Nutriti

Angelisea

I was just diagnosed with a low grade Bladder Cancer two days ago. Any advice on any special foods I should be eating?  Is exercise important? (like walking) Thank You! (I wasn't told anything except 'stop smoking', but I never smoked in my life!?)

GingerMay

Cruciferous veggies

I wondered the same thing and when I asked, the doctors just shrugged.  It is my husband who got the diagnosis, and he had NONE of the risk factors.  He never smoked either, never worked around chemicals, etc.  I think cancer can be random and there's so much that still cannot be defined about it.    

When I did my own research which you have likely done too, all that I found was green leafy vegetables, olive oil, green tea, selenium.  

Basically, it appeared that following a healthy diet plan which most health-concious people already do was best.  I would say to do what makes the most sense to you.  As his caregiver, I am taking extra care to include steamed broccoli and green salads in more of our meals.  I already did quite a bit, but I guess it can't hurt to eat more veggies.     

The doctors said to exercise in whichever way is comfortable, so he is going to resume his running routine soon.  (He was a marathon runner.)  I assume walking would be a great thing.  

All the best to you!    

 

 

 

      

megagarwal

Hi. My father has stage 4

Hi. My father has stage 4 bladder cancer with lung metastasis. I have done a lot of research on diet and nutrition for him since he started his chemo. I have to tell you, I have seen a dramatic change in his health and lifestyle following some diet changes. The doctors may say its not necessary, and I personally did not think there would be much of a change, but now I'm a complete believer. He has completed 6 cycles of chemo and has managed to stay active throughout, including going to work everyday(albeit for fewer hours), walk everyday, yoga etc. 

First and foremost, sugar feeds cancer cells. Please stop all processed sugar immediately. I was shocked to learn that a PET Scan is basically irradiated sugar, since the sugar attracts all the cancer cells. Switch to dates, organic maple syrup, raw cane sugar, jaggery. 

There are other changes that my dad has made, such as no milk, no cheese (butter and cream are ok in small portions since they are lactase, not lactose). My dad has also stopped gluten but that is an extra step that he chose to take, I don't think it is necessary. Then there are a lot of natural foods that help a great deal during chemo:

Raw papaya leaf juice/tea/tablet: To help boost platelets
Garden cress seeds (2 tsp a day: morning empty stomach and at night before sleeping): To boost haemoglobin and red blood cells
raw tumeric or a tumeric gel tablet for general immunity
Lypospheric Vitamin c satchets

Hope this helps you, but seriously, if nothing else please at least cut out the sugar. Having processed sugar is the biggest mistake you can make if you have cancer. Hope this helps

Megha

caretothepeople

Questions to ask

Hi Angelisea, and welcome.

It sounds like you're being proactive about your health, which is wonderful! It's normal to have lots of questions following the diagnosis. The best thing to do is write all of them so you can talk about them the next time you see your doctor. When it comes to bladder cancer, or any type of cancer, knowledge is power, and it's really important to be informed and asks lots of questions.

Here are some examples of things to consider talking over with your doc, some of which pertain to diet and exercise (definitely important things to ask about!!)

• What is the stage of my cancer?
• Will I need any additional tests?
• What are my treatment options?
• What are the potential risks of each treatment?
• Is there one treatment you feel is best for me?
• Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
• Should I get a second opinion? How do I do that? Can you recommend someone?
• Will treatment affect my daily activities?
• Do I need to change what I eat during treatment?
• Are there any limits on what I can do?
• Should I exercise? What should I do, and how often?
• Can you suggest a mental health professional I can see if I start to feel overwhelmed, depressed, or distressed?

Hope these help and continue to look for information here as well!

-Melody

 

SPRD

Genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger

Angelisea,

I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I hope you are doing well.

In short, diet and lifestyle are imperative.

To answer your questions, a plant based eating style is a good start. This includes 4-5 servings of vegetables and 2-3 servings of fruit daily and inclusion of legumes, nuts, seeds. Basically, you want to consume a WHOLE FOODS diet. Ditch anything that comes in a package or a box. This rule comes with exception if you're having symptoms from treatment and struggling to eat.

Regarding "sugar feeds cancer" concept: insulin drives cancer growth. Insulin is excreted to manage glucose levels. Glucose levels rise when you eat any food with carbohydrate (breaks down to sugar), be it healthy whole grains, dates, and fruit or white bread and rice. The key is to balance your meals. Include small amounts of REAL foods that have carbs but balance it out with protein and fat. 

Avoid processed fat (ie safflower, sunflower and soybean oil) which is prevalent in processed foods.

For exercise, it's important to get at least 30 minutes a day of cardio (you don't have to run marathons, but you should get your heart rate up). Resistance work is important to maintain muscle mass, esp if you're going through treatment. Loss of lean tissue increases your risk of malnutrition.

Hope this helps,

S