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Breast Cancer Checklist
More than six months after I was hit with the big, scary 'C' word, I've hit a fairly sizable stumbling block in my breast cancer checklist. That is, now that I'm cancer-free at the age of 30 and nearing the end of my treatment, how do I take steps to make sure the disease never returns?
According to Liz Butler, nutritionist and founder of Body Soul Nutrition, many cancer patients undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment and then resume their normal lives exactly as they left off. That means following the same diet, whether healthy or otherwise, doing the same amount of exercise and maintaining the same stress levels - essentially, leaving the body with the same conditions in which cancer originally thrived. In many cases, drastic changes need to be made both nutritionally and emotionally so that the cancer cannot return, says Butler, who I met last month for a consultation.
Aside from filling up on cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables (the likes of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and the dreaded Brussels sprouts), getting more vitamin D and minimising alcohol intake, two of the things Butler recommended were for me to give up sugar and dairy products. While there is little research to suggest links between cancer and dairy, says the London-based nutritionist, it's possible that dairy products may lead to an increased risk of developing hormone-related cancers, including breast cancer. Sugar, on the other hand, is one of the most damaging foods for our health and cancer cells are particularly dependent on sugar for their survival, says Butler. You only need to watch Dr. Robert Lustig's famous lecture, Sugar: The Bitter Truth, to know how bad the white stuff can be for your health.
So far, so good. But will giving up some of the foods I love really stop my cancer coming back? Let me first clarify a few things about my lifestyle: I am 5'5, a slim UK size 6 to 8, I have always exercised regularly and stuck pretty closely to the recommended five fruit and veg a day. Yes, I love eating chocolate, cake, sweets, tea, coffee, cheese and pizza, but I consume all these foods in moderation alongside my daily intake of vitamin supplements, fruit, veg, protein, fibre, carbs and dairy. I have never smoked and I don't drink much alcohol. I had never had a serious illness before my cancer came along. My stress levels have been fairly high at certain points in the past few years but, other than that, I definitely don't fall into the category of someone at high-risk of getting breast cancer: i.e. an obese, sedentary smoker with a bad diet, over the age of 50. Although I tested negative for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation, it is still possible that my breast cancer was caused by another gene fault, rather than my lifestyle, diet and environment.
Nevertheless, I decided to take Butler's advice and give up sugar for a couple of weeks during my fifth round of chemotherapy, figuring that going cold turkey for a period would help me cut down on the white stuff for good. Apart from the fact that I was rushed to hospital within a week with an infection and abnormally low white blood cells (the doctors said it had nothing to cutting out sugar), I found it fairly easy. Chemotherapy alters your taste buds and cravings, so I didn't really want chocolate and cake in the first week anyway. There were a couple of times when I would have chopped my right arm off just for a dark-chocolate-coated raisin, but most of the time, I was fine.
At the end of the day, though, giving up sugar affected my social life. The diet didn't just include giving up biscuits and cakes, but also white rice, white bread, white pasta and anything containing sugar: salad dressing, ketchup, baked beans, tinned soups, juices, alcohol, fizzy drinks, mint sauce, cereals - look at pretty much any processed-food label and you'll find sugar among the ingredients. This made it hard for me not to be the annoying one at dinner parties and in restaurants, the one who turns down invites or asks the group to go to another place that provides more sugar-free options.
As for giving up dairy, it's such a major lifestyle change. Dairy is in so many of the products I eat regularly: the milk in my tea and coffee, the cheese on my pizza. I can drink rice milk at home until the cows come home (geddit?), but it's not quite so easy to find it in cafes and restaurants. (Soya milk is not an alternative for me, because of the association with oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer). What's more, there could be downsides to giving up dairy, for instance where will I get the calcium to strengthen my bones?
If I sound confused, it's because I am. Largely because the doctors disagree with the nutritionists. All my oncologists say I should follow a healthy, balanced diet - that's fairly obvious - but none of them have recommend giving up sugar or dairy. On the contrary, my oncologist told me I don't need to follow any particular diet. So while there's no hard and fast proof that giving up the nasties will prevent my cancer metastising or recurring, should I really stop myself enjoying the foods I love? And if I do follow a sugar-and-dairy-free diet, who's to say my cancer won't return and kill me in 10, 20 or 30 years time anyway?
On the one hand, I want to keep myself alive for as long as possible. On the other hand, I want to enjoy my life, and that includes eating the foods that give me the most pleasure. After all, there's no point living if I have to survive on a rabbit's diet of lettuce leaves and sprouts. That said, Butler's advice is sound and she says it's fine to eat a little of what you like, when you like. Moderation is key.
Fortunately, I've found my happy medium. I have started the new year by cutting my sugar, refined carbs and dairy intake by about 90%, and my caffeine intake by about a half. I've replaced the milk in my tea with oat milk and I'm eating more veg, nuts and organic foods. But if I'm out in a coffee shop and they only have regular milk, or if I want a few squares of Green & Black's of an evening, I'm fine with that. If I starve myself of the foods I love, I'll just want them more. With my 90% rule, I can have my cake and eat it, and it won't just be another broken New Year's Resolution.
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Personally I eat plenty of skimmed milk and brown bread. Two of the healthiest things around. Cycled to the shops this morning. Going for a run this evening. Age 57. Never had cancer. Perfectly healthy. What does all that prove? Nothing of course, any more than most of comments here about one individual's lifestyle. Trust the dieticians. They're the experts.
Cancer begins to grow due to there being something wrong within the body - usually a missing ingredient (e.g. particular food). Lets say you ate NO fruit or veg and so there were no good nutrients to fight the bad cells in the body.The cells within the body fight continually to rid the body of the Cancer cells until it can cope no longer - and then the Cancer grows. And without the help of the good nutrients of, say, fruit and veg, the Cancer continues to grow. Cancer growth is aided by certain foods - possibly dairy and sugar - but it can be "prevented" if you eat enough "other stuff" to combat it.
One needs to eat a varied diet - of Stoneage ingredients (Vegetation, Nuts, Berries, Herbs), keep the stress & weight down.
And so, No - Cancer is never ever due to "just bad luck". There is ALWAYS a reason. There is ALWAYS a cause.
It might be diet,stress,grief. But THERE IS always a reason.
Skimmed Milk IS NOT HEALTHY - although the government would have you believe it is.
Our stomachs have NOT evolved yet to cope with the milk of the COW. Or the goat, etc.
Any type of bread is NOT HEALTHY - our stomachs have not evolved to cope with wheat and grain etc. This is way too long a discussion to have here, but
The truth about the human body is that we've evolved to be able to eat a huge range of different foods. Originally mostly fruit and nuts perhaps, later meat, later still grains. later also (especially westeners) milk products. Generally there is no such thing as good and bad foods. We need enough nutrition and calories in our combined diet. Occasionally people have food intolerances but these are unusual - evolution has seen to that.
It's dangerous to make sweeping statements. At the time of my diagnosis, an acquaintance who ate only the good things, was a believer in self-healing and went her way to the other side. I accepted Western medicie and survived.
Laura, good luck to you sweetheart, live long and be happy. Sue xx
It's good to know that you're eating all these things and doing well. I do think a lot of it is in the positive attitude. The nutritionist didn't recommend I give up meat, thank god - in fact, she just said that the better sourced, the better the quality and the more organic the meat, the better, so I am happy to spend loads of money on a good steak! Take care of yourself and keep strong too, Laura
This is why people tend to believe that the cause of cancer is dietary rather than genetic.............
It does appear that cutting out dairy products can cut levels of cancer and help prevent cancer returning.
The evidence is strong although you won't find many U.k. based oncologists recommending this type of diet .They just love chemo and radio therapy.....................
Probably a good chance preventing cancer returning are three simple changes to your diet...
Eradicate dairy products : EAT MEAT ONCE PER MONTH AND CUT OUT WHITE SUGAR AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE.......................
Best three cancer supplements to take are vit d and d3 low dose asprin and trace element
selenium.....................plus plenty of walking and exercise......................
Also, it helps to eat new foods including from other cultures - so you widen your options rather than shrink them.
Goats cheese does taste a bit different, but tastes good on pizza. Goats milk has selenium, which is very important for your immune system, and is not in UK soil. Goat's milk has the added benefit of being hormone-free, unlike some cow's milk. Cows are frequently given milk-producing hormones that make their way into our dairy products, but goats are not, because it makes no difference to there growth, or the ammount of milk they produce.