Eating Yogurt

lindaprocopio said:

I eat Greek yogurt daily, on advice from my nutritionist.
Hi, Fayard. Are your current dietary restrictions based on religious tenant or some deeply held philosophic viewpoint that doesn't allow for any flexibility in diet restrictions? Or have you set the restrictions more to improve your health? Because if it is the latter, as your cancer journey continues, what you need for your health changes too.

Were you tested as ER+ (estrogen receptor positive)? Most of the rarer and more aggressive cancers tend to NOT be hormone receptive, although you really need a simple assay to know for sure how that is for you personally. If your particular cancer is ER-, the benefits of adding some dairy or meat to your body, at this juncture, may outweigh the risks. From my 1st appointment with a cancer nutritionist in 2008, I was told to eat at least a tablespoon of active yogurt every single day to help restore the good bacteria that chemo could be killing off.

The 'anti-cancer' diet we've talked about so much here is not a one-size-fits-all best diet for every woman with cancer to stay on throughout her cancer journey, as each of us runs into periods like this where some related health problem (like the weight loss you are trying to address) threatens to weaken your overall system and you need a temporary adjustment in the way you've been eating. I know that after I had pelvic radiation and my bowels just wouldn't settle down, it was very hard for me to make myself follow the recommendations my nutritionist had for me until we could get that under control. Her 'low residue' diet for me consisted of things like WHITE rice, WHITE bread, foods I hadn't eaten in YEARS as I have always been a high-fiber girl. But going on the low-residue diet allowed me to heal inside, and then gradually move back to the type of fresh veggies and whole grains I prefer.

Now that my cancer has metasticized to my liver, I have to be VERY flexible with my diet, adjusting it based on my Comprehensive Panel after each blood lab to counter any nutritional deficiencies but more importantly not overtax my liver with an excess of anything my poor liver will have trouble metabolizing. I was told by my Interventional Rediologist "Eat, or your cancer will eat you." I guess I'm trying to say, what's best for your body changes, and unless you are bound by religious beliefs or food allergies, you may be well-served to adjust as the changes occur.

Another thought for you: have you tried Whey Powder? Ask your nutritionist first, but that's an easy way to up your protein. If you need to gain weight, what about carbohydrates? Nothing puts on pounds like pasta and potatoes and homemade bread. I lost 14 pounds this summer from the radioembolism treatments I did, and it wasn't until I added in a big carbohydrate component to my diet that I was able to gain it back. (9 pounds re-gained so far!) It feels strange to eat like I have been, and as soon as I gain that last 5 pounds back I will return to my old 'fresh veggies/high fiber/low calorie' eating habits. But right now I know what is healthier for me in the long term is to get back up to a healthy weight. And that also may be true for you, just temporarily. ((((Fayard))))