November 2007 Archives

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A common question: "Is there a diet that can cure me of my cancer?" or "Is there a diet that can keep cancer from growing?". Believe it or not, this is a complex question. Of course there are NO easy answers. Certainly not on this earth anyway! Hopefully I can give you an overview of the link between diet and cancer.

Remember that there is no one single food or food substances can protect you against cancer. The same is true for a cancer cure. There is no one single food or food substances that can cure your cancer.

What we know is that there are cancer control lifestyle factors that can do 2 things:

1. Reduce your chances of getting cancer, or cancer coming back or growing.
2. Improve your quality of life (personal satisfaction with your life).

Diet is only one aspect of a cancer control lifestyle. Other lifestyle factors to consider include smoking, exercise, stress management, sun exposure, alcohol and others. Making good lifestyle choices is not a guarantee that you won't get cancer, or that your cancer will go away.

However, it can definitely put the odds in your favor. The good news is that there are no risks to eating healthy since the diet that best reduces cancer risk also helps fight heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer's and many other diseases. In other words... We have NOTHING to lose by making smart nutrition choices!

The American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org) just released the Second Expert Report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.  It is a very large book sitting on my shelf and I have not read the entire report! I did read the summary and here are the main take home points. Remember that cancer survivors are encouraged to following the same recommendations that we give for cancer prevention:

1. Keep your weight under control. Meaning that you want to avoid weight gain or increases in waist circumference after age 21 (assuming that you were not underweight at that time!).
2. Be physically active every day. I would aim for 30 minutes of vigorous activity or 60 minutes of moderate activity every day on average.
3. Eat mostly foods of plant origin. For more information on those, check out my post on "Protectors".
4. Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat. For more information on those, check out my post on "Promoters".
5. Limit alcoholic drinks to 1/day for women; 2/day for men. (1 drink = 1 oz. liquor, 12 oz. beer, or 5oz. wine).
6. Limit consumption of salt
7. Dietary supplements are not recommended for cancer prevention. Aim to meet nutrition needs through food choices alone.
8. Breastfeed infants exclusively up to 6 months and continue as they start eating food.

Until next time... Eat your fruits and veggies. Every meal and snacks to boot!
Julie

My last entry talked about foods that help to increase the body's ability to fight disease, which I term "protectors". I like that topic since it focuses on the positive things that people can do with their eating habits. It helps people to understand the things that they should be eating MORE of.

However, we cannot overlook the things that we eat that do the opposite and break down our body's ability to protect us against disease. These foods are called "promoters" as research suggests they increase risk for disease. This entry will focus on the foods that you want to eat only occasionally. Cookie Monster now sings it: "A cookie is a sometimes food", instead of "cookie cookie cookie"!

Foods that fall under the "promoter" category are ones that are high in saturated fat, refined sugars, and salt and low in fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. In other words, they are foods that are not nutrient dense. They tend to be high in calories without providing you with many nutrients.

Here are some foods that fall under the "promoter category":

1. From the meat group: Bacon, sausage, processed deli meats, regular ground beef
2. From the dairy group: Whole milk, cheese, ice cream, full fat yogurt, butter
3. From the fruit group: canned fruit in heavy syrup or high sugar jelly's
4. From the vegetable group: canned vegetables with salt added, vegetables in cream sauce, french fries, potato chips
5. From the carbohydrate/grain group: high fat muffins, bagels, pancakes, donuts, cookies, refined crackers, white bread, white rice, white pasta, regular soda and sweetened drinks (sweet tea or "juice/punch" drinks)

Before you get too upset, recognize that just because these foods fall under this category doesn't mean that you NEVER get to eat them. However, you do need to keep your intake to a moderate level. When I think of having something occasionally, it would be 2 times per month or less.

If you are eating any of these foods 3 times a week or more, then it is considered a habit. Try to find replacements for the promoter foods that you are eating regularly. Choose lean meats or vegetarian protein (beans, nuts, tofu). Use low-fat dairy products. Eat whole grains instead of refined grains. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables frequently.

When you do choose promoter foods, keep your portions small to minimize the impact. Once you swallow, the fun's over. Enjoy each bite slowly. You don't need to eat a large amount to fulfill a craving!

Promote health, not disease!

Julie

    It is not uncommon for survivors to ask me what they should eat to keep cancer from growing or coming back. There is no single food or food substance that can prevent or cure cancer. There are many beneficial foods. However the most effective nutrition 'cancer control' strategy involves the concept of synergy. Synergy means that the combination of nutrients that the body gets from eating several different types of foods is more effective than eating a lot of one type of food. For example, you would get more benefit from eating a meal containing kale, sweet potato, brown rice, black beans and strawberries than you would from drinking a large glass of pomegranate juice or taking a supplement pill.   

    Things that you want to consider for choosing the right combination of foods is variety in food groups and moderation in foods that are calorie dense. Calorie control is helpful for maintaining a healthy weight, which is an important aspect of healthy survivorship. If you need to lose weight, benefits can be seen with even a 5-10% decrease in weight. Any change towards a healthy weight is beneficial, even if you don't achieve what you feel is an 'ideal weight'. 

    I think the most important part of healthy eating is the idea of a nutrient dense diet. This means that the foods that you eat are high in the health promoting nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. I like to call these foods "protectors". Nutrient dense foods include fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, minimally processed whole grains, nuts and legumes (dried beans). By getting a variety from each of these groups you will get a good array of nutrients to help fight cancer. If you're not familiar with phytochemicals, they are plant compounds (phyto means plant) that are thought to promote healthy tissue in the body and support the immune system. There are more than 900 phytochemicals discovered so far and more will continue to be discovered. Some of the more common phytochemicals are beta-carotene, lycopene, isoflavones and leutein. Colorful fruits and vegetables have a lot of potent phytochemicals and that is why we are often encouraging people to eat lots of different colorful plant foods.

    In my next blog, I will address what I call "promoter" foods. For now, I want to give you 3 practical tips on how to include more "protectors" in your diet.

1. Every meal should have a fruit, vegetable or both. Most people don't like veggies at breakfast, so be SURE to get fruit, preferably 1 cup of fresh fruit, at breakfast time. If you don't have fresh fruit around, a good back up plan would be canned (in 'lite' juice) fruit, or 100% fruit juice. Lunch and dinner should have at least 1 cup of vegetables. If you don't have vegetables at lunch, you probably won't meet your daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
2. Make sure that 1/2 of your plate is covered in fruits and/or vegetables, 1/4 of your plate with whole grains and 1/4 with protein (bonus points if your protein comes from a plant, like legumes, tofu, nuts or seeds).
3. Have fruit for dessert.

    For a lot of people, simply keeping track of the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat each day can be an eye opening activity and provides them with insight on where they  need to be fitting in more fruits and vegetables. Ideally, a healthy diet would have between 4-5 cups of fruits + vegetables daily.

    Eat your phytochemicals!

    - Julie

Welcome to my healthy lifestyle blog for cancer survivors!

My name is Julie Lanford. I'm an Oncology and Wellness Dietitian in Winston-Salem, NC. I have started this blog as a place to share and exchange information regarding healthy eating, living and cancer. My passion is for wellness and cancer survivorship. I personally have not experienced cancer as a patient. My experience with cancer is from the perspective of a healthcare provider, a granddaughter, a friend and a lifestyle coach. I have received inspiration from many survivors that gives me insight into life and living that I wouldn't have learned on my own. To them, I owe more than I can repay. This site is one small way that I hope to give back.

I hope you find the upcoming information helpful. I plan to post on various topics including  phytochemicals, healthy grilling, the various dimensions of wellness, healthy drinks, food labels, eating out, eating on the go and much more. Any of your suggestions would be appreciated so feel free to email me at jlgl.RD at gmail.com.

I look forward to the conversation!

Sincerely,

Julie