Optimal diet for cancer: meat versus vegetarian--and related issues

Tethys41 said:

Diet
Jill,
Overall what you're doing looks good. Keeping in mind that I'm a purist, here are the things I notice:

The banana and raisins are high glyemic. Better to stick to organic, dark skinned berries.
Keep the carrot content of your juice low. Carrots have sugar and juicing them concentrates it.
Chickpeas are high in carbs. Carbs end up being sugar when we digest it. One of the rules of thumb that my naturopath has is not eating anything that has more carbs than protein. I make humus using zucchini instead of chickpeas.
There's a lot of grains in this diet. Grains = carbs. There are those who believe that we should not consume more than 45 grams of carbs per day during most of the year ("Lights Out" T.S. Wiley).

There's not much protein and fat in this diet. Adding more healthy oils, oilive oil, coconut oil, avacado oil and grapeseed oil would really help your body maitain essential tissues, such as the protective layer of your nervous system. Also, are you supplementing B12? Very essential nutrient. "Autoimmune: The Cause and the Cure."

If you are going to continue eating so many grains and higher glycemic fruits, have cinnamon or a cinnamon capsule with these meals, as it will help regulate your blood sugar.

The spelt and whole wheat pasts is of concern. There is research, which I unfortunately can't site, that states there is a link between gluten and cancer. There is a definite link between gluten and autoimmune and to all neurodegenerative conditions, like alzheimer's. And there is cross contamination into other grains, like oats and corn, and buckwheat and barley. When buying your oats for oatmeal, Bob's Red Mill has on that is gluten free.
If you have time, I urge you to listen to the presentation on this website about the Why of Gluten Free
http://www.namastehealthcenter.com/resources.htm

Also, there is a presentation on this website about the Thriving with Cancer Workshop my naturopath held last Fall. Her photo appears next to the link for the presentation. Keep in mind this is the woman who was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer 20 years ago and treated it without surgery or chemo. She is a very dynamic presenter.

http://www.namastehealthcenter.com/bios.htm

Hope this helps,
Kate

daisy366 said:

Jill & Tethys
I'm not as educated at Tethys but here are my thoughts, Jill.

1. I think you should flip breakfast and your morning snack. Eating only fruit on empty stomach I would think would elevate blood sugar and I have read that spikes in blood sugar feed cancer.

2. I would eat at least one macadamia nut daily which has selenium and other mineral benefits (as mentioned on the Food for Life thread)

3. Carrots and broccoli are big antioxidant "superstars". I would definitely not shortchange them.

I didn't see any reference to almond milk. Do you put anything on your cereal? I use the unsweetened almond milk in coffee and cereal and it is very low calorie - only 60 for cup. I use this for my shakes. I eat the sprouted Ezechial bread. I avoid peanut butter and eat almond butter my toasted ezechial bread. Frozen grapes make nice snack.

Jill, You are a wonderful role model for me. And tethys, I will incorporate your feedback too. I think I eat too many carbs and gluten which I will be more conscious of. Nuts are fattening but have protein.

Tethys, I like your idea of hummus with zuchini. Would an olive tapanade be healthy?

Mary Ann

Rewriter said:

Mary Ann
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. As for your question about olive tapanade, I'll bet it would be very healthy. Olives, after all, are very anti-inflammatory.

--Your first thought, about flipping my breakfast and morning snack, makes sense to me; and I may simply combine the two. A decade or two ago, a book called "Fit for Life" made a case for eating fruit on an empty stomach; but I just did an Internet search of multiple trusted websites that all say it generally makes no difference how fruit is eaten and that it may actually be beneficial to combine fruit and other foods.

--I eat carrots but am not fond of broccoli. However, I eat cauliflower and tons of other antioxidant vegetables as well as the green leafy kind.

--Yes, I use almond milk in my coffee and cereal and use only the unsweetened kind.

--I generally eat Ezekiel Bread (now I will eat it exclusively) and have it with warm olive oil, turmeric, and freshly ground black pepper.

I'm worrying a bit about protein. I tried adding tofu, but based on what I've read and some comments here, I think I'll stay away. Fish has been too expensive, but I've started working again and may include wild salmon in my diet once or twice a week. How about wild canned sardines, the type sold in Trader Joe's and Whole Foods?

The B-12 I get comes mostly from my B-100 daily supplement, which I have taken since starting chemo (originally in an effort to combat neuropathy; it failed in that category). I'd like to move more toward food sources.

THANKS, Mary Ann, and Kate. I am learning a lot.

Jill

Rewriter said:

Food Tracker
I strongly recommend this food tracker, which "provides a summary of the quality of your diet in terms of macronutrient ratio, satiety, nutrient density, nutritional completeness, protein quality, and impact on blood sugar and inflammation."


http://nutritiondata.self.com/mynd/mytracking/tracking-analysis#ixzz1oelamNOU

Tethys41 said:

Diet
Jill,
Overall what you're doing looks good. Keeping in mind that I'm a purist, here are the things I notice:

The banana and raisins are high glyemic. Better to stick to organic, dark skinned berries.
Keep the carrot content of your juice low. Carrots have sugar and juicing them concentrates it.
Chickpeas are high in carbs. Carbs end up being sugar when we digest it. One of the rules of thumb that my naturopath has is not eating anything that has more carbs than protein. I make humus using zucchini instead of chickpeas.
There's a lot of grains in this diet. Grains = carbs. There are those who believe that we should not consume more than 45 grams of carbs per day during most of the year ("Lights Out" T.S. Wiley).

There's not much protein and fat in this diet. Adding more healthy oils, oilive oil, coconut oil, avacado oil and grapeseed oil would really help your body maitain essential tissues, such as the protective layer of your nervous system. Also, are you supplementing B12? Very essential nutrient. "Autoimmune: The Cause and the Cure."

If you are going to continue eating so many grains and higher glycemic fruits, have cinnamon or a cinnamon capsule with these meals, as it will help regulate your blood sugar.

The spelt and whole wheat pasts is of concern. There is research, which I unfortunately can't site, that states there is a link between gluten and cancer. There is a definite link between gluten and autoimmune and to all neurodegenerative conditions, like alzheimer's. And there is cross contamination into other grains, like oats and corn, and buckwheat and barley. When buying your oats for oatmeal, Bob's Red Mill has on that is gluten free.
If you have time, I urge you to listen to the presentation on this website about the Why of Gluten Free
http://www.namastehealthcenter.com/resources.htm

Also, there is a presentation on this website about the Thriving with Cancer Workshop my naturopath held last Fall. Her photo appears next to the link for the presentation. Keep in mind this is the woman who was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer 20 years ago and treated it without surgery or chemo. She is a very dynamic presenter.

http://www.namastehealthcenter.com/bios.htm

Hope this helps,
Kate

bea-mil said:

Jill
if you would like to be worry free eating grains and at the same time have good amount of protein in your diet you should include in your recipes Amaranth, Buckwheat, and Millet plus continue eating quinoa. They are thought to be neutral or alkaline and they are a perfect source of protein. I find quinoa the best. Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of its cooking characteristics.

“The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains. It is a good complement for legumes, which are often low in methionine and cystine. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Some types of wheat come close to matching quinoa's protein content, but grains such as barley, corn, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about 1/2-cup, will provide a child protein needed for one day. The 6-7% fat of quinoa is relatively high when compared to other grains, but it boasts low sodium content and also provides valuable starch and fiber. Quinoa also contains albumen, a protein that is found in egg whites, blood serum, and many plant and animal tissues. The seeds are gluten-free which makes this a nutritious and flavourful for those with gluten sensitivity. Quinoa would be a worthy addition to anyone's diet, supplying variety as well as good nutrition.”

I have read your post about your diet and looks like it is very healthy one. Just substitute brown rice with quinoa or these alkaline grains that I have mentioned above include more coconut oil which is a super food. I also start my day with the fruit; usually I blend a whole apple with cinnamon and coconut water (the one without sugar). I eat about 5 meals a day but very simple and small. Fruits and nuts are my snacks. I have 1 or 2 cooked meals and the rest is raw whole plant shakes.
Below some info about proteins” from the book: “How to be Your Own Doctor” by Dr. Isabelle A. Moser with Steve Solomon.

“Few proteins are water soluble. When we eat proteins the digestive apparatus must first break them down into their water-soluble components, amino acids, so these can pass into the blood and then be reassembled into the various proteins the body uses. The body has an interesting mechanism to digest proteins; it uses enzymes. An enzyme is like the key for a lock. It is a complex molecule that latches to a protein molecule and then breaks it apart into amino acids. Then the enzyme finds yet another protein molecule to free. Enzymes are efficient, reusable many many times.

Enzymes that digest proteins are effective only in the very acid environment of the stomach, are manufactured by the pancreas and are released when protein foods are present. The stomach then releases hydrochloric acid and churns away like a washing machine, mixing the enzymes and the acid with the proteins until everything has digested.

So far so good. That's how its supposed to be. But. Dr. Henry Bieler, who wrote Food Is Your Best Medicine, came up with the finest metaphor I know of to explain how protein digestion goes wrong. He compared all proteins to the white of an egg (which is actually a form of protein). When raw and liquid, the long chains of albumen (egg white) proteins are in their natural form. However, cook the egg and the egg white both solidifies and becomes smaller. What has happened is that the protein chains have shriveled and literally tied themselves into knots. Once this happens, pancreatic enzymes no longer fit and cannot separate all the amino acids. Cooked proteins may churn and churn and churn in the presence of acid and pancreatic enzymes but they will not digest completely. Part becomes water soluble; part does not.

But, indigestible protein is still subject to an undesirable form of consumption in the gut. Various bacteria make their home in our airless, warm intestines. Some of these live on protein. In the process of consuming undigested proteins, they release highly toxic substances. They poison us.
What is true of the white of an egg is also true of flesh foods and dairy. Raw meat and raw fish are actually easily digestible foods and if not wrongly combined will not produce toxemia in a person that still has a strong pancreas. However, eating raw meat and fish can be a dicey proposition, both for reasons of cultural sensibility (people think it is disgusting) and because there may be living parasites in uncooked flesh that can attack, sicken and even kill people. It has been argued that a healthy stomach containing its proper degree of acidity provides an impenetrable barrier to parasites. Perhaps. But how many of us are that healthy these days? Cooked flesh and fish seems more delicious to our refined, civilized sensibilities, but are a poor food.”

Bea-Mil

daisy366 said:

Jill
Do you shop often? Sounds like you do - which is good to have fresh foods.

I like your diet. Healthy cooking is a lot of work vs. grabbing prepared or fast food. But like you say, it's a good investment in your health and quality of life.

And can you or others tell me if a Tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar a day is a good idea? My mother-in-law, a healthy 87 YO swears that this is the secret of her good quality of life - that and being active and hardworking all of her life. I used to drink this with water every morning but got away from it. I'm thinking of resuming it.

Mary Ann

daisy366 said:

Jill
I like your approach to all this.

I switched to glass jars years ago. I like the (I think) 12 oz. size jars that Paul Newman's salsa comes in. I even freeze in these (don't totally fill & leave the lid ajar until frozen and then tighten). Mason jars are good and can be purchased in hardware or department stores.

Enjoy that margarita!!

JoAnnDK said:

diets and foods over the years
25 years ago I nursed my mother through cancer. I did the same thing for two friends, 15 and 7 years ago, respectively.

I did lots of research during those times and without a doubt, everything changes every few years. What was recommended 15 years ago was not recommended 8 years later. Or now. It is all about FADS .....who can shout the loudest, get the most press and attention, etc. Pretender-prophets abound, many of them with few or no credentials.

All of these diets and food suggestions go in cycles, which is why I will not go overboard....because it will all change. That is the ONE thing we can be sure of.

I think the best thing we can do is to eat a varied diet and be sensible about what we eat ----and stop stressing so much over every bite that goes into our mouths, every container we use, every cooking method, etc. We should eat good meats, fish, and poultry; lots of fruits and veggies; less fat, dairy, and sugar......and enjoy life!