Metastatic & Diets

[Building-strength]

I’d like to know has anyone’s diet changed. Not specifically from the meds but in order to stay healthy. Are sweets a no no and organics part of your regular diet?

[Ardie1970]

I have cut out most of my sugar intake, try to eat more fruits and veggies and less meat. I also Stay away from processed and fast food. I do some organic and some not. My regular diet was pretty much the same before, but, I would eat fast food and drank sweet tea all day. When I went on my meds and changed my diet I lost close to 20 lbs. I don’t know if it was cutting out sugar or getting rid of all the hormones in my body. I was in Peri-menopause at the time.

[Rbeth]

Cooked mushrooms remove estrogen from the body. I like mushroom omelettes. Black iced tea no sugar or sweeteners. Add pickles and sauerkraut type foods. Lots of fresh blueberries and blackberries and raspberries. Cottage cheese has protein. Put in the berries and banana too.

[Hidden]

I have switched to a largely vegan/pescatarian low GI diet with lots of plant diversity and fibre

So my understanding is that the primary food source for all cells but particularly cancer cells is sugar and therefore I have tried to cut out food which will spike my blood sugar and feed the cancer ~ I do eat a couple of squares of dark (85%/90%+) chocolate but largely tried to eliminate sources of sugar ~ biscuits, cakes, white potatoes, refined carbohydrates like in baked goods and bread.

I’ve read that IGF-1 (an insulin-like growth factor hormone found in high levels in dairy and meat) was implicated in driving the growth of cancer so I’ve cut out all meat and most dairy ~ I do eat the occasional piece of cheese but try and get raw unpasteurised cows or goats cheese as that helps your gut. I do eat fish 2 or 3 times a week 🐠 particularly focused on SMASH (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring) as they give you the best omega 3 and are generally smaller fish so not as contaminated by environmental pollution as the likes of swordfish who are higher up the food chain

I focus my organic shopping on the EWG dirty dozen list which lists the top produce items with high levels of pesticides which you should try and get organic. They also have a clean 15 list which are ok to buy conventional product end don’t need to invest in organic.

I’ve then focused a lot of my efforts in gut health as getting that optimised will help fire up my immune system could prattle on for ages about that !

[queeneee]

cut out sugar, coffee, wine - except for odd occasions. I keep carbs low and eat wholegrain carbs if I can. Green tea and I make kefir which I take daily for stomach flora

[SeattleMom in reply to queeneee]

Hi, queeneee! Why is coffee a no no? Linda

[queeneee in reply to SeattleMom]

There is a lot of talk about giving up sugar, however, scientifically, it is more about keeping a steady insulin level/blood sugar and avoid spikes. Coffee depletes blood sugars and processed carbs also cause spikes and drops - so complex carbs better. I still have a cup from time to time though!

[SeattleMom in reply to queeneee]

Thx for info. Have never read that caffeine should be avoided. 💗🙏🏻

[Verbena1]

I agree on cutting out sugar, white flour, processed foods and caffeine. I also cut out cooked dairy and do raw goat kefir and some raw cheeses occasionally. Pasteurized dairy makes my nose run and I get bloated. With raw dairy I never have any, but the jury is still out on raw cow being ok so I stick to goat dairy for the most part.

My oncologist has told me that sugar is inconsequential (and actually good) but I know better. It absolutely feeds the cancer in my opinion and from everything I’ve learned over the years, which includes things that turn to sugar (white flour, etc).

The Nurse Practitioner there explained to me that they don’t have any science to prove sugar is not good, so they just tell their patients to eat whatever they want. (She said she wouldn’t eat it herself if she had cancer, but that’s another story).

I gave up all caffeine except I now drink matcha tea powder - so far I have no bad reaction to it and it seems mild on my system. When I used to drink coffee in the am, I could actually feel my tumor growing and my breast hurt a lot. I know it sounds weird.

I remember seeing an interesting video about a man (maybe in his 70s?) who cured his cancer completely solely by cutting out all intake of sugar in any form. I really wish there would be more studies done on this that would be released to the public as having merit!

[Building-strength in reply to Verbena1]

Sometimes we have to do our own research it’s been proven by many cancer patients about what we take in affects a lot of what drives cancer and how to prevent or delay it’s recurrence.

Doctor’s are there to help us but their not God’s.

[Building-strength]

A lot of great information. I had a sweet tooth out of this world and had to get a hold of it when I was originally diagnosed. I lost a lot of weight doing that and hadn’t done chem or radiation at that time. My oncologist also told me to eat what I wanted. Interesting to me if another oncologist told you to eat what you want but wouldn’t eat it herself definitely raises eyebrows. They will never do a study on it because it’s not cost effective and wouldn’t bring in the money that all these treatments do.

Its definitely hard to cut out all sugars as it’s in almost everything and I find that discouraging. I do buy organic fruits and veggies and stick to chicken, fish and some turkey, whole grain and nuts. It’s hard to find things to snack on. I enjoy fruit but get tired of that, any suggestions?

Thank you all

[Verbena1 in reply to Building-strength]

Makes perfect sense… to be honest, if it weren’t for almost losing my life last year, I would not be doing any allopathic treatment. I’ve always been 💯 holistic minded and have read so much on natural health and healing over the years, it was really heartbreaking to have to do anything else.

There are so many other treatments available, but my poor decision making early on led me to have very few choices remaining now. (However the targeted therapy is working well)…

With the diet, I’m also prone to sweet cravings, and one thing that’s helped me a lot is using stevia in my herbal tea drinks - I haven’t done extensive research on it but it’s a natural sweetener and doesn’t spike the insulin. (There are different types so read up on some having additives/fillers, and some being pure stevia).

Sometimes I’ll add it to raw whipped heavy cream and eat it with some berries…the fat is very satiating and helps with craving sugar for me. I don’t do a ton of it, but occasionally I also use raw unheated manuka honey here and there.

It’s supposed to be more of a healing honey, and occasionally I’ve used it to make raw milkshakes with a raw egg.

A general rule I follow is to always incorporate a raw fat with any type of fruit or anything sweet so that there’s no crash of any kind and it’s slowly disseminated in my body. I’m not an expert but this has been working for me, and my most recent petscan this month finally showed “marked improvement”, all things considered! Good luck to you~

[Nocillo]

I have cut down a bit on sugar, but it is mostly because my taste buds have changed and lots of things just don’t taste right anymore. I eat what I want because realistically, I don’t want to live on some strict regimen for the time I have left. I don’t enjoy heavy meats though and never drank too much, but now only an occasional sip for a special occasion.

[HollyWeen]

I go to The Cleveland Clinic and at the Clinic I see doctors in Functional Medicine, Integrative Medicine and Oncology. They told me they do have proof that a plant diet high in fiber and excerise does help cancer patients. They had me started me out with reading a book called Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (I know what does heart disease have to do with cancer), but the lifestyle matches up to healing our bodies. Then I found the most wonderful group called PlantStrong.com. This is run by the son of head of Integrative Department at the Cleveland Clinic and his family including his famous medical father that has saved many people. I found it easy to change to a plant based lifestyle with the help of PlantStrong. You can join for free and learn a lot in the free program but what changed my life was joining the 10X group inside PlantStrong. This is run by trained Prifessionals and each week they teach you one thing to focus on and why it helps your body get stronger. The support of the members in the PlantStrong group is much like all the wonderful ladies in this group.

So while I’m not perfect at this new lifestyle yet I can tell you when I live this way I’m

Stronger, my pain goes away and I’m happier. My cancer is not growing and much of it shrunk or went away. I don’t know if this is for everyone but I can tell you it changed my life for the better. Much love and healing hugs to you all 🌸❤️🤗

[diamags]

Hello there. I'm a 7 year survivor. I asked my onc this very same question when I was diagnosed. He said: "Eat healthy enough to give your body nurishment, but if you want dessert, have it." I could not believe this and kept all organic and almost no sweets. And then... The good, healthy eating thing was not entirely sustainable! For me. I have a Coke-a-Cola everyday, still eat only organic dairy and meat as they feed animals a lot of hormones so they grow faster and bigger and not always organic fruits and veggies, and enjoy desserts. I wouldn't recommend my diet to everybody, but for me, it has worked. I think genes have a lot more to do with my survival length than anything else.

[Building-strength in reply to diamags]

Thanks for that. 7 years God bless! Very encouraging

[Hidden]

Hi,

I made a lot of changes to my diet and lifestyle when I was diagnosed over three years ago. I ate a fairly healthy diet anyway, but I really needed to rein in my sweet tooth. It was terrible! I eat a mainly plant based diet (about 80%). I do eat a little meat such as chicken sometimes, and about 2 free range eggs on the weekend when I make a healthy full English breakfast. I don't eat much dairy, but when I do I try to eat good quality products. I've always eaten lots of fruit and vegetables anyway, so I keep that up and try to cook most meals from scratch. But I also don't cut out things I like altogether. For example, I went out for lunch after my CT scan today and ordered a mushroom burger and a slice of banoffee pie for dessert. That is a treat for me. But I don't eat like that all the time. I think that if you start cutting out everything and are too strict it will be hard to maintain and it will take away the joy of eating. You have to still enjoy your food. When I make salads I make sure that no two salads are alike. I include lots of different colours, textures and ingredients.

Sophie

[IzzyZorro]

I was told by my Chinese medicine practitioner to go on the eat right for your blood type diet. He says that that is the key. I was eating a lot of raw veggies and not enough meat. I ended up getting a book that is helping me a lot with specific foods that fight cancer depending on what your blood type is. I hope this is helpful! The book is by Peter D’Adamo And you can get it on Amazon.

[Building-strength in reply to IzzyZorro]

That’s great information! I’ll look up the book.

[Teddielottie]

I have been vegetarian (don’t eat meat or fish , but eat a little dairy) for 40 years , I have never smoked , only ever drank in moderation and exercised ... yet I still got breast cancer (with no family history). When diagnosed my onc said just to eat a balanced diet .

So I have continued to eat what I want (tho’ still vegetarian) , I still have a sweet treat most days (the occasional slice of cake from my local farm shop cafe , or some nice flavoured ice cream , or my current favourite which is a bar of chocolate ...it’s a dairy-free/plant based chocolate ‘Dirty Cow ‘ and has a great selection of toppings to choose from (Amazon ).Other than lots of still water, I only drink decaf tea and decaf coffee , coconut water and my favourite readymade juice is Green machine by Naked . I always have the same breakfast (porridge and a good helping of blueberries ). I like to snack on any nuts , but also love peanut butter, a little cheese , avocado , olives and fruit . I have gained weight (Letrozole/pandemic and my sweet tooth !) and would like to lose a few pounds , despite walking and cycling for exercise (my onc said I was a bit underweight when I was diagnosed ... she doesn’t say that now !!!). But I have had ‘stable disease ‘for over 3 years and still on Ibrance 125mg ( tho’ debating whether to drop to 100mg). I am on the traditional drugs of Ibrance/Letrozole only .

It’s very difficult knowing what the best diet is , but like a few others have mentioned, you have to still enjoy life and not deprive yourself completely. Mental health is just as important! x

[Hidden]

I've lost a lot of weight since being diagnosed 18 months ago and so I eat what I like. Read a lot about sugar feeding tumors but there is no real proof of this. I do have honey in tea and coffee and so have a lot of energy. Each to their own.

[Building-strength]

Yes initially I dropped 10-15Lbs just from not eating the cakes, ice creams and monitoring my sugar intake very closely. Eating more fruits and veggies was definitely beneficial. I still crave the sugar at times.

Thanks for the scoop on the non dairy plant based ice cream. 😁

I also love peanut butter and get the peanut butter bites from Amazon to make my own nut mix.

As far as excercise I walk and workout on a rebounder I bought from Amazon. It’s great to relieve toxins and strengthen bones, a 10min workout is like a 30-40min run I love it!

[RLN-overcomer]

Greeting; Sister/Warrior I have always been into health, fitness, and wellness.😀 But in the last 8 yrs I have been eating by a book called Bloodtype/Bodytype diet By Joseph Christiano. I know this book has kept me in optimal health, along with exercise, and my faith in GOD.

[Building-strength]

Wow this is powerful information definitely worth looking into. How long have you been metastatic?

[Dragonfly2]

Boy, did you ask a rousing question! I enjoyed reading all the responses…it has helped me reevaluate my own situation. Though my diet hasn’t changed much, I do make every effort to include less meet and more vegetables on my plate. Interestingly, I was extremely suspicious of my alcohol intake…and when I realized that my gabapentin has a side gig fir tempering alcohol withdrawal, I realized that I didn’t really enjoy the taste of alcohol as much….I’ve lost some weight in the process but really improved my cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Eating sugar makes me feel guilty😔 but no healthcare giver has really warned me about it…other than all the usual health advice about more fruits and vegetables. There is a “starve the cancer” group that really focuses on cancer pathways. Especially how cancer cells use certain foods to grow.

I have committed to trying some supplements that are part of that protocol…all I can say is that I’m feeling quite a lot better than a year ago, my traditional meds seem to be working, and I’m still standing.

I’m not promoting jane McLelland’s Facebook group but there are interesting articles posted there regarding her experience with cancer and guidance for healthy choices. lifeextension.com/magazine/...

[Building-strength]

Hello there😁

I appreciate your response. There’s so much information out there the Dr won’t tell you but sharing our stories can be encouraging and gives hope when you need it. How long have you been metastatic?

[Hidden]

Oh how I agree with you Sandra! I have Jane McClelland's book (not an easy read) and Wark's and Esselsteyn, etc, etc, etc. All with good intentions for us, but more a way of making money. I read and mostly follow Dr. Michael Greger's studies and way of eating, but add foods like some olive oil, some eggs and salmon (he donates all proceeds from his book, "How Not to Die", to charitable causes).A good, healthy diet will of course benefit anyone, whether it is cancer, diabetes, heart etc related. It improves immunity, thus improves the ability to fight any disease.

Of course, do what you believe in as the mind is extremely powerful and part of this fight.

May we all benefit from our chosen way of eating!

Anja

[Kellyonekanobe]

Everyone should watch WHAT THE HEALTH on Netflix. Other good ones are The Game Changers, Knives Over Forks and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. And yes Sugar feeds cancer. These will be huge eye openers for you. I have stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and I'm going to kick it's butt. I started on a vegan diet 12 days ago and I have more energy than I've ever had. The most amazing thing is I no longer have diarrhea after having it chronic for years and I used to think I was on a really healthy diet.

[Building-strength]

Hello back at you.

I truly appreciate you being open and transparent. Yes I know there are money makers out there this is why there is no research in the medical field about sugar or diet it’s not a money maker.

I wish us all the very best on this journey

[Building-strength]

Amen!

[Hidden]

Again, I agree :)So much more power to you!!

As far as I know, Dr. Greger is the only one who uses evidence based science. That's what I go by.

You're an inspiration to me Sandra. You always have been.

Anja

[SeattleMom]

Just wanted to say that I LOVED your response!! Linda