And now, a word from my breast cancer nutritionist

So, I went to see my breast cancer nutritionist this afternoon and I though I would share a few of her tips, which I thought were very helpful.

Often when I go out to eat, my healthy eating plan goes down the tubes. While this is OK once a week or so (she endorsed the idea of having one "cheat" meal a week. Mine is Friday night "date nights" with my husband), it should not go on all the time. So, when I find myself out running around for the day, she suggested the following:

-- Carry certain healthy items like a piece of fruit, dried fruit (make sure it has no sulfates or sulfites), water-packed fruit cups, nuts, dried vegetables (unsalted), and water. Eating these things on the run can stop you from overindulging if you're grabbing food from a deli or restaurant. Also, eating healthy food AFTER you've already overindulged can actually help mitigate some of the damage the unhealthy food is doing to your system. For instance, it can counteract free radicals, etc. I did not know this. So, the next time you finish up that plate of cheddar cheeese nachos, eat an orange afterwards!

-- At a restaurant, order extra vegetables with your meal. Even if you're getting a burger, ask for extra tomatoes and whatever else veggies are on top. Again, this goes with the idea of helping to counteract the unhealthy parts of your meal.

-- Get fresh (if possible) juice with your restaurant meal.

-- 30 minutes of intense exercise (220-80% of your resting heart rate) equals 1 hour of moderate exercise. Walking at 4 miles per hour is considered moderate exercise. You can see what that feels like by getting on a threadmill and putting the speed at "4." It's a brisk walk. Aim for 3-5 hours of moderate exercise a week. That could mean 3-5 hours of brisk walking or half that amount of vigerous exercise. Getting more than 5 hours of vigerous exercise a week has no added benefits for cancer recurrence rates. If you find that you are not able to talk while exercising, you have gone beyond the "vigerous" stage. At this level of intensity, you are not getting enough oxygen in your system and could be creating free radicals that can actually raise your recurrence risk. If you are unsure, get a heart rate monitor and make sure you are not consistently going over 220-80% of your resting heart rate.

-- A high fiber (26-33 grams per day), low fat (less than 33 grams of fat a day) diet has been shown to be especially beneficial for estrogen negative cancers. Soluble fiber is most beneficial. You can get this kind of fiber in oates, barley, legumes (beans and lentils), citrus fruit, apples, quinoa, etc.

-- Estrogen positive ladies can afford to have a few more fat grams, but they should stay away from excessive alcohol. For each drink over the recommended amount, you raise your recurrence risk by 11%.

That's all for now. Hope this was helpful.

Mimi