Breast cancer need to eat healthy

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hansoel
hansoel Posts: 5 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi. I have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and need to stick to a plant based no sugar, no refined foods diet. This is so hard. Hoping a low carb diet will help. Tons of encouragement would help.

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  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Is that the type of diet your Dr. advised you to follow? If yes, they should have contacts to dietitians and suggested meal plans. Most doctors wouldn't just toss you out into the void to follow a new diet without any guidance.

    Good luck to a speedy recovery!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited March 2018
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    How are you going to avoid sugar? Only eat plants? There is sugar in every plant. Do you mean added sugar? Refined sugar is made from plants. Sugar is a simple carb. No wonder you think it's hard! I'm not going to encourage that "diet", because it's impossible to follow in theory, let alone in practice, but I will encourage you to educate yourself on healthy eating.

    If you want to eat healthy, you can do that, easily. Be prepared to cook more from scratch. It can be done very simple: Base your meals on a protein (and some fat if the protein is lean), plenty of vegetables, and a moderate amount of starch. Limit your fruit intake to two-three portions per day. Have a small amount of nuts several times per week. Make sure your calorie total adds up correctly, according to whether you need to lose, gain or maintain weight. Vary your intake so that you eat different foods through the day, and different foods from day to day. Different in this context means different species, not different shapes, preparations or spices. This will ensure you get in the whole range of nutrients you need, while avoiding risk of overdoing anything, while eating a more enjoyable diet, which should improve your quality of life and reduce stress.
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
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    Have you looked at the keto diet? Keto has shown to be really good for some types of cancer as those types feed off of glucose and thereby the theory is that it will "starve" the cancer. I have read that breast cancer is one of the cancers this will help with, but talk to your doctor and do your own research to make sure it is right for your specific type. If it turns out it is there are plenty of forums, websites and meal plans for keto these days, so you should easily be able to find somehting that suits you.

    Stay strong honey! <3
  • crita50
    crita50 Posts: 28 Member
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    A plant based, so sugar, no refined food diets does not imply only eating plants. It means your diet should be whole foods, mostly plants, with some animal products. No added sugars, because yes, plants have sugars - those are OK. Utilize the dietitian that works with the cancer unit, they probably have lots of recipes to share, and can explain this type of diet in depth. Good luck to you.
  • hcdo
    hcdo Posts: 201 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Sorry to hear about your diagnosis; here's to a speedy recovery! When I had breast cancer 3 years ago, I asked my various doctors a few diet-related questions. They all said basically the same thing, which is that diet doesn't really make a huge impact (at least in the "curing" cancer realm), and to just continue to eat varied, balanced meals, lots of veggies, etc. None of them told me to cut out anything. Another friend who had breast cancer as well said her doctor told her that her diet shouldn't add extra stress to what she was going through, so to continue to eat as she felt comfortable. If you're very concerned about your diet as you start this process, definitely talk with a dietician. Best of luck!
  • Bellavita31
    Bellavita31 Posts: 1,556 Member
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    I'm a breast cancer survivor.. My diet is pretty much just eating healthy
  • kathobri
    kathobri Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm sorry for the challenge you're facing. Although I'm not a huge advocate of ketogenic style diets, there has been much evidence that has suggested that they assist with cancer mitigation. As an Ovarian Cancer patient myself, my oncologist has had me on a whole foods nutrition plan with a focus on lean protein sources, lower carbohydrate intake, and little to no processed foods. The weening stage from the sugars, salts, and extreme flavors in my favorite foods was the hardest alongside feeling cold all the time.
    I'd definitely suggest coffees and teas with flavorings in them, hot drinks help a lot to feel satiated and as though you're cheating a bit. Make sure you up your water intake for any black tea or coffee which can be dehydrating.
    Because with treatment and this new, busy lifestyle you'll likely feel tired and demotivated to cook, steamables can be your best friend too. Birdseye makes Protein Blends and assortments of vegetables that are easy to prepare by throwing them in the microwave for five meals. They have alternatives to foods you might miss too like cauliflower mashed potatoes, etc.
    Otherwise I'd suggest prepping tons of white fish, salmon, shrimp, poultry, and maybe 98% lean beef if your oncologist allows for red meat. Being able to snack on high protein low carb sources will make it easier. Preparation is key.
    Best of luck with everything! Once you get into the swing of things it'll all be much easier, it's all very daunting at the start.

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