Diet and Lifestyle
Comments
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This article popped up in my feeds today. I thought it was really interesting and an interesting approach, relevant to our interests in regards to diet.
Medicaid plan offers food as medicine
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Dear Life - eating dinner earlier helps me sleep better, too.
InnaB - when you say you ate keto for years and still got cancer, I can relate. I thought I was doing a good job by eating vegetables and exercising for the last 18 years and I got cancer. Sort of makes me wonder if I can tweak my diet and lifestyle enough to make a difference. It would be different if I had grossly violated some of the key rules and can easily point a finger at what I did wrong, but I can't. But I did read recently about high cholesterol, acne, high blood sugar and that there is a huge metabolic component to cancer so for me, that's where I went off the rails. I had gestational diabetes 19 years ago. Plus I have a history of high cholesterol, acne, etc. So for the last 19 years, I worked towards preventing diabetes, heart disease and dementia - all things that have been in my family. My new goal is to step up my efforts and use what I learn.
Chelsea - interesting article about food as medicine and Medicaid recognizing it. Hopefully, that will help the word spread.
I must say again that I love this thread. It is so encouraging to read everyone's ideas and helps me to stay focused on what I need to do.
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That's awesome to see Chelsea! I saw on the news the other day that during the summer, food cards will be accepted at one of our local farmers markets. Everyone should have access to fresh local foods
Edited so that it didn’t say local foo... there’s no such thing a foo unless you’re a foo fighter
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I was vegan and exercised regularly when diagnosed. But I ate more sugar and carbs, more processed items, and drank alcohol.
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I think we've mentioned before in this thread (or maybe it was the old one?) but it bears repeating:
there are separate evidence pools for lifestyle modification for prevention of initial cancer, and modifications for prevention of a recurrence.
And just because we found ourselves on the wrong side of the probabilities once doesn't mean we shouldn't try to stay on the 'lessens odds of recurrence' side now.
Not saying anyone is suggesting this but I have personally heard comments about 'oh well, being healthy and vegan didn't help you before so see! you're wrong & I can eat _____ (insert unhealthy high fat high cholesterol high sugar standard North American food item) " & sometimes comments such as "I did all the right things & still got sick" get easily heard by others as permission to not bother improving diet & lifestyle.0 -
we will never know how we got this. I am Japanese and I am supposed to be very low risk. But I guess growing up in America changed everything. It can be something in the air. In Japan, they eatwhite rice everyday and they don't get BC. Hardest thing for me is not eating therice in the rice cooker for my kids
. But we have to stay positive, Set goals, experiment new things and just keep going. Chelsea. Interesting article.
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Sadly Japan's breast cancer rates are rising. Still about half of US but nowhere near zero.
I thought this article is interesting because it has several different hypotheses about what part of Western lifestyle is driving it - fewer children, short or no breastfeeding, higher bmi, alcohol consumption, diet... https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-an...We need way more research to identify which component is primary. I kind of suspect the low birth rate is a big one. I think the computing powers & statistical modelling capabilities we have now will mean we can do way more sophisticated analyses of trends & get more answers about this - but governments need to fund the research.
& fwiw, I tend to not have stuff in the house that I can't eat - esp if it's stuff I like; I don't care as much if it's stuff I don't really like anyway. But generally, if it's not good for me, it's not good for anyone else & they don't get it either. Could you maybe switch to brown rice that you can all eat?
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There's an app for that, a lifestyle app, but I don't know if available to the public.
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Moth - thanks for saying that about still needing to do whatever we can to lessen our recurrence rates. Very interesting article about the increase in cases. So great that you keep the unhealthy foods out of the house. I need to take steps in that direction, too.
Nonomimi - I agree about needing to stay positive, set goals, try new things and just keep going.
Last night I made bean burritos with black beans and black rice and salsa. It was SO good. But it didn't look good, lol! Fortunately, my husband knows better than to say anything. Sometimes I feel guilty for preparing so many vegetarian dinners knowing my husband would really prefer something else. I am trying to see how far I can go in the vegetarian direction, and for simplicity's sake, drag my husband with me. I think if I go too far, he will learn how to prepare his own dinner.
We went out of town for the weekend and had lunch at a vegan restaurant. I had a veggie bowl - brown rice, kale, broccoli, black beans, avocado, salsa. On the side it had a sauce - Yum sauce. The whole thing was SO good. I asked the waiter what was in the Yum sauce and he gave me the list of ingredients: Silken tofu, chickpeas, lemon juice, grapeseed oil, toasted sesame oil, garlic, curry powder, miso, oregano, basil, cilantro, cayenne and nutritional yeast.
I will have to try making this at home. I would probably substitute the rice for quinoa or my new favorite black rice. And in the bowl you can certainly put any vegetables you want in there. I usually add what I like or what I have on hand.
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Heidi, I do think it's funny that the financial incentive noted in the Northwestern study is enough to help encourage better habits. And the reason I laugh is because I know for me, cash in hand definitely a stronger influence than long term thinking! (Which just gave me the idea that I need to put aside the money I'm buying not-so-great food with for the cash, instead of just thinking about the nutrition aspect [if that made sense...])
Moth, thanks for the reminder that it's not prevention but risk reduction that we were doing before dx and doing now. Too many factors to address them all.
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I am a firm believer that I got cancer because I was a teenager in Ukraine when Chernobyl blew up and because I am a stresser and a worrier. In other words, I worry about everything and get stressed out if things are not going according to my plan. And they haven’t been since 2015. These are the things I have to work on correcting once the whole surgery/chemo/radiation roller coster is done. And yes, I’ll add more veggies and fruits to my diet.
Just finished reading Breasts by Kristi Funk, which was recommended on this forum. Wow, plant based diet? I can live without red meat, but not without greek yogurt. I haven’t eaten sausages for years, but I am not giving up my Manchego cheese! I guess I’ll just counteract cheese and yogurt with an extra helping of stewed kale and a Whole lot oftomatoes. Yum!
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There is a vegan Greek yogurt on the market that I quite like. It's made by Daiya. It comes in plain or with fruit https://daiyafoods.com/our-foods/greek-yogurt-alte..
warning - I'm going to be a super Debbie Downer now:
if someone wants to drop dairy but is craving it too much to give up for health, consider the other 2 good reasons:
- the plight of the animals
- the environment: https://www.truthordrought.com/the-facts-overview/
That Spanish sheep milk cheese is produced in a large scale factory model "Everyone has this romantic vision of artisan cheese with the animals frolicking in green meadows. Reality is that this type of management yields low volumes of milk. Spain, which has a rich pastoral history of producing sheep milk cheese, began a transition 25 years ago. ...The ewes were put into large buildings and fed high quality feed from a TMR." http://www.janetfletcher.com/blog/2016/4/3/why-so-...0 -
I'm figuring that, for now, I can make a few changes- taking my tamoxifen, getting out for a walk every day, and eating more plants, no soy, and less red meat. In the past when I tried to do too much, I failed massively. So I will work on these things first.
My walking goal is 5 miles this week and we'll see how that goes! I've been doing well on the green salads.
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Hi all, I haven't posted much, but just caught up. I want to offer encouragement to those making changes..small consistent actions will add up!
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Morning all! Great thread.
I don't see mention of Whole 30? Interested in anyone takes on that? I didn't totally read the whole book but was surprised that besides all the fruits and veggies you can eat, they say you need Meat, seafood, and eggs.
I am of the make good choices rather than trying to stick to one particular diet or plan. As previously posted, the intention then becomes a behavior, then a habit, great point! I still make bad choices, but with time they are getting to be less and less. For example the more weeks that go by I am having less wine. By the next week, it's one less, one less the next week, etc. In a year I may not even like it but today I really don't want to be in a world without it! LOL-Scaling back wasn't as hard as I imagined. Before I was an everyday drinker (2 or 3) now I'm at 2-3 twice a week. In time I will try to get to1 day per week, and so on....
I also go by how my gut, and head feels. Elimination diet I call it. If I put a piece of candy in my mouth, by the time it's gone I have a headache. I don't eat candy anymore. I quit soda 15 years ago, and have added more fish, no meat dinners, which cuts back on the red meat, although we still eat it.
Sunday I had a reaction to one of my favorites, spaghetti. I bought a frozen homemade brand from the market. I used to eat this at least once per week and I knew what was on that food label, but since it had been a while I ate some. If I had a meter I am willing to bet my blood sugar went high. Real high-I didn't feel well the rest of the day/night. Drank water all night long and felt better the next morning. Pretty sure I won't be consuming that brand again! That particular brand compared to others (just a box brand) had higher sugar grams and had cholesterol grams. I read labels all the time now for the few things still eaten in our house that has labels! I buy the lowest "added sugar" grams or 0 sugar (never buy diet or sugar free junk-I call it fake food!) possible for most everything, yogurt, tomato sauce, bread, etc. We eat whatever fruits and veggies that we want and I really don't worry about the sugar process in my body from fruit, at least it's a more natural process. Portion control also very important. Don't overfill the tank!
Didn't mean to post a blog, slow day at the office and just found there was some good reading here. Thanks!!
Stay well
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ctmbsikia - I tried the Whole 30 last summer. I lasted about 23 days. I wanted it for a kind of detox after doing chemo and radiation, and I lost weight and slept so well and felt optimistic. It was great! However, I constantly had to cook and ran out of food to cook with so it was a huge time commitment. I was also hungry again after an hour or two of eating even with meat - I missed grains. And I hated eating so much meat. All that planning/shopping/cooking/cleanup made me irritable. So I quit early. But I learned a little bit about nutrition.
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FWIW I don’t really mind talking about the lifestyle I was living when diagnosed. I feel empowered by the changes I’ve made and use that as inner strength. I don’t blame myself, if anything I should have listened better to myself, that’s all.
When I chose to live vegan, there wasn’t nearly as many vegan items available in store, online and in restaurants so I would look through tons of recipes and pick some that used seasonings to create savory flavors. Has any non-vegans ever tried the vegan yogurts (see moth’s great post above), or cheeses, or butters? They’ve really come along way. There’s even coconut milk whip cream, or you can make your own and allllll kinds of nut milk. I think now is a great time to try a vegan diet, or even a vegan lifestyle
Princess- agree so much, every little bit really does help.
LOVE that Wildtulip!
Hi ctnbsikia- Nice to see you here! I don’t think I’m familiar with that. Agree about portion control.
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Hello, ladies
Finally found this thread again.
Many mentioned Almond milk, I really enjoy it too, and make it at home. But recently realized Almond has tons of Omega 6 and very minimal Omega 3. (1987:1 Wikipedia). Should we be concerned? I am finding it very difficult to achieve 1:1 ratio on Omega 6:3. Only if I can eat only flax seeds or Chia seeds and nothing else..
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Hi NV- There are vegan Omega 3 supplements available. I take Ovega-3. Maybe that could be an option for you if you’re looking to get more omega 3 in your diet?
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Thanks, Warrior. I will look into it.
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Warrior, I recently tried a 10 day plant based challenge which included vegan recipes. Tell me about vegan cheese..nut cheese?
ctmbsikia, That's great that you are able to listen to your body and take notice of how it responds to foods.
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Hi Ladies
Thanks for the continuing stream of interesting posts and welcome to the new people finding their way here!
I have been thinking about risk and recurrence. Although there is much we don't know about the role of specific diets in preventing recurrence, we do know that extra body fat increases risk and lots of exercise is a powerful preventive. So although my lifestyle and diet were pretty healthy before dx and I still got cancer, my habits are much improved now. I have faith that my risk is reduced by increasing exercise, fruit and veg, cutting wine and carbs and adding green tea and flaxseed to my diet. No guarantees, but I like the extra insurance and feel good about losing unnecessary fat, which I know produces estrogen.
I do agree that changes need to be made gradually so that they stick. This thread is a great inspiration.
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ctmbsikia It is really super-easy to make your own tomato sauce. It barely takes longer than heating up the supermarket crap. It is funny though how pre-packaged food gets to be kinda nasty after you get used to eating real food.
GoKale, I typically cook 2-3 times a week. I make enough each time to last for 3-4 meals. It does mean that I eat the same thing 3-4 times in a row, but I don't really mind. It does cut down on time in the kitchen.
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Wildtulip- this is one of my favorite:
I think it’s good enough to eat straight from the fridge. It’s the only vegan cheese, so far, that I do that with. The original really reminds me of Provalone cheese. It does melt well but Daiya brand cheese is best for melting I think. The taste of Daiya cheese has gotten better over time but to me still has the vegan cheese taste.
Do you have a Whole Foods near you? There’s many new options there. Lots of new spreads now available too. Making your own is always an option but I’ve never attempted it.
Lately I’ve been making a dip out of whatever nut buttter I have, mix with vegan yogurt, like Kitehill brand, and add a bit of sweetener if needed. I’ve been eating it with celery. Filling and good! The original recipe calls for peanut butter, mixed with plain or vanilla yogurt and add honey for sweetness. I just veganise it
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Question regarding Vegan and/or Vegetarian diets - if you happen to eat a serving of dairy do you feel ill? I once heard that if a vegetarian ate a serving of meat, she would feel ill. Just wondering if I adopted a new diet and followed it for a while, could I have a rare piece of cheese and not get sick?
I checked the link to the vegan yogurt and I read the ingredients. I don't see any live cultures in the yogurt. That might seem like a dumb thing to say, but part of the reason I eat greek yogurt on a regular basis is for gut health. I also eat it to soothe my gut when I get sick or take antibiotics. So I don't see any benefit to the vegan yogurt, or am I missing something (other than the fact it's yogurt from a plant).
Tomato sauce - I started buying organic tomato sauce. It tastes good and is convenient. Though I don't make pasta dishes often, I will sometimes steam zucchini slices for my "pasta" and put tomato sauce on top. Here's one kind https://www.target.com/p/newman-s-own-organic-sock...
Princess Buttercup - I completely understand your desire to ease into new good habits. That's definitely the way to go. But I wonder if you get more miles than you think? I get lots of exercise by just running errands or doing chores. You might be surprised. I have a fitness tracker that I love, love, LOVE. It's a Fit Bit Alta (I used to have a Fit Bit Zip, and when I wore it out, I got the Alta). It might help you add more fitness into your day. No pressure, though. I'm only suggesting this because it might be motivating to you or someone else. https://www.fitbit.com/store?utm_source=&utm_mediu...
Kefir Water - does anybody drink this? I love it https://www.target.com/p/newman-s-own-organic-sock...
I checked into making my own kefir water because these bottles are about $3 each. It takes some time to make it, though.
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Regarding exercise, if you have an iPhone running a current OS, the Health app might be tracking your steps and stairs already. I just updated my phone a couple of weeks ago, and didn't even realize it was happening. It seems to be pretty accurate and can pull my running data from Strava if I like. Sorry, I don't know about other types of phones, I was just impressed at how my phone knew I climbed 8 flights of stairs yesterday!
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Another study says a low-fat diet is preferable; however, the results only apply to post-menopausal women.
https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/can-low...
Also missing is what kind of fats were in the high fat diet.
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Today's lunch (all thanks to my husband who manages my dietary needs ❤️) The fresh mint leaves put it over the top!
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GoKale- for me, yes. If I eat something non vegan by mistake, like in a restaurant where they claim it's vegan but clearly it was not, or if dairy makes its way into something somehow then yes my stomach will be upset. I get bloated, or an upset stomach feeling, usually for an evening then it's ok. But it can take a week for dairy to completely leave your system. Crazy.
Pi-Xi- there's a BMI paradox that exists. Beautiful salad!!! I bet it was yummy!!! So awesome that your husband cooks!
-Edited for typos
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Thanks Warrior!
I had seen some preliminary research suggesting the BMI issue last year and it made me a little upset. The latest published study made me a bit depressed. Not sure how much healthy food I would have had to have eaten while exercising to get my BMI to "therapeutic levels", but I doubt I would have had time to hold a job! If the idea is that I could have just eaten potato chips in front of the TV, that just makes me mad.
The salad was phenomenal! His kitchen prowess has definitely impacted the longevity of our relationship. 😂0
