Vitamin D3, and another great post

Kathryn_in_MN said:

D3 and other supplements
D3 is one of the few supplements I am taking right now. Normally I get a lot of sun - I'm back and forth to Mexico every few months. I take early morning walks without sunscreen (except on my nose). If I'm out for extended periods of time later in the day I use sunscreen. But I've been back in the US since the end of August, and MN hasn't had much sun.

The dietician I see is one of only about 200 in the US with a special certification in oncology. She is fabulous. She is the one that suggested the D3 to me. 1000-2000 IU per day. Right now I'm taking 1000IU, but I will bump that up as I get less sunlight. I'm still getting some on my walks now.

I'm also taking 600mg of calcium twice per day. She suggested 1200-1500mg per day.

The last item she suggested that I've added is ALA (alpha lipoic acid). This has been proven to help with neuropathy for diebetics, and there has been a little bit of work done showing some positive results for those on Oxaliplatin. 1000-1800mg per day is recommended for diebetics with neuropathy, and the same dose is what the studies tried for Oxaliplatin. Right now I'm only taking 600mg per day, but plan to bump it up a few days before starting chemo.

Another thing she told me is NO folic acid supplements. I stopped taking my multi-vitamin because it had a high amount of folic acid. A friend with breast cancer had suggested extra folic acid to me. As it turns out it is good for breast cancer, but bad for colon cancer.

I will stop taking my probiotic when I start chemo. It has too many different live bacteria. Instead I will eat yogurt, and mix up which brands I eat - different brands have different strains, and at a much lower level than the probiotic pills. If you get too much when on chemo, even though they are supposed to be "good" bacteria, it can make you sick. This was another thing I would never have known without her.

I am supposed to try and get in 70-100 grams of protein per day, no red meat (I don't eat it anyway - and if you do, no more than 18 oz per week), no smoking (not a smoker anyway), no alcohol (or limit to never more than one per day - I've cut it out completely for now), plant-based diet with 9 servings of fruits or vegetables each day, limit saturated fats (use olive oil), use fresh herbs in cooking, whole grains (espcially rye), legumes 3-5 days per week, and ten 8oz glasses of liquid per day (add one more for every alcohol or caffeine you have). You can count things that liquify like cream of wheat, soups, etc.

She also gave me a list of common foods that have shown cancer fighting properties. I'd rather eat foods with what I need, than take supplements whenever possible.
HIGHEST BENEFITS:
garlic (let stand 10 minutes after pressing or chopping before you use it)
cabbage
soybeans
ginger
licorice root
unbelliferous vegetables (carrots, celery, cilantro, parsly and parsnips)
MEDIUM BENEFITS:
onions (same as garlic)
flax
citrus
tumeric
cruciferous vegetables (brocolli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower)
solanaceous vegetables (tomatos and peppers)
brown rice and whole wheat and rye
MEASURABLE, BUT LOWER BENEFITS:
oats & barley
mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage & basil
cucumber, cantelope, berries

And of course, as always, moderate exercise each day is recommended along with eating healthy. She gave me hand-outs with tips on lots of different issues, like what to eat or drink and other tips for diahrrea, constipation, nausea & vomiting, fatigue, sore or dry mouth, taste & smell alterations, and weight loss prevention. I'm very impressed with all the information and different things to try.