Eating right

BethInAz
BethInAz Member Posts: 203 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I've been reading with interest the posts about soy products (including multi-vitamins) and their affect on tamoxifen. Now I've just seen on an internet site that flaxseed has the same stuff as soy. Does anybody have a really good source of information on this whole topic of diet and tamoxifen? I think I'll be talking with my oncologist about this subject in May for my 3 mo checkup. I've been eating flaxseed muffins thinking I'm being all healthy - but I may be doing myself damage! Our bodies are indeed, fearfully and wonderfully made! I know this very well and don't want to make a mess of mine!!!
Beth
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Comments

  • TawnyS
    TawnyS Member Posts: 144 Member
    #2
    Check out chia seeds. I saw
    Check out chia seeds. I saw the joy fit club on the today show a few weeks ago and they were talking about chia seeds. Yep....same seeds as the chia pet. They are supposedly totally healthy for you. I haven't done much research, but now that I am thinking about it again I will. Chemo brain made me forget until you just posted....so thanks! Hope this helps!
  • BethInAz
    BethInAz Member Posts: 203 Member
    #3
    TawnyS said:

    Check out chia seeds. I saw
    Check out chia seeds. I saw the joy fit club on the today show a few weeks ago and they were talking about chia seeds. Yep....same seeds as the chia pet. They are supposedly totally healthy for you. I haven't done much research, but now that I am thinking about it again I will. Chemo brain made me forget until you just posted....so thanks! Hope this helps!

    Chia seeds
    All I could think about when I read your post, Tawny, was that perhaps my hair would begin growing like a Chia pet! But I'm not fond of green hair... Perhaps some punky pink? :)
    Beth
  • TawnyS
    TawnyS Member Posts: 144 Member
    #4
    BethInAz said:

    Chia seeds
    All I could think about when I read your post, Tawny, was that perhaps my hair would begin growing like a Chia pet! But I'm not fond of green hair... Perhaps some punky pink? :)
    Beth

    So funny! Did you google
    So funny! Did you google it? I was just talking to my survivor friend and told her about the chia seeds and we laughed about my hair....or lack there of. Green is my favorite color! I think I could work it out! : )
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #5
    TawnyS said:

    So funny! Did you google
    So funny! Did you google it? I was just talking to my survivor friend and told her about the chia seeds and we laughed about my hair....or lack there of. Green is my favorite color! I think I could work it out! : )

    Oh guy's thanks so much for
    Oh guy's thanks so much for the laugh. I needed that. LOL
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #6
    Kat11 said:

    Oh guy's thanks so much for
    Oh guy's thanks so much for the laugh. I needed that. LOL

    If you google Estrogen
    If you google Estrogen Producing Foods, you'll find a lot about this subject..but here are some other foods to avoid....
    Foods that increase estrogen in the body include: soybean products such as tofu and soy milk, lima beans, berries, apples, papaya, dates, plums, pomegranates, beets, eggplant, tomatoes, yams, olives, potatoes, barley, rice, hops, oats, wheat, flaxseeds, chickpeas, garlic, parsley, clover, split peas, sprouts and licorice. ...
    Good Luck
  • BethInAz
    BethInAz Member Posts: 203 Member
    #7
    dyaneb123 said:

    If you google Estrogen
    If you google Estrogen Producing Foods, you'll find a lot about this subject..but here are some other foods to avoid....
    Foods that increase estrogen in the body include: soybean products such as tofu and soy milk, lima beans, berries, apples, papaya, dates, plums, pomegranates, beets, eggplant, tomatoes, yams, olives, potatoes, barley, rice, hops, oats, wheat, flaxseeds, chickpeas, garlic, parsley, clover, split peas, sprouts and licorice. ...
    Good Luck

    Omigosh
    Dyaneb: Omigosh! As my dearly departed dad once said, "The worst thing for your health is reading." Every time he read an article about what was bad for you, he'd say this. :)
    I'm sad - I LOVE olives, potatoes, tomatoes, berries, yams. Thanks so much for the research. I read somewhere that it depends on whether the soy is GMO or non-GMO (at least I think that was it) - and also whether it was fermented or not. This is all too confusing for me! My oncologist is a PhD - maybe he can clear up some of the confusion... In the meantime, I'm going to stay away from the sprouts and chickpeas and licorice and have some filet mignon - medium well! And maybe some cookies made with pure butter.
    Beth
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #8
    Kat11 said:

    Oh guy's thanks so much for
    Oh guy's thanks so much for the laugh. I needed that. LOL

    Yes, thanks for the laugh.
    Yes, thanks for the laugh. I was told by my oncologist to avoid soy when possible. He added that it is almost impossible to avoid it totally, as it is hidden in a lot of foods and even vitamins. Good luck!

    Leeza
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #9
    dyaneb123 said:

    If you google Estrogen
    If you google Estrogen Producing Foods, you'll find a lot about this subject..but here are some other foods to avoid....
    Foods that increase estrogen in the body include: soybean products such as tofu and soy milk, lima beans, berries, apples, papaya, dates, plums, pomegranates, beets, eggplant, tomatoes, yams, olives, potatoes, barley, rice, hops, oats, wheat, flaxseeds, chickpeas, garlic, parsley, clover, split peas, sprouts and licorice. ...
    Good Luck

    Thanks for the list Deb!

    Thanks for the list Deb!
  • BethInAz
    BethInAz Member Posts: 203 Member
    #10
    jnl said:

    Yes, thanks for the laugh.
    Yes, thanks for the laugh. I was told by my oncologist to avoid soy when possible. He added that it is almost impossible to avoid it totally, as it is hidden in a lot of foods and even vitamins. Good luck!

    Leeza

    Soy in Vitamins
    I did check the label on my Walgreen's brand Women's Daily Vitamin and right smack dab in the middle of the list of ingredients there it was - soy lecithin. This is definitely a learning curve. Now, I did google non-soy vitamins and found a website that sold a particular variety - with the 44% discount offered online, the pills only cost like $1/day (compared to the cheapies I buy in bulk - with soy, of course!). If I go to the health food store, I'll pay an arm and a leg, too. What a racket! What a challenge. What a life!!! :) But that's what we come back too, right? We're living! What a blessing.
    Beth
  • katznc
    katznc Member Posts: 70
    #11
    flaxseed
    flaxseed is a source of omega-3 fatty acids. good if you hate fish or don't want fish burps from the pills. but if you are anywhere near a surgery stay away from it and any ginkgo as it causes blood clotting problems. I don't know if having a port and doing chemo makes it a bad thing. another onc question?
  • perfect4
    perfect4 Member Posts: 2
    #12
    Hey Beth...are you currently
    Hey Beth...are you currently undergoing treatment in the Phoenix area? I am doing rads now at Ironwood..
  • Mama G
    Mama G Member Posts: 762
    #13
    perfect4 said:

    Hey Beth...are you currently
    Hey Beth...are you currently undergoing treatment in the Phoenix area? I am doing rads now at Ironwood..

    just wondering...
    if the benefits of some of those foods mentioned outweigh their contribution to estrogen levels. Several of those are on the recommended list to help FIGHT cancer! hmmmm
  • Sher43009
    Sher43009 Member Posts: 602 Member
    #14
    Mama G said:

    just wondering...
    if the benefits of some of those foods mentioned outweigh their contribution to estrogen levels. Several of those are on the recommended list to help FIGHT cancer! hmmmm

    I've decided to make an
    I've decided to make an appointment with my cancer centers nutritionalist because this is all so confusing. One article says eat this, the next one says don't. Some say eat 9-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Get real, I can't eat that much. So I thought I'd get the information from a professional nutritionalist. My oncol. said she's done a lot of research on breast cancer and food and is a "very smart woman". Just the endorsement I wanted. I'll let you know what she recommends.

    Sher
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #15
    Sher43009 said:

    I've decided to make an
    I've decided to make an appointment with my cancer centers nutritionalist because this is all so confusing. One article says eat this, the next one says don't. Some say eat 9-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Get real, I can't eat that much. So I thought I'd get the information from a professional nutritionalist. My oncol. said she's done a lot of research on breast cancer and food and is a "very smart woman". Just the endorsement I wanted. I'll let you know what she recommends.

    Sher

    Cant wait to hear from y0u
    Cant wait to hear from y0u Sher. What in heavens name can we eat? I just read that juicing is wonderful. I'm going to slowly switch to more veggies and fruits. I've eliminated anything with artificial sweetners and wont go near a lean cuisine anymore. I guess the closer we eat foods from the earth the better off we will be. I'm not giving up berries and I'll try to increase veggies but no plans to become any form of vegetarian. One of the posts said that reading is bad for your health, it certainly can be---yikes there is so much conflicting info out there it can become quite confusing.
  • Chrispea
    Chrispea Member Posts: 123 Member
    #16
    My doctor told me that
    My doctor told me that eating soy and drinking soy milk was OK, but taking those soy pills are bad.

    I think that's a better source than reading something off of the internet. ;)

    Ask your doctor if those foods are OK.
  • BethInAz
    BethInAz Member Posts: 203 Member
    #17
    perfect4 said:

    Hey Beth...are you currently
    Hey Beth...are you currently undergoing treatment in the Phoenix area? I am doing rads now at Ironwood..

    Hey Perfect4 - Hello to another Arizonan!
    I did undergo treatments in Phoenix although I live about 190 miles from there in small town AZ. I wanted to get to the big city and the big shot doctors for my treatment!
    Beth
  • BethInAz
    BethInAz Member Posts: 203 Member
    #18
    Mama G said:

    just wondering...
    if the benefits of some of those foods mentioned outweigh their contribution to estrogen levels. Several of those are on the recommended list to help FIGHT cancer! hmmmm

    Mama G - I wonder this too
    I was wondering the same thing. For instance, blackberries are really high in antioxidants. I've been eating them like they're going out of style. But they're estrogen producers. I see my oncologist for 3 mo followup May 10 - and am going to go loaded with questions! Thanks everybody for giving me food for questions!
    Beth
  • jbug
    jbug Member Posts: 285
    #19
    Opposing point of view...
    Sort of....i heard of the soy issue before i started on tamoxifen so i had a chance to ask my on about it at my appointment. She told me that I shouldn't change my diet to include huge amts of tofu, but that the some soy products won't hurt. Tamoxifen is an estrogen blocker, so essentially it is blocking out any estrogen you produce and those products that are pseudoestrogen producers. I haven't stopped drinking soy milk in the morning prior to my workouts and i'm still enjoying all the fruits and veggies i ate before. There are lots of healthy reasons to eat these foods.

    Breast cancer diagnosis changed my perspective on life so much. It took part of me...my security and my health for a time. I don't want to give it any more than it already got. I'm done w/bc!

    Good luck w/your decision! Blessings...
    Julie
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #20
    BethInAz said:

    Mama G - I wonder this too
    I was wondering the same thing. For instance, blackberries are really high in antioxidants. I've been eating them like they're going out of style. But they're estrogen producers. I see my oncologist for 3 mo followup May 10 - and am going to go loaded with questions! Thanks everybody for giving me food for questions!
    Beth

    Uhoh, I eat blackberries
    Uhoh, I eat blackberries too. I love them. I didn't know we weren't suppose to eat them. I better check with my oncologist and the nutritionist. Thanks!

    Leeza
  • lizzie17
    lizzie17 Member Posts: 548
    #21
    soy
    I just know that my cancer center told me no soy products. When I asked more questions, they said soy sauce once a week at the most, and eliminate soy. But, have you noticed that soy is in almost everything??

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