Need Kongo help----Diet

ob66
ob66 Member Posts: 227 Member
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Kongo, we have communicated before. You, and other sources, have made me a believer in the Mediterranean diet approach to reduce recurrence---NO red meats, NO dairy, and as little sugar as humanly possible. I have been doing it for 2 months with great success. But my query is an interesting one. My wife, a great cook, has searched and searched for GOOD recipes for such dietary habits. She has great sauces for salmon, great squash and bean chili recipes, but needs variety. We have read the Med diet book, googled such sources, and generally find that Barefoot Contessa is the best. Today she went to Barnes and Noble to check out (and buy) the new Cookling Light book on Vegan recipes. The only problem is that there is a lot of dairy in their recipes. As you can guess my problem is that she likes to cook at a high level, but within the parameters of the "Med diet" as it is called. As you have done this for some time, I would wish that you would have some suggestions. Or anyone else for that matter. Thanks in advance, Bob

Comments

  • Kongo
    Kongo Member Posts: 1,166 Member
    #2
    Diet
    Bob,

    You may wish to check out "Eating For Better Health: Help Fight and Prevent Many Common Health Problems Through Diet" by Professor Jane Plant and available from Amazon.

    Professor Plant actually includes a little red meat sparingly.

    You might also try soy burgers, soy cheese, soy yogurt, soy sausages, etc. I also do chicken or turkey burgers a lot.

    Glad things are going great.
  • ob66
    ob66 Member Posts: 227 Member
    #3
    Kongo said:

    Diet
    Bob,

    You may wish to check out "Eating For Better Health: Help Fight and Prevent Many Common Health Problems Through Diet" by Professor Jane Plant and available from Amazon.

    Professor Plant actually includes a little red meat sparingly.

    You might also try soy burgers, soy cheese, soy yogurt, soy sausages, etc. I also do chicken or turkey burgers a lot.

    Glad things are going great.

    Diet
    As always thanks. Just met with my rad doc Monday and went over the coupling of my completion of RT (mid August, which is still doing it's good in my body), and the lupron starving of the CA desire for testosterone, along with the Med diet. Verdict is I will continue with lupron for at least 4 months more (can you imagine someone hoping for lupron???). That will make a year. He indicated that there are not a lot of studies with individuals who have had a daVinci plus RT, so this is virgin ground to some degree, but he is following with the tenets of RT only with regards to lupron usage. Thinks he would like me on for at least one year, but possibly two. I just think the three things working together just gives me a better chance of success. Thanks for your help again. Bob
  • gkoper
    gkoper Member Posts: 173
    #4
    ob66 said:

    Diet
    As always thanks. Just met with my rad doc Monday and went over the coupling of my completion of RT (mid August, which is still doing it's good in my body), and the lupron starving of the CA desire for testosterone, along with the Med diet. Verdict is I will continue with lupron for at least 4 months more (can you imagine someone hoping for lupron???). That will make a year. He indicated that there are not a lot of studies with individuals who have had a daVinci plus RT, so this is virgin ground to some degree, but he is following with the tenets of RT only with regards to lupron usage. Thinks he would like me on for at least one year, but possibly two. I just think the three things working together just gives me a better chance of success. Thanks for your help again. Bob

    Diet
    I continue to tweak my diet as I age (66). My wife is a marvelous cook as well.....she buys a cookbook everywhere we travel. We subscribe to the Med way.......lots of salads...fish, fruits, veggies, smoothies & a steak or good burger maybe once a month.....& recently a change from no-fat milk to almond (soy) milk. Your wife can let her creative juices flow and you both will love it.
  • Kongo
    Kongo Member Posts: 1,166 Member
    #5
    ob66 said:

    Diet
    As always thanks. Just met with my rad doc Monday and went over the coupling of my completion of RT (mid August, which is still doing it's good in my body), and the lupron starving of the CA desire for testosterone, along with the Med diet. Verdict is I will continue with lupron for at least 4 months more (can you imagine someone hoping for lupron???). That will make a year. He indicated that there are not a lot of studies with individuals who have had a daVinci plus RT, so this is virgin ground to some degree, but he is following with the tenets of RT only with regards to lupron usage. Thinks he would like me on for at least one year, but possibly two. I just think the three things working together just gives me a better chance of success. Thanks for your help again. Bob

    Studies
    I can understand why there might not be a lot of studies with DaVinci and follow-on radiation treatment. DaVinci has really only been in use since 2005 and given that only about 30-35% of men with any form of RP will see a recurrence and given the time it takes for a recurrence to show itself, it wouldn't seem to me that there would be enough men in that category to form an effective study yet. As time goes on I'm sure that will change.

    Also, the time to mitosis of a prostate cancer cell is about a year and a half as I recall...one of the reasons why most prostate cancers are so slow growing. Taking Lupron for two years makes sense in that context because you're covering the period where all of the cancer cells are going to divide and if they can't properly divide either by depriving them of testosterone as with Lupron or zapping them with radiation to interfere with the DNA it makes sense to me that you have a better chance of getting it all.

    On the other hand, I have read studies that show that HT taken on and off again have about the same effectiveness as staying on it for the longer periods but with less side effects. Some men tolerate it better than others.

    Glad things are going great with your diet.
  • ob66
    ob66 Member Posts: 227 Member
    #6
    Kongo said:

    Studies
    I can understand why there might not be a lot of studies with DaVinci and follow-on radiation treatment. DaVinci has really only been in use since 2005 and given that only about 30-35% of men with any form of RP will see a recurrence and given the time it takes for a recurrence to show itself, it wouldn't seem to me that there would be enough men in that category to form an effective study yet. As time goes on I'm sure that will change.

    Also, the time to mitosis of a prostate cancer cell is about a year and a half as I recall...one of the reasons why most prostate cancers are so slow growing. Taking Lupron for two years makes sense in that context because you're covering the period where all of the cancer cells are going to divide and if they can't properly divide either by depriving them of testosterone as with Lupron or zapping them with radiation to interfere with the DNA it makes sense to me that you have a better chance of getting it all.

    On the other hand, I have read studies that show that HT taken on and off again have about the same effectiveness as staying on it for the longer periods but with less side effects. Some men tolerate it better than others.

    Glad things are going great with your diet.

    Aside from my diet, Kongo,
    I have been so helped with your input that I hope you have continued your exercise routine. If you recall, we twittted each other a bit about my difficulty with going on the Med diet, and yours cranking up the exercise. Hope it is going well, for I think I need you and your wisdom about for some time. We will fight this ugly disease with inspiration or needling whatever it takes. Thanks again. Bob

    ps. And mrs, I agree with you. Almond milk is almond milk, and soy is soy. And for those that haven't tried it almond (unsweetened) is great on cereal. Add bananas, strawberries, rasberries, etc. and you have some tasty eating.
  • Kongo
    Kongo Member Posts: 1,166 Member
    #7
    ob66 said:

    Aside from my diet, Kongo,
    I have been so helped with your input that I hope you have continued your exercise routine. If you recall, we twittted each other a bit about my difficulty with going on the Med diet, and yours cranking up the exercise. Hope it is going well, for I think I need you and your wisdom about for some time. We will fight this ugly disease with inspiration or needling whatever it takes. Thanks again. Bob

    ps. And mrs, I agree with you. Almond milk is almond milk, and soy is soy. And for those that haven't tried it almond (unsweetened) is great on cereal. Add bananas, strawberries, rasberries, etc. and you have some tasty eating.

    Exercise
    Ob, I am walking up the miles and feeling better but have not yet reached the fervor level yet that you exhibit for diet but you keep inspiring me.

    I too like Almond milk. Rice milk too. Soy tends to do a better job if you're making pancakes or using it as a milk substitute in a baking product while neither rice or almond milk seem to end up with a consistency the same as cow milk.
  • mrspjd
    mrspjd Member Posts: 694 Member
    #8
    gkoper said:

    Diet
    I continue to tweak my diet as I age (66). My wife is a marvelous cook as well.....she buys a cookbook everywhere we travel. We subscribe to the Med way.......lots of salads...fish, fruits, veggies, smoothies & a steak or good burger maybe once a month.....& recently a change from no-fat milk to almond (soy) milk. Your wife can let her creative juices flow and you both will love it.

    diet etc
    Perhaps I've misunderstood the previous post or, if there is a combination almond/soy milk product out there, I haven't discovered it yet. From my experience, almond milk is made from almonds, not soy beans & does not contain soy. Most almond milk products are sweetened &/or flavored, so be sure to check the ingredient label, especially if you're concerned about sugar intake or omitting sugars. Many soy milks are also sweetened &/or flavored, do not contain almond milk so, again, check labels to suit taste and diet. For the most part, dairy milk & products are out of our diet. I buy an organic unsweetened soy milk product at Trader Joes (for those familiar with this store). While I have my share of cookbooks and they are great, I've recently taken to the internet for recipes and have been successful in searching out & finding good recipes for a heart & prostate healthy diet. While some recipe sites are much better than others, it's still trial and error--pjd is a good sport when he puts up with the "error!" We have a fav Med restaurant, and I've been known to ask the restaurant staff on more than one occassion if they would share a recipe, and many have. I will often "tweak" a recipe to use what I have on hand or to suit our taste/diet--or both. Greek style plain yogurt (available in various low/non-fat content, with no added sugar, flavors or fruit), while dairy, is a staple of the Greek Med diet and is found in many Med recipes. Used in moderation, it has great probiotic properties and makes a healthy substitution for other high fat dairy products in many recipes, dips, etc. While soy yogurt & cheese are available, I've yet to try them. Bob, perhaps the soy yogurt &/or soy cheese might work as a non-dairy substitute in the recipes that called for dairy. Let us know.
    Bon Appetit!

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