 months later, I found I had breast cancer.
I have talked to a lot of ladies here about the events running up to their cancer diagnosis and many of them, were in very difficult highly stressful situations.
Cancer is a multifactorial disease and I think a whole combination of events contribute to getting cancer.
I tend to agree with some of the ladies here that there is very much a blame culture around cancer, and not so with other diseases. Wonder why that is?
I think also that the pill may be have a lot to do with the dramatic rise in cases of breast cancer. Messing about with our hormones, must be a bad thing, and there is a lot of research about how oestrogen dominance and low progesterone levels can contribute to breast cancer. Look at how HRT was thought of as a wonder drug, now they are suggesting it may be a contribute to breast cancer. It was the first thing the medics asked me when I was DX, was I on HRT?
I think the environment has a lot to do with cancer, the ammount of hormones that are pumped into animals that is then passed down the food chain must have a detrimental effect on our bodies and some of the very powerful chemicals that we come in contact with.
I come from a holistic background and firmly believe that our physical, emotional and spiritual well being contribute to our good health and healthy immune system.
When something gets out of balance, then we are susceptible to disease. My breast cancer was on the same side that I had an injury to and mastitis on that breast when I was breast feeding. Don’t feel that this is coincidental.
The facts are too, that so little is known about the complexities of our bodies. This is reflected in how many people are still dying of this awful disease.
We all make our own decisions on the paths we take and we have to feel it is right for us, we have to live with our decisions.
Best wishes to all your brave people
Leadie

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I’m sorry but all these so called ‘cure your cancer by eating such a diet’ books/ideas are rubbish and only making money for the authors on the back of vulnerable people - like us ladies on this thread? 4 years down the road and I still see threads like this and it makes me mad that so called ‘authors’ are selling books like this with no real facts and people like us are desparate to believe it.

Sit back and think…If ANY of these ideas were true then we’d have not only a cure but a prevention in the first place? AND the author of whatever book would be the scientist that ‘found a cure’ and the most famous person on earth.

With the best will in the world…we can all go on about diet and frankly eat/drink a generally ‘healthy’ diet and that’s no bad thing. It’s highly likely that when we eventually find a cure it will be from a ‘natural’ source, but let’s not get hung up on what we eat etc being the reason we got this in the first place or, even worse, now eat/drink this to stop it coming back.

Surely, if it was that simple then we would have a prevention/cure by now?

I use the word ‘cure’ on purpose…because if any of these ideas had a grain of reality that would be the result, surely?

To finish, I’m sorry if I’ve upset anyone - I do believe that (for me) hypnotherapy got me through chemo from my needle phobia and reflexology has helped me physically and mentally all through - but lets be real about ‘anti cancer diet’ books/ideas when we are so vulnerable to anything that will stop it coming back.

Love Caz xxx

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I agree that changing your diet and lifestyle will deffo not cure or stop BREAST cancer comming back,BUT I am thinking that along with conventional treatment it can only be a benefit,I have not myself put it into practice yet but am trying to eat more healthy.My energy lavels are quite low and I am a bit overweight,so surley it can only help.

best wishes Mel xx

52

I think you’ve got it right, Melly and Caz.

A good diet can only be a good thing. But a diet that could cure cancer would have made world news already.

I think it’s also important to remember that we have, in some ways, a much better diet than our parents or grandparents.

Firstly, we have enought to eat.

Secondly, we have a vast range of ordinary fruit and veg (not to mention all the wheat-free, dairy-free, organic, free range products, etc etc) to choose from.

Thirdly, I doubt that many of us are seriously deficient in anything. No-one’s got rickets, have they? Or scurvy? Even my OH, who eats an apple every alternate Shrove Tuesday shows no sign of it.

On the other hand - and this where our diet differs from earlier generations, there’s a lot of stuff put in ready meals and processed food, including a lot of salt, that I’m not mad on. But it’s easy (and cheaper) to buy the individual ingredients and make your own, anyway. Even if you have a chronic sweet tooth, home made cakes would be better for you than factory produced biccies.

Agree with you Leadie, about what our sheep/cattle are fed…tho’ you’d hope a few lessons have been learnt with ‘mad cow’ disease and scrapie there.

And I think a link between injury and tumours is worthy of investigation.

X to all

S

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Leadie - I agree about the stress and HRT aspects. I had many years of very intense stress before diagnosis and I was also on HRT for many years. If I knew then, what I know now, I would definitely have stopped the HRT much sooner.

Ann x

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My consultant even said that if stress had anything to do with bc returning I probably wouldn’t be here now.My life has been a catalogue of disasters,the year after my diagnosis was probably the worst.I was even attacked by a lunatic while on taxol.He called me all the filthy names going and broke my ribs.Then brother-in- law took 120 paracetamol after coming out as gay,my little grandson was still born at full term,he was perfect - I was with my daughter and held him in my arms.I went to stay with my son for a break and Bruce the rotty (who was my best friend)died suddenly outside my brm door.The following wk had to rush my son to hospital after the doctor on call had diagnosed a heart attack.These were just the tip of the iceberg, it was something every week…was afraid to answer my phone!I was sent for councilling to be told I was coping well and under the circumstances she wouldn’t be able to cope any better!
As for HRT - I’ve actually been told it’s very probably the cause of my bc.I was put on it for an early menopause in my mid thirties and was still on it when I found the lump 10yrs later. I don’t tick any of the boxes for breastcancer ( but then how many of us do?)I had all my children young,completely breastfed them all,I’m a lifelong veggie, slim and fit etc.
Funnily my tumour was triple neg.After my first biopsy they said it was 1cm and very slow growing probably hormonal. A month later after my op it was 2.4 cm and extremely aggressive triple negative.
Against all odds I’m still here and well and due for my 6 year checkup just before Christmas.x

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For those who choose to judge a book not by its cover but by its contents, hopefully the moderator will allow this link to Dr Servan-Schreiber’s blog: anticancerbook.com/

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Hi Buckwheat,thanks for the above which I’ve just read. It makes a lot of sense. A lifelong vegitarian when first diagnosed I read all I could about cancer and diet and decided to go dairy free and to include oily fish. I also started powerwalking everyday. This was 6yrs ago and I must say I didn’t have much encouragement from my doctors back then, When I asked about diet I was told everything in moderation, and to go out there and enjoy my life.
Being triple negative etc my prognosis wasn’t good - I was given a 35% chance of 5yr survival, but the changes I made in my lifestyle made me feel I was doing my bit. They were my crutch, my tamoxofen… call it what you like. I didn’t feel out on a limb, and I really convinced myself that because I was dairyfree and because I was walking like the wind I was probably going to beat it.It kept me going - especially in the early dats when I needed a bit of hope.
I’m also a lot fitter than in pre bc days and still weight the same as I did in my twenties.
Josie x

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Hi Josie,

I’m just back in from my 30 mins walk! Many congrats on coping with triple neg and all the stress. Dr Schreiber says in the book that it’s not so much the stressful situations themselves that upset our balance, but the way we respond to them, and it’s especially beneficial if we are able to take action to reduce or escape the stress. Maybe this applies to you and all the harrowing events you’ve coped with?

I especially love the way he talks about ‘false hopelessness’. This book is quite new, came out in 2008, and I am so glad I found it. It reinforces everything I became determined to do upon diagnosis in 2006 to change my life and have, more or less, perservered with.

If you want to learn more without buying the book, there are quite a few videos of Dr Schreiber on YouTube.

Like you I feel so much fitter and happier than before bc.

Best wishes,
Buckwheat

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hi all, i went into my local mcmillamcentre(trafford general)yesterday and promtly burst into tears! however, a very nice lady gave me a load of bumf leaflets and stuff and referred me for complimentary therapies(relaxation, reki, art therapy all sorts) one of the booklets i had was talking about the rainbow diet book, and while i have to admit i havent read it thoughally i can apparently live off organic leaves and not much else lol, im sure thats not so but has anyone got this book?any thoughts?
sue

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oh gosh.,

Well I have done 8 months of very healthy eating, then this weekend, the monster took over, I have eaten nothing but junk with the odd piece of friut, chocolae biscuits are a big hit for me , never touched them before bc.

I have decided that I will eat veg , fruit as usual but not getting into a real anti cancer diet until I have finshed my chemo, and had xmas dinner…

take care xx

60

good thinking truffle shuffle
sue