Hello… I have had left sided mastectomy with total lymph node removal. Oestrogen + progesterone + with 2 affected lymph nodes. Chemo not required due to low (7) oncotype score. Will be having radiotherapy. And letrozole for 7+ years. And zomax infusions.
My confusion is diet.
Advice given is to stop cows milk and dairy products and start soya milk. However, on reading, I notice that soya milk and plant based cheeses etc contain phytoestrogens and various sites say differing things. Almond milk? Rice milk? It’s a minefield… I just want to give myself the best chance of non recurrence. Help!
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Just wondering who has advised you to give up cows milk as I’ve never heard of that before though it might be good to go organic ( my opinion only) . Usually if you are on aromatase inhibitors a diet rich in calcium such as found in milk cheese and yogurt is recommended . Unless it’s related to the infusions ?
The general advice about soy is that it’s ok to eat and drink but not recommended to take in a concentrated form as a supplement . I do have soy but I limit it in my diet as I have noticed it has certain effects on me - it’s happened too many times after eating more soy than usual to be a coincidence but that could be just me. I’ve read that the phytoestrogens in soy can have an anti- inflammatory effect which is beneficial.
Can you ask your BCN to clarify ? Also if you are offered a Holistic Needs Assessment this is the sort of question you can ask. You are right - it is a minefield . I have watched a few of Dr. Liz O’Riordan’s YouTube videos - in case you haven’t heard of her she’s a former breast cancer surgeon who has had breast cancer herself and is quite good at debunking a lot of the myths around breast cancer so it might be worth you searching on there . Xx
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I am hormone positive and no one has told me to give up cows milk or diary. In fact no one has said anything to me at all about diet and what to avoid. I’ve done a bit of research myself and have come to the conclusion to eat as healthy as I can most of the time and it’s fine to have junk food and goodies a bit of the time. 
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Advice to avoid things that are a normal part of a healthy diet is the suff of myths and ledgends. Lots of quacks claim this and that are good and bad, but there is no scientific evidence to back it up, it’s just bunkum. Clickbait and pulling on the heartstrings of people who want to feel they have total control of whether it comes back or not ( you don’t). The science-backed way is to have a healthy diet, lots of fruit and veg, be a healthy weight and exercise- lots it seems, too much on the side of working 12 hour shifts for me. I’m trying to maintain 3 x per week at the gym, when 5 is sometimes advised - no way would I ever fit that around work days. Unfortunately my joints are fighting back at the moment and my left knee is feeling wrong, so can’t run at the moment, stuck doing elliptical- which I find really dull compared to treadmill.
If you spend time working through unproven diets and supplements, there’d be no time for exercise, which has a far bigger impact. Limit red meat, avoid smoked and over-processed food, is the only thing you need to bear in mind - a much quicker, easier way to live.
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Agree with what’s posted above - no good evidence cutting out anything besides alcohol will affect your chances of recurrence. I’ve been told to eat extra dairy as I have bone thinning caused by my cancer treatment. Countries where people eat a lot of unprocessed soya products usually have lower breast cancer rates.
The Penny Brohn centre run free cancer nutrition courses in person and online that are really informative and evidence-based. I just try to follow their guidelines, which are really just a Mediterranean diet - loads of fruit and veg, pulses, beans and wholegrains, olive oil. I drink kefir and have live yoghurt for the calcium and probiotics.
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Just to echo what has been said above that I also have had ER/PR+ BC and haven’t been told anything about avoiding dairy. The only dietary guidance of things to avoid that I have had confirmed is to avoid alcohol and processed meats like bacon, chorizo etc. I specifically asked my oncologist if there was anything to avoid in fact and they said no. Basically the key is to try to maintain a healthy diet and weight. Be careful not to get sucked into the scaremongery out there that you have to avoid all sorts because a lot of it can be and has been debunked (including the concerns about soya proucts and sugar) x
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@entropy @JoanneN @KChest @Briallen @epic1
Thankyou so much for taking the time to respond. I feel a bit of a fool now! I had this horrible feeling that if I started on the letrozole, (which I have done this morning), and ate anything that would increase oestrogen production everything so far would be in vain.
My neighbour visited me and mentioned that after her sister’s BC diagnosis she went on the Jane Plant diet, cutting out all dairy and as a result of this I looked into it. Initially the Jane Plant idea made a lot of sense but then so did conflicting evidence! I became overwhelmed and was buying soya milk, rice milk, almond butter etc etc… anything to avoid dairy (which some sites lead you to believe contain the hormone oestrogen, which letrozole suppresses).
Common sense has returned and I am going to follow a Mediterranean diet, with the odd treat here and there. And continue with milk in my tea.
Thankyou. And wishing you well with your BC journeys. Xx
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Enjoy some feta chese with that, no need to deny yourself.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths-questions&ved=2ahUKEwjYqcybkuSMAxX5bEEAHcq4DXUQFnoECBwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0aVRp-PpviCdMQNKwvzw1D
Geez, its a long link, but a worthwhile read.
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Thankyou @entropy. X
Perfectly understandable - don’t feel a fool . We have all had those experiences where someone waxes lyrical about their or their friends / relatives experience. The amount of information out there can be overwhelming xx
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Please don’t feel silly, every single one of us will have considered what we can do to try and keep the beast at bay! I wish it were true that some of the diets claimed to prevent cancer were scientifically proven as I would follow one to the letter if that was the case.
My view/approach is to be reasonably sensible about diet (not to the point of denial, I’ve had a fantastic massive piece of marzipan cake today!), but I stick religiously to the ‘big three’ - alcohol, exercise and weight - as, although there can be no guarantees, these factors are proven to have most impact. x
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Oh please don’t feel a fool at all and sorry if anything I said made you feel that way. It’s so stressful and we all totally understand where you are coming from. I’m not sure if you’re on Instagram at all but someone who I’ve found to be a great source for rational information is Dr Liz O’Riordan (I think that’s how you spell it). She’s a former breast surgeon who has also had Breast cancer herself and will often do summaries when new headlines come out on Breast Cancer topics to explain to the lay person. Wishing you all the best x
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Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I too was diagnosed with ER positive bc four years ago and I’m taking Letrozole. I read about the dairy scare and trad the latest reports. I spoke with my bc nurse and she advised not up cut any food group out of the diet but to limit the full fat dairy versions - cream etc . Have a chat with your bc nurse. I suppose the best advice is everything in moderation 
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Sorry hear about your diagnosis. I finished my radium in Dec 2024. I asked my BcN if there were any foods I should avoid and she the only one was milk. The studies are not complete but there are studies looking into milk. I also changed to nut milk. After reading this thread the information doesn’t seem consistent. A radiographer told me avoid alcohol. Everything in moderation maybe.
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Yes there just doesn’t seem to be any consistency. It’s so difficult to know what to do . The recent studies are saying to avoid milk. Does that mean butter and cheese too?? We all want to do the right think to help us but so unsure of what is correct
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@irenest This is exactly my predicament. I have bought both almond milk and soy milk, (both fortified with calcium etc.) which I will use in tea, cereals. Do I buy almond butter and plant based cheese?? I think, having weighed up everything, I will try without cows milk and read up on a Mediterranean diet. X
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@lisyanthus. I have bought almond and soy milk (fortified with calcium) and I will combine the two. In a quandary about replacing butter and cheese in the same way? But definitely going to avoid alcohol, keep my weight down and continue walking a lot.
And will follow a Mediterranean diet. X
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@KChest Oh no, nothing you said made me feel like that!! It’s all the varying advice and so on.
I will definitely take a look at Dr Liz O’Riordan, thankyou for that tip.
Going to eat healthily (Mediterranean diet) and give almond/soy milk a go as I drink an awful lot of cows milk. X
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I have almond milk in my cereal plus a bit of semi skimmed milk in my tea and coffee.
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I’ve listened to Liz on YouTube . Very informative x
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