PCa and Diet

bdhilton
bdhilton Member Posts: 866 Member
in Prostate Cancer #1

I posted this a couple of years ago but still great information to help fight this beast….Happy Holidays to all!

Lots of good information out there one of my favorite places for updated information are the web sites for UCSF and Prostate Cancer Foundation (give often to these guys…they fund the cutting edge and have done more for PCa than any group) –

What I get out of all of this is that we should eat better quality food (less fat, less red meat, less salt, less sugar, less alcohol and more fruit, veggies, fish, nuts, whole grains, fiber and antioxidants) and exercise more for improved health, but there were still some interesting details.

Generally, a "healthy" diet is recommended for cancer patients in order to: 1) reduce the risk of chronic disease, 2) help to inhibit cancer growth, 3) enhance the immune system, 4) increase energy levels and 4) to facilitate recovery from cancer treatment.

The following were specifically recommended for a "Cancer Protective Diet" from UCSF:
1) 8-10 "colorful" fruit & veggie servings daily
2) 30-40 gms of fiber daily from beans/legumes & whole grains
3) Limit consumption of processed and refined foods (eg., white rice & bread)
4) Limit meat & daily products; avoid processed meats ( I eat wild cold water fish only)
5) Increase healthy fats (omega 3 fatty acids) from cold water fish, nuts, etc.)
6) Drink 1-4 cups of green tea daily
7) Avoid or limit alcohol consumption (I drink 2-3 glass of wine frequently per instructions from oncologist)
8) Get tested for Vitamin D and take supplement as needed (up to 1-2gm daily)
9) Increase daily intake of antioxidant rich foods (not supplements), which include lycopene, selenium & Vitamin E.
10) And, lastly, exercise at least 30-60 mins daily to achieve an acceptable BMI. (I exercise 90-120 minutes a day 5x week)

No real surprises here and no evidence that following these suggestions will "cure" or prevent reoccurrence of your cancer. However, it certainly can't hurt you and will definitely make you a healthier person. I also find no issues when I travel to keep to this diet...It is nothing more than a commitment and lifestyle change IMHO...

So, there's no reason not to follow this diet, provided you can actually do all of the things suggested, which is really the question. Most people can't, even if they want to and I don't think I can either but I'll do what I can to eat as healthfully as I can and that's all any of us can expect to do, regardless of its effect on your cancer.

Best to all fighting this beast....

Comments

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    #2
    Great Post........Thank You

    Some additional sources of information:

    Books:

    The China Study.............T. Colin Campbell, P.H.D.

    Eat To Live...........Joel Furman, M.D.

    Promoting Wellness for Prostate Cancer.............Mark A. Moyad, M.D., MPH

    DVD:

    FORKSoverKnives

    ........................................................

    A Thought............Good idea for exercise to include both cardio and resistance training

  • ob66
    ob66 Member Posts: 227 Member
    #3
    Excellent Post

          Can hardly add anything. Another good read is that of Dr. David Serafin-Schreiber, who as a neurologist that developed and treated brain cancer twice, studied diet of Meditteranean and Asian countries and came to the same conclusions. I believe his book is called "The Anti Cancer Diet". Excellent read, especially Chapter 6.

     

         As I indicated in another post I have followed #1 through #9 almost religiously for 2 1/2 years, after daVinci Sx, RT, and Lupron Therapy for two years. Last lupron shot in January 2012, and December PSA ultrasensitive test just in is below 0.02. You better believe I am a believer, especially when I have done everything else possible to scratch my original Gleason 8, Stage 3.

     

        Best to all and Merry Christmas

  • jbw901
    jbw901 Member Posts: 23
    #4
    also following this recommendation

    I too have drastically changed my diet since being diagnosed 18 months ago (DaVinci procedure last January).  I agree with all the recommendations above. 

  • AMF67
    AMF67 Member Posts: 4
    #5
    Meal Ideas-bdhilton

    Thank you so much for posting this food list!  My 57 yr old husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate cancer a month ago and I'm looking for anything I can do to extend his life!

    I am curious as to what your meals look like within this plan.  What do you usually eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner? What foods do you consider antioxidant rich foods?

    Thank you so much for any input you-or anyone else- can provide!

     

  • caseyh
    caseyh Member Posts: 63
    #6
    AMF67 said:

    Meal Ideas-bdhilton

    Thank you so much for posting this food list!  My 57 yr old husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate cancer a month ago and I'm looking for anything I can do to extend his life!

    I am curious as to what your meals look like within this plan.  What do you usually eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner? What foods do you consider antioxidant rich foods?

    Thank you so much for any input you-or anyone else- can provide!

     

    A collection of recipes recommeded for PCa patients along nutritional information can be found in Dr. Myer's latest book, The New Prostate Cancer Nutrition Book.  The book is available on his website. 

  • Beau2
    Beau2 Member Posts: 261
    #7
    AMF67 said:

    Meal Ideas-bdhilton

    Thank you so much for posting this food list!  My 57 yr old husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate cancer a month ago and I'm looking for anything I can do to extend his life!

    I am curious as to what your meals look like within this plan.  What do you usually eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner? What foods do you consider antioxidant rich foods?

    Thank you so much for any input you-or anyone else- can provide!

     

    Cookbook

    If you want to see what the food looks like try the "Taste for Living Cookbook. Mike Milken's Recipes for Fighting Cancer". Mike's PCa is a Gleason 9 and he credits these diet changes for helping to extend his life.The book was published in 1998 so it may be out of print; however, you can google his name and come up with with the name of his PCa foundation .... Theiir web site also has recipes.

    Good luck and best wishes to you and your husband

  • ob66
    ob66 Member Posts: 227 Member
    #8
    AMF67 said:

    Meal Ideas-bdhilton

    Thank you so much for posting this food list!  My 57 yr old husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate cancer a month ago and I'm looking for anything I can do to extend his life!

    I am curious as to what your meals look like within this plan.  What do you usually eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner? What foods do you consider antioxidant rich foods?

    Thank you so much for any input you-or anyone else- can provide!

     

    Suggestions

    It will be a great pain for you if you are a good cook, but to eliminate red meat, eliminate dairy, reduce sugar as much as possible is the ultimate goal. Other things to consider are to increase Omega 3 fatty acids over Omega 6 FAs which we normally consume. That means the likes of: Pom juice in the morning, high fiber cereal, almond milk or soy if preferred with flaxseed sprinkled heavily along with rasberries, strawberries, and blueberries (organic preferred). Toast with sugarless jam, with wheat high fiber (5 gms. per slice), Green Tea two cups then coffee if desired.

    Lunch could be a number of things:Milton herb and garlic crackers with hummus (I like Greek hummus with calamata olives), nuts (almonds, cashews with cranberry---Whole Foods), sandwiches of tuna, shrimp, etc with scallions, capers, mixed in; or a turkey sausage microwaved with mustard.

    Dinner I defer to my wife who is a great cook but again using a lot of beans, fish (especially salmon), veggies of all sorts, and non dairy ice cream for dessert (I believe the brand name is SoLo). She has studied and come up with pizza using almond cheese (Daiya cheddar) with veggies, red sauce, and turkey sausage. Does any of this stuff taste like the real deal? Heck no, but a great substitute, and with it working for me I will continue...If you are further interested email me at: rforsberg1@cox.net and I will send some of my wife's recipes. Hope this helps.

  • AMF67
    AMF67 Member Posts: 4
    #9
    ob66 said:

    Suggestions

    It will be a great pain for you if you are a good cook, but to eliminate red meat, eliminate dairy, reduce sugar as much as possible is the ultimate goal. Other things to consider are to increase Omega 3 fatty acids over Omega 6 FAs which we normally consume. That means the likes of: Pom juice in the morning, high fiber cereal, almond milk or soy if preferred with flaxseed sprinkled heavily along with rasberries, strawberries, and blueberries (organic preferred). Toast with sugarless jam, with wheat high fiber (5 gms. per slice), Green Tea two cups then coffee if desired.

    Lunch could be a number of things:Milton herb and garlic crackers with hummus (I like Greek hummus with calamata olives), nuts (almonds, cashews with cranberry---Whole Foods), sandwiches of tuna, shrimp, etc with scallions, capers, mixed in; or a turkey sausage microwaved with mustard.

    Dinner I defer to my wife who is a great cook but again using a lot of beans, fish (especially salmon), veggies of all sorts, and non dairy ice cream for dessert (I believe the brand name is SoLo). She has studied and come up with pizza using almond cheese (Daiya cheddar) with veggies, red sauce, and turkey sausage. Does any of this stuff taste like the real deal? Heck no, but a great substitute, and with it working for me I will continue...If you are further interested email me at: rforsberg1@cox.net and I will send some of my wife's recipes. Hope this helps.

    PCa and Diet

    Thank you to all who have responded and continue to respond!  I ordered a used copy of the Milken's book online and am also ordering the Myer's book for recipes and other books for information! 

    Thank you again!

     

     

  • laserlight
    laserlight Member Posts: 165
    #10
    Diet

    In Jan of 2011 I was diagnosed with PC'a. My wife and I started to modify our diets. She has done extensive research on cancer and diet. The diet needs to be vegetarian for the most part. Red meat is a big no no. Fish is ok. There are books out that are very good for information..    The CHINA STUDY is one and the other is FORKS OVER KNIFES. The other area to look at is the Heart Healthy diet. I have been following this diet for 2 years now and donot regret it.

     

    There are other areas to avoid, sugar, soda, are not good, try and reduce or stop completely. My meals are loaded with a lot of cancer fighting spices, this adds flavor, the asian diet is good but needs to be watched, some of the food is not good. Also no processed meats, cold cuts, ham and the like.  Fruits are good and provide a source of natural sugar.

     

    No FAST FOODS, they are not good, many problems.

    Now will this cure cancer, who knows, but it does not hurt. The western diet is really not good and causes many health problems. The item to keep in mind is that your body and imune system is fighting cancer and it needs proper nutrition for this to work corrrectly.

    Hope this helps anything that fights this monster is good

     

    Kurt

  • hunter49
    hunter49 Member Posts: 247 Member
    #11
    laserlight said:

    Diet

    In Jan of 2011 I was diagnosed with PC'a. My wife and I started to modify our diets. She has done extensive research on cancer and diet. The diet needs to be vegetarian for the most part. Red meat is a big no no. Fish is ok. There are books out that are very good for information..    The CHINA STUDY is one and the other is FORKS OVER KNIFES. The other area to look at is the Heart Healthy diet. I have been following this diet for 2 years now and donot regret it.

     

    There are other areas to avoid, sugar, soda, are not good, try and reduce or stop completely. My meals are loaded with a lot of cancer fighting spices, this adds flavor, the asian diet is good but needs to be watched, some of the food is not good. Also no processed meats, cold cuts, ham and the like.  Fruits are good and provide a source of natural sugar.

     

    No FAST FOODS, they are not good, many problems.

    Now will this cure cancer, who knows, but it does not hurt. The western diet is really not good and causes many health problems. The item to keep in mind is that your body and imune system is fighting cancer and it needs proper nutrition for this to work corrrectly.

    Hope this helps anything that fights this monster is good

     

    Kurt

    Hey Kurt happy new year. 

    Hey Kurt happy new year.  curious what spices or foods in the asian diet are not good?

  • bdhilton
    bdhilton Member Posts: 866 Member
    #12
    AMF67 said:

    Meal Ideas-bdhilton

    Thank you so much for posting this food list!  My 57 yr old husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate cancer a month ago and I'm looking for anything I can do to extend his life!

    I am curious as to what your meals look like within this plan.  What do you usually eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner? What foods do you consider antioxidant rich foods?

    Thank you so much for any input you-or anyone else- can provide!

     

    I see lots of great advice on

    I see lots of great advice on diet here from the “veterans” on this site.   You should be able to pull down a diet guide posted on the University of San Francisco medical site for free (still?).  I recently purchased “The New Prostate Cancer Nutrition Book” by Snuffy Myers, MD and that is a great guide too.  However, the similarities I note in most of these publications (and I own most of them) are that they incorporate the Mediterranean diet but remember these are just guides and your own research and journey you will discover many things that you believe help, are healthful and tasty.

    Any one of publications I mention and the others here will list the antioxidant rich foods.  The top of my list are daily doses of  marinara sauce, pomegranate  juice (8oz daily), green tea (1-2+ cups a day)I try and eat mostly organic everything, no beef, no dairy, cold water fish (I’m a vegan that eats fish 2-3x a week), lots of beans/grains,  primarily use olive oil (do your own research but I avoid canola, sunflower, safflower, corn, etc…oils when possible)…I eat lots of fiber and colorful vegetables that is important as well.  I’ve been blessed with a wife that is a gourmet cook and all my food is so tasty...

    In addition, you should cheat once in a blue moon and have something you crave as well.  For me that is a piece or 2 of cheese pizza 3-4 times a year…

    The best to you and your husband in your journey-B

     

     

     

  • FreddyJoe
    FreddyJoe Member Posts: 45 Member
    #13
    hunter49 said:

    Hey Kurt happy new year. 

    Hey Kurt happy new year.  curious what spices or foods in the asian diet are not good?

    Spices

    I was watching the TV program The Dr's this morning, they claim a study shows Tumeric has benefits, and that in India where they use a lot of Tumeric and Curry that the rate of prostate cancer is much lower than the US.    Tumeric aso has been shown to have anti inflamitory qualities.  I have using spices and taking a Tumeric capsule and my PSA is .00 well over a year after my radiation treatment.

Discussion Boards