Hello from Toronto! Fighting cancer, any advice?

The best advice I can give is to ask your physician about any dietary issues and recommendations. If your physician isn't readily available, ask for an assistant physician to help. They are often just as knowledgeable and more approachable.

I do know that diets high in vitamin C have been shown to possibly limit the effectiveness of certain cancer-fighting drugs. Not all, but certain ones. But, again, you should consult your physician foremost before making any dietary decisions based on any studies, advice or anything you have read.

If you need some fresh ideas for meals or how to use certain ingredients, feel free to send me a private message to pick my brain. I spent a decade as a prep cook at several different places (both mom-and-pop and $100 plate establishments) and I learned a lot from it all. Spent some 6 years spinning on the lines, too. I tend to only really eat one or two meals a day and I eat about 98% of my meals at home. My old diet was always all over the place. I've signed up here to correct that.

Anyways, below is a super-potassium-rich salad that I created the other day. I haven't fully tabulated my recipes for how I cook my garbanzo beans and navy beans (I use 1/4-strength chicken stock for beans), so what is there is unsalted placeholders. Toss this with whatever dressing as a salad, put it in a tortilla with meat or tofu, whip up into bean burgers, whatever.

1 serving
Beets - Cooked, boiled, drained, 0.5 cup slices (can be baked)
Garbanzo Beans - Garbanzo Beans, Cooked, Unsalted, 0.5 cup (5.6 oz)
Beans, navy, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, 1 cup
Spinach - Raw, 1 cup
Carrots, raw, 0.3 cup grated
Yellow - Onion, 1 ounce

• calories: 456
• potassium: 1,502
• carbs: 85
• sodium: 115
• protein: 25
• iron: 63
• VitA: 149%
• fiber: 27g
• Calcium: 23%
• VitC: 29%

Add a large baked potato to your meal and you have almost an entire day's need of potassium. 3,227mg as I have it with my recipes. And beets (baked and boiled) and baked potato both take about an hour. Perfect timing! Even better: potatoes, fresh beets, dry garbonzo beans, dry navy beans, spinach , carrots, and yellow onions are all really cheap and versatile ingredients.

Best to you and yours.

Hi there!
I am also in the GTA and finished treatment for stage 2 breast cancer in November 2014. I don't have much advice, but wanted to send you some support. Chemo really sucks. But hang in. I also walked with my husband whenever I could (tougher 3-5 days after chemo for me) and my physiotherapist insists it was one of the best things I could do. Even though there were times we didn't walk very far. Listen to your body. Rest is important too. I am new to MFP, so working it all out. If you want to add me as a friend, you are welcome. Sending positive thoughts