cancer diets

[27-359]

Has anyone experienced any of the various cancer diets that are around? Having had my hysterectomy almost 4 weeks ago, I have been researching all sorts of stuff.

I am interested in acid versus alkaline food and somewhere has advised a drink made with bicarbonate of soda and maple syrup, but another post said to steer clear of sugar. (!!!) It's very confusing and I wondered if anyone had found a book that they found helpful. Obviously I don't want to end up limiting my nutritional needs because of some obscure ideas based on nothing more than supposition.

[Leeds2015]

Hello. Yes lots of good info out there. Have a look at Chris Woolams's website canceractive and his book Everything you need to know to beat cancer. I do lots of stuff with alkaline diet, no sugar, minimum dairy x

[27-359 in reply to Leeds2015]

Thanks for that I will have a look at it.

[bibs73]

I've changed my diet radically and I feel so much better for it. I'm now vegan on the whole, no dairy occasional fish and chicken. I recovered from my surgery faster than I thought (I was skiing 4 weeks after surgery without a problem) and chemo hasn't been too harsh. There are quiet a few studies out there that link high dairy intake with OC. I don't eat anything processed and therefore I tend to eat an alkaline diet, high acidic food tend to be highly processed. I don't eat any processed sugar.

Look at the website Leeds recommended

Good luck

[27-359 in reply to bibs73]

I am actually vegetarian, though I eat fish. (pescatarian) I do however eat a lot of dairy - yogurt for breakfast and lots of cheese so I think I will definitely have a go at cutting it out. I don't eat processed food any way, but have you also cut out all the acidic fruit as well, as I can see avoiding oranges and berries might leave me a bit deficient in some vitamins.

[Leeds2015]

rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalk... Berries are good as they are a lower gi fruit. I would keep fruit consumption to 2-3 pieces max, oranges are good too. Lemons are great, apple cider vinegar, although lemons are an acidic fruit they have an alkalising effect on the body.

[Grace123]

HI I know how you feel - it's a struggle to get accurate, consistent and reliable information. I have given up trawling through contradictory & non-evidence-based info on the internet, & have decided to find trusted experts and ask them. For this I recommend the Penny Brohn Centre - you can get a phone appointment with one of their doctors - though you have to book a few weeks in advance. You can also ask your GP or consultant to refer you to the Royal London Hospital for Integrative Medicine (RLHIM) on the NHS. Also check out this website (recommended as reliable by the latter, i.e. evidence-based but erring very much on the side of caution - so won't recommend anything unless evidence is robust): mskcc.org/cancer-care/integ... Looking at their site - turmeric seems to be the main natural product they'd recommend - read up on it yourself there. In terms of sugar, the lead doctor for the cancer team at the RLHIM said at a talk that the main thing is to keep your blood sugar as level as possible throughout the day, i.e. no spikes - so cut down as best you can, & if you eat fruit or anything sugary, make sure you have it with protein and fibre, e.g. nuts, etc. She didn't recommend fruit smoothies as she thought it was too much concentration of sugar at one time. So my Nutri-bullet was a waste! For what it's worth, I struggled quite a bit as chemo progressed, & was neutropenic by the time my 5th treatment was due, but I've recovered remarkably well since my last treatment 2 months ago. My biggest recommendation is to be kind to yourself, do things which nurture you and that you enjoy, don't stress about what you feel you should be doing. Keep as physically active as you can without pushing yourself - I just walked when I was able to - listen to your body & definitely don't overdo it - & if you're too ill to go for a walk, or you feel you just don't have the energy - that's absolutely fine - be gentle & understanding with yourself. I also set myself up with psychological support - just once a month session with a psychologist which I found helpful - as we go through so much psychological trauma, on top of the physical. I wish you the very best of luck. xx Sundra

[27-359]

Lots of information there...thanks for that. At least while I'm not working, it gives me plenty of time to research studies etc. and I will definitely find out a bit more about the Penny Brohn Centre and the Royal London Hospital.

I am so grateful for everyone on this site who are so willing to take the time to pass on information and various hints and tips on what has been helpful for them. Hopefully, a bit further down the line I will be able to do likewise,