Cancer and Diet

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be extremely unsettling. Many questions may go through the mind such what treatments to do, whether or not the cancer is curable and what the next course of action is. After the shock of the diagnosis has settled and patients are ready to work on a treatment plan, a question that often comes up is “what should I be eating?” The Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” All too often food is overlooked as a simple, yet powerful, medicine.

Unfortunately, many patients are not given good instructions during cancer treatment regimens. Many times, patients are told to eat whatever they want. But for those diagnosed with cancer, it is critical to eat foods that support the body. Cancer being present in the body means that the immune system is down, genes have been damaged or cell function and structures have been compromised; all of which are influenced by nutrition. A healthy diet is an integral part of cancer treatment.

  • Eat enough fruits and vegetables. It has been very consistent for nearly two decades that less than 25 percent of Americans get five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Set an example by getting at least five, if not six or seven, servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables to provide your body the full spectrum of nutrients that it needs to fight cancer.
  • Eat more organic fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that the body will quickly decrease the amount of pesticides it has to handle by consuming more organic foods [Source: Lu]. A simple way to start this process is to pick organic options of the foods normally highest in pesticides. The Environmental Working Group has put out a list of foods that are highest and lowest in pesticides. Organic versions of every fruit and vegetable would be ideal, but at least try to eat organic varieties of the foods which are highest: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears.  This list can be found at www.foodnews.org.
  • Provide the body each day with a healthy source of water. Choose filtered water, preferably from a reverse osmosis system. Take a good supply of this water with you to work or when you travel, ideally in a glass jug or perhaps stainless steel to avoid leaching of chemicals like phthalates into your water.
  • Eat healthy proteins. Try to find protein sources from healthy animals. Examples of this would be beef that is grass-fed, free-range chickens (and their eggs) and fish such as wild Alaskan salmon. The best sources of animal protein will also exclude growth hormones, antibiotics or heavy metal contamination.
  • Boost the body by specifically including foods and spices that target the cancer (curry, maitake and shiitake mushrooms), strengthen the immune system (garlic, blueberries and brightly colored vegetables) and support the liver (broccoli, cauliflower and cilantro).

On the next page, learn how to avoid processed ingredients for a more nutritional diet.

Avoiding Processed Ingredients

It also becomes very important to avoid the modern day processed ingredients that are so prevalent in our foods.

  • Start cutting back on the junk food and the refined sugars. The food source for cancer is sugar. This is also the food source for the body, but the body prefers to get its sugar from healthy sources such as fruits and vegetables. Cancer will take sugar from any source, and junk food is as good as any for cancer since it is a very rapidly absorbed source. Refined sugars also weaken the immune system.  This is big problem since a strong immune system is needed to scavenge for random cancer cells.
  • Cut out all high-fructose corn syrup. This is a very intense sweetener thought to be hard on the liver and a big risk factor for obesity. It is also now suspected to be a significant source of mercury [Source: Dufault].
  • Curtail the use of the microwave. The microwave should be for reheating food, not for cooking it. Heating vegetables too long can destroy many of the nutrients. Do not microwave food in plastic containers. Use glass bowls or plates for reheating in microwaves to avoid any leaching of the plastic onto the food.
  • Steer clear of hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated, oils. These types of unhealthy fats are used to increase shelf life of many processed foods such as some types of peanut butter and potato chips. These fats do not agree with the body. Bad fats in general are now drawing much attention for their role in the etiology of cancer [Source: Peskin].
  • Drop the artificial sweeteners. The safety data on basically all artificial sweeteners is limited. Safety data for artificial sweeteners and chemotherapy agents mixed together is basically nonexistent. Consider natural sweeteners such as raw honey, xylitol or stevia when you need sweeteners.

A common problem for those undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment is the loss of appetite and subsequent loss of weight. Learn how to increase your appetite and maintain a good diet while undergoing treatment.

Maintaining Appetite

Patients often lack the strength or desire to worry about preparing and eating food. Some patients have found making smoothies to be a simple way to obtain healthy nutrients that taste good and are tolerable to the stomach. Patients can mix recipes for variety, but include lots of fruits, experiment with vegetables and then add some plain yogurt (no added sweeteners or hormones) or consider coconut milk. Coconut milk can typically be found in cans in the health food section or Asian food section of the grocery store. Coconut milk has many benefits including providing additional healthy calories and nutrients to the intestinal tract.  Another drink that can help with nausea during chemotherapy is ginger ale. Please note that the regular soft drink ginger ale will actually have no ginger in it, and ginger is used to help calm the nausea of the stomach. Instead look for ginger ale in the health food section of the store that actually contains ginger in the ingredients. These drinks usually have some added sugar, but if the nausea is extreme the ginger can be very helpful. Ginger can also be added to recipes or taken as a capsule as well.

For those wanting to investigate further, check out the book The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott and Trish Fahey. Metabolic typing works on the premise that we all do not respond to foods in the same way. Some people will do better with higher amounts of protein and fat, while others will improve with more of a vegetarian diet. No single diet plan will fit the needs of everyone. Metabolic typing has much of its roots in cancer treatment. Those who have just been diagnosed with cancer should become comfortable with the dietary suggestions above and consider researching more information on metabolic typing to fine-tune the diet to meet individual needs.

Lots More Information

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Sources

  • Dufault, R., LeBlanc, B., Schnoll, R., et al. (2009). Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar. Environmental Health, 26;8:2.
  • Peskin, Brian. The Hidden Story of Cancer. Pinnacle Press.
  • Lu C, Toepel K., Irish R., et al. (2006). Organic diets significantly lower children’s dietary exposure to organophosphorus pesticides. Environ Health Perspect, 114(2):260-3.