If it’s any help, the nutritionist at Penny Brohn recommended I take 2 x 1000mg capsules. They do mail order and it is the Mega EPA 1000 fish oil capsules.
(Edit - it was the doctor not the nutritionist - sorry. And I think it is very hard to get enough Omega 3 in the diet, so very worth while supplementing)
I have found stone fruits can cause more acid reflux. Strangely tinned peaches in juice aren’t too bad.
Finty - I hadn’t thought about supplementing omega 3. Does the fish oil contain Vit D in it as I already take quite a high dose of that?
For baking cakes, I’ve found that a light olive oil works really well (I get Filippo Berio, mild and light olive oil from Tesco for this). Coconut oil works too although you do get a bit of a coconut flavour. Sometimes I do a combination of oil and non dairy spread. To convert, it’s: 2tbsp oil = 25g butter.
Re rapeseed oil - I think it depends on how much you are using it. I haven’t seen organic rapeseed for sale so think about potential of pesticides. Also don’t think it’s as stable at high temperatures as say coconut oil.
The other thing with oil is to think about buying it in glass bottles rather than plastic. Plastics contain chemicals which may leak into food stuffs.
I was recommended the Mega EPA 1000 fish oils supplement by my nutritionist (she used to be at Penny Brohn) and she also recommended a high Vitamin D3 supplement (5000iu a day). I order the BioCare Mega EPA from the Nutricentre website. I’m on femara.
Have also (on her advice) gone back to using organic butter (though sparingly) instead of all the spreads I thought were better! And using coconut oil (Biona) for cooking and baking, olive oil for cold dishes (salads, dips, humous etc). I haven’t found the coconut oil a problem taste-wise but perhaps I just like coconut! Similarly I really like Kara coconut milk for cereals and sauces now - it’s not at all like the coconut milk used in curries.
I was advised to eat ‘smaller’ fish like mackerel and sardines and to cut out the larger deep sea fish such as tuna (and seafood) as they can be more contaminated.
X
Lovely to find this thread and all info as I’m trying to make sense of complexity of nutrition advice. I’ve started using a ceramic frying pan instead of teflon or metal - it was Xmas present from my helpful husband! Am hoping it’s healthier with less chemical infiltration into the food - does anyone know otherwise??? It certainly cooks the food really gently so I’m not getting crispy fried food that I know is to be avoided.
Finally got into juicing today since first dose of Taxodere does not seem to have brought on the nausea the the FEC did (hurrah!) - lovely combination of red grapes, pears and pineapple that is supposed to have lots of flavoines in it. Delicious.
Will keep in touch - so much info to “digest”!!!
Fran
Elinda,
I have a 750ml bottle of organic HILLFARM extra virgin, cold pressed rapeseed oil. It was probably bought at Waitrose. Best before xx/xx/2009 hmmm.
thanks Surfie that’s good to know.
Fran - I haven’t heard of ceramic frying pans but that does make sense in avoiding teflon. Where did you get it?
Glad to hear you’re not feeling nauseous on tax. Another juice that’s good is carrots, apple, kiwi and grapes.
Akfilm - that’s good to know you had both the fish oil and vit D recommended by PB. Can I ask if you had a blood test at all to check Vit D?
I think I should go there. Can anyone tell a bit more about what they offer - I think some of you stayed there for a couple of nights or have I got that wrong?
Hi Elinda
I bought the ceramic frying pan at Bennetts Irongate Ltd in Derby - it’s made in Switzerland (love that country anyway!!) by Kuhn Rikon and is a 4star Ceramic Star 28cm and has a creamy coloured surface in the frying pan. I’ve seen that Bennetts have an online site but can’t find this actual pan on that site - it was not cheap (about £40 I think, hence it being Xmas present…)
Will try out your smoothie recipe thanks so much for the suggestion
Have just sprinkled some flaxseed on my lunch - am hoping the Omega3 helps…
Fran
Elinda I think you would enjoy the 3 day group course at PB that is a sort of taster of all the things they offer - you arrive Monday late afternoon and leave after lunch on Thursday. You can take someone with you if you like. It’s a mix of group work and one on one sessions, wonderful food, all in a very peaceful and calm atmosphere. It’s really nice to be part of a group - they take up to 12 at a time on this course, and you have all your meals together. You get an individual session with the nutritionist, as well as a group session. Plus a doctor, therapist and a healer (!). I think bc patients tend to dominate, and it is mainly women.
Fran glad you’re getting in to the flax / linseeds. Do you have them whole or grind them? I’ve always assumed you have to grind them to get the benefit, but not entirely sure. I also bought some organic flaxseed oil yesterday, so will add a little of that to some food for an extra Omega 3 boost.
I like the idea of the ceramic frying pan - I know teflon is really bad, especially when it starts to degrade.
finty x
I’ve rung up PG today and they’re sending me some info. I gather there’s quite a wait for the 3 day course but I’m not in a rush. Did anyone take their partners? My husband has been so wonderful and I think he might like it too although I’m not sure.
I have read that flaxseeds do need to be crushed or they pass through whole! Also see this link re bioavailability:
nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Crushed-and-ground-flax-seeds-more-bioavailable
I buy mine ready crushed and mixed with bits of dried goji berries or other things. We usually get them from Waitrose or some health food shops. I think they taste quite nice that way and I have them just with a bit of Kara coconut milk.
On the course I did one lady brought her delightful daughter along as her supporter, and I know other people have gone with partners. It would be worth asking when you book if there are other men in the group. I think partners would get a lot out of it - but you may both feel a little uncomfortable if he were the only one in a whole group of women. There are other courses that don’t involve spending so much time in group activities - that might suit a couple more.
finty xx
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Finty - thanks for the info on PB. My husband thinks I’ll enjoy it more on my own and I think I will too but wanted to offer it to him.
I always get confused with the Omega 3 and Omega 6 thing. Is it Omega 3 that we tend to be short of?
I soak my flaxseeds before eating them - do you think this is enough to get the goodness out?
I’m going to answer my own question, it’s Omega 3.
I’ve found a very interesting research link on Omega 3 and prostate cancer (2007)which looks at gene-diet interactions:
Gretchen - have a read of the link I posted on this. I don’t think it does.
Another very good page on Omega 3 with research refs. It does say that flaxseed should be used within 24 hours of grinding to ensure it has the active ingredients. So no more ready done stuff for me then!
umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm
I can see it’s a hard one to get in the diet as we don’t generally eat so much oily fish. I should think that walnut oil would be nice on salads but I haven’t seen that around.
Thanks for info on flaxseed - am now thinking my organic milled is not doing me as much good as I’d hoped even though I keep it in the fridge… I have read that it’s best to keep the flaxseed oil in the fridge.
Info on PB is really useful - have been thinking of going so after these Taxidere doses I think I might try to go - their info packs are very useful.
Vit D? - every time the sunshines I’m trying to get outside to get it naturally; can’t see the sun today though… but am watching for it!!
take care
Fran
I’m afraid it is correct that flaxseeds / linseeds have to be freshly ground - I have a little coffee grinder that works very well for small volumes, so I just do a dessert spoon full every morning to have with my muesli.
This is a link to a page collating loads of research on Omega 3 and bc:
foodforbreastcancer.com/tags/omega3
Some of it is lab studies, some large observational studies. But they all come to pretty much the same conclusion - that Omega 3 protects against bc, increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy, and can slow breast cancer progression. There is also the research I linked to earlier on in this thread suggesting it plays a key role in the ability of bc to metastasise, by preventing the LOX enzyme from mutating. So we should all be making sure we have enough Omega 3.
I guess the problem is knowing how much to take, because it seems that the absolute amount of Omega 3 doesn’t matter, as long as the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is low, ideally 2 - 1. So how do we know how much Omega 6 we are having to balance it with Omega 3? I wish I knew.
finty xx
I forgot to say that several of the studies indicate that Omega 3 has positive benefits even for those that are genetically predisposed to get cancer.
finty xx