One of the most confusing decisions to make when healing from cancer is what to eat. Likewise, as I coach my clients through their healing journey, one of the first questions they ask is, “What can I eat”. Thank Goodness, we all love to eat, but what we chose to eat can have a major impact on our healing from any aliment.
In this section, I share my opinions on healthy eating from my personal experience with cancer and that of my coaching clients.
Rule #1 in the "Triumph Over Cancer" Diet is: Eat foods that will nourish your body and aid in the healing process, not interfere with it.
As you know by now after reading about both of my cancer experiences, I have been a vegan (no animal products of any kind), vegetarian (fish was okay) and now a balanced diet including organic meats, poultry and eggs. My perspective on diet has shifted through the years with each cancer experience. Through all of this, what has stayed constant and I’ve been able to stick to is a healthy foundation. My healthy foundation includes: fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes. I’ve also eliminated highly processed foods, harmful ingredients and additives.
The first place to begin when diagnosed with cancer is to eliminate as many processed foods as possible. Avoid foods that come in a can or a box. Even if your diet in the beginning is very basic, it’s still better than a diet filled with processed foods and harmful food additives and preservatives. Organic foods are best, if possible.
There are many controversies over whether or not a person with cancer can eat fruits & carrots. Some people feel that fruits and carrots are high in sugar and cancer appears to feed on sugar. I’m glad I didn’t hear about these opinions my first time with breast cancer. In fact, during both of my cancer experiences I ate fruits and lots of carrots. The base for my juicing has always been organic carrots. I have always diluted my juices with water.
The basic foundation to build the Triumph Over Cancer Diet on is very simple:
Fruits
The best fruits are: blueberries, raspberries, papayas, lemons, pears, and apples. In moderation: banana, orange, grapefruit, cantaloupe, grapes with seeds, watermelon.
Vegetables
All vegetables are great. Especially the green leafy vegetables like: chard, kale, dandelion, mustard greens, carrot greens and beet greens. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts are terrific.
Nuts & Seeds
Raw almonds, pecans and walnuts are wonderful.
Whole Grains
Sprouted grains are best. Quinoa and spelt are good.
Good Water
Water is by far the best beverage.
AVOID: There are times when you get too busy and don’t feel like preparing a healthy meal, so you run out and get something quick. Just make sure to check the labels and avoid the following ingredients: MSG, high fructose syrup, corn syrup, food colorings, artificial flavorings, autolyzed yeast, casseinates, saturated fats, margarine, sugar, nitrates, nitrites, sulfites and any ingredient you can’t pronounce.
AVOID: Peanuts and cashews (fungus and moldy, plus they spray so much anti mold pesticides on them during processing), shellfish, strawberries (unless they are organic) and all fried foods.
My cancer diet was different each time with the foundation staying the same:
- The first time with breast cancer I juiced organic vegetables for 30 days and then stayed on a vegetarian diet the first few years.
- The second time with stage-4 cancer I added meat, eggs and cottage cheese.
So how do you know what diet is right for you?
Listen to what your body is saying and it will tell you if you can go on a juicing diet, raw food diet, vegan diet, vegetarian diet or a diet with some organic meat. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what a person with cancer should eat. Read some books and go on line to get more knowledge. Both of my books have an extensive easy to follow diet plan.
Juicing & Raw Foods
This is still my first choice in choosing a cancer diet. The reason juicing and raw foods work is they have enzymes in them to help break down the food and these foods are filled with nutrition. Also, the body doesn’t have to work hard to digest and eliminate them, saving energy to help the body fight the disease that’s attacking it.
Caution: If a person has digestive problems, juicing is very good, but raw foods may be hard to digest and cause discomfort. A juicing and raw food diet is very good, if your blood tests are good. Be careful if the blood tests show anemia and low blood counts. My blood tests were very good the first time I was diagnosed with breast cancer (except breast tumor marker was elevated), so I felt confident juicing and eating a raw food diet. I have read about people and knew people who have successfully gotten well by just juicing and eating a raw food diet. The choice is yours. You should make sure you discuss it with your doctor to get their opinion.
From my experience, medical doctors, on a whole, have displayed they don’t have a lot of experience and knowledge about a healthy diet, especially during cancer. Seek out a naturopathic or homeopathic doctor as part of your medical team. They are trained in a more holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle and believe diet is very important during the healing process.
Juicing, Raw Foods, Steamed Vegetables & Meats
The above combination works too. The second time with cancer, my body was screaming for meat and red blood. My tests results showed I was anemic and my blood was very compromised. My opinion is this: if a person chooses to add meats to their healing program make sure it’s organic and without hormones. Red meat should only be good grass fed beef. Eat only small portions at a time. Again, you have to listen to your body and what it is telling you. In the beginning when my body was screaming for red meat and blood, I ate some almost every other day for a couple of months. I even ate high quality beef liver. Dr. Bellevue, MD (the doctor who treated me in Mexico) told me that beef liver, cottage cheese and raw eggs were a very good way for me to build my blood.
Then, as my blood was building, my body didn’t crave it anymore. I continued to eat red meat and chicken only once or twice a week until my tests results were really good. Today, I eat organic meat, turkey or chicken once a week (it’s all my body wants).
Again, check with your doctor. It’s also very good to know if the cancer is positive for hormones especially estrogen. If it is (which mine was) be careful in the amount of meats and dairy products, even soy, you consume during the healing process.
The most important thing to remember is to feed your body foods it can easily assimilate, digest and eliminate. If there were a blockage in the colon, I would reconsider eating foods that will constipate and further add to the blockage. Meat can be constipating. In this case, if it were me, I would chew, chew, chew the meat really well and get all of the juice out of it, then spit the rest out. I would also add lots of good vegetable juices (juiced from a juicer, not in a can or container) and steamed vegetables. I would be very careful about foods with seeds in them. The seeds could cause discomfort.
"Triumph Over Cancer" Diet - Do's & Don'ts
Do! Eat Good Health Building Foods
All Fresh Vegetables – organic is best, organic frozen is good
Fruits – organic is best – organic frozen is good
Nuts – raw almonds, pecan, walnuts – organic is best
Seeds – raw sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax seeds (freshly ground) – organic is best
Sprouts – broccoli, alfalfa
Sprouted whole grain breads
Brown rice & quinoa grain
Beans (if your system can tolerate them)
Grass fed beef, poultry
Fish – wild salmon and deep-sea fish (moderate amounts, check for toxicity)
Water – good purified water
Sea Salt – lots of minerals
A few other specifics:
Almond butter, rice waffles, organic eggs, goat milk yogurt, kefir, organic butter, almond milk, soy milk (if cancer is not estrogen positive), golden flax seeds and flaxseed oil, raw apple cider vinegar.
Both of my books, “Triumph Over Cancer, A Natural Approach” and “Triumph Over ADD & Tourette Syndrome” have awesome recipes, plus diet planning aids.
Don't! Eat These Foods
White sugar products
White flour products
Wheat products (Many people are allergic to wheat).
Corn (may be hard to digest, including pop corn)
Soda (especially diet, since it normally contains aspartame)
Shellfish and farmed raised fish (farm raised is good, if no hormones added)
Sushi – raw fish
Fried foods
Fast foods
Foods high in sodium
Low fat or fat free foods
Instant foods
Microwaved foods
Canned soups (some organic soups are okay)
Milk chocolate (if you must have it, have some dark chocolate – check ingredients)
Cheese (creates mucous and can be constipating – if you have to eat cheese, get organic)
Popcorn from the movie theaters
Yogurt with fruit on bottom (check ingredients)
White distilled vinegar
Frozen foods in Aluminum foil – Never reheat food in aluminum foil. First: cover food with parchment paper and then on top of that put aluminum foil.
What about wine?
Well, let me give you my experience on wine. During the healing process and treatment time, I would avoid all alcohol. You never know how it could interact with medications. However, now that I am finished with treatment, I enjoy a good glass of wine a few times a week.
FAQ’s
Most frequent asked questions from my coaching clients and from people who email me about diet
Q: Will I ever be able to eat cake or pizza again?
A: Yes, of course. In the beginning and until you are in remission, it’s best to stay on a very healthy course. Then in moderation, you can have dessert and pizza. Life isn’t life without pizza! The benefit of learning how to eat healthy is to learn how to cook healthy. You can make wonderful desserts from healthy ingredients. The same is true with pizza. I haven’t attempted to make a healthy German chocolate cake, so I splurge and, once in awhile, I have German chocolate cake.
Q: Can I eat peanut butter?
A: Stay away from peanut butter (fungus) and substitute almond butter.
Q: What if I can’t find organic vegetables and fruits?
A: Do the best you can and don’t stress over it. Thoroughly wash the vegetables and fruits. Avoid strawberries and raspberries if they are not organic. They are highly sprayed with pesticides.
Q: Where do I get my protein?
A: Green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, flaxseeds. If you feel like you just can’t live without meat and it is hindering your healing, then have some high quality organic grass fed meats or poultry in small quantities.
Q: Do foods interact with any of my medications?
A: Maybe. If you are on medications or certain cancer protocols, check with your doctor.
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