Diet & Supplements for Living with Cancer – Part 2

As stated in Part I, this is not a claim to be an Anti Cancer Diet but is a living with cancer diet. Part I went into how a few simple dietary changes can make a big difference to your daily life and help boost your immune system, and Part II continues with additional notes. The suggestions in these articles are personal choices of a wholesome diet which I believe is healthy, balanced and provided me optimum health. It is a Lifestyle change.

If feeling Nauseous

During treatment or after surgery, if feeling nauseous :

• Try low fat light meals, such as clear soups and sandwiches
• Avoid strong smelling foods, such as fish, cooked cabbage
• Drink ginger ale to help with sickness
• You may lose your taste for some foods altogether
• For energy, try yoghurt and fresh fruit and high powered freshly made fruit or vegetable juices.
• Fatique can be a big problem especially at the end of the day so meal planning and preparation in advance can be a huge help
• If you have a choice, as much as possible limit the amount of supplements and drugs you consume on a daily basis which may cause damage to other organs such as liver or kidneys
• Always read over the counter drug labels and prescription drug information on side affects, interaction, etc
• It is very important to maintain a level of activity. If walking is difficult, try swimming. If able, exercise for half an hour (total time) at least five times a week.  Mayo Clinic states "patients who have gone through breast or colon cancer treatment,  (who) regularly exercise (it) has been found to reduce recurrence of the disease by up to 50 percent"
• We keep our food and meal selections “simple” - stick with foods we know and enjoy
• We stay away from all processed foods as much as possible especially white flour (and associated products), white rice, regular pasta and of course white sugar (substitute honey). See CAP article Honey Honey Ah Ha
• Drink lots and lots of water to flush out your system especially after a contrast Scan, treatments, etc
• Learn deep breathing exercises if you are having difficulty sleeping
• There are many good books with great recipes both at the library and online ~ see references below

As stated in Part I, if you have found my blog it is perhaps because you or someone you love is living with cancer. I hope some of these suggestions give you some ideas for your food decision making.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass ...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Links & References

• If you or a loved one are taking multiple medications and are over 65 please check this out ~ The Beers List of Drugs Not Recommended for Seniors
• Autoimmune disorders
• "Healing Gourmet – Eat to Fight Cancer" by Liu, McManus and Carlino, McGraw Hill, 2006. Lots of information on cancer fighting foods and meal planning
• "Eating Well Through Cancer" by Clegg and Miletello, Favourite Recipes Press, 2006. This book is mainly recipes
• Beta carotene, B complex vitamins and selenium supplements are all supposed to help in boosting the immune system but caution should be exercised if taking large doses of beta carotene
• To naturally boost the beta carotene in your diet try foods such as carrots, sweet potato and spinach. See same Wikipedia article section "Sources in the Diet"
• Mayo Clinic on monoclonal antibody for cancer treatments
• Turmeric
• Lots of information from BreastCancer.org on boosting the immune system
• More info from Harvard Medical on how to boost your immune system

Turn, Turn, Turn by Judith Durham and The Seekers

Chorus :
To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn,
And a time for every purpose under heaven.

As always, when considering changing your diet, advise your physicians and / or oncologist. This article is for information only and is not intended as medical or dietary supplement recommendation. This article reflects changes in my personal diet .