As I told you last week I have been intentionally and methodically reading and learning all I can about making wise diet and lifestyle choices for not only my mom who is going through chemotherapy, but for my family also.
I also let you know that diet seemed to be overlooked as way of fighting cancer in our community cancer center where my mom is being treated.
When she was first diagnosed I turned to books, those that had been through this before, and the internet for information. One of the books that I purchased is called ‘Anti cancer A new Way of Life’ by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD. He himself is a 2x cancer survivor.
Of everything I have read this book was the one that I was most deeply moved by, as it is a book that is memoir, part scientific study as to the inner workings of cancer and what makes it grow. It takes a practical view of the roles traditional western and alternate health care can play in cancer treatment and prevention.
In the very center of this book is a glossy colored section called ‘Anticancer Action’ which in tables and and easy to read graphs summarizes the actions to take to help avoid cancer. It even has a grocery list of things to have for an anticancer diet!
Here are a few of the suggestions:
Avoid products containing industrial chemicals whenever possible.
Example, air our your dry-cleaned clothing, avoid chemical cleaning products, avoid parabens and phthalates in cosmetic products.
Eat Grass-fed organic animal products
Eat a balanced diet. Reduce your intake of sugar and white flour and trans-fats. Increase your omega-3 intake. Increase you intake of anticancer products like green tea and specific anticancer vegetables and fruits
Filter you tap water
Spend 20 to 30 minutes a day in physical activity
Expose yourself to sunlight for 20 minutes a day (vitamin D)
Here is what the ‘anticancer plate’ looks like
A colorful plate full that is divided between the largest portion of fruits, vegetables, and vegetable proteins like beans and lentils. The next largest being filled with multi-grain breads and whole grains like rice and quinoa. Next is good fats high in omega 3′s like olive oil and flaxseed. Herbs and spices are an important part of this plate too, tumeric, mint, and garlic are included. Lastly is the optional animal protein section that included organic meats, eggs, and dairy products.
This is certainly the most insightful, well-documented and practical of all that I have read so far. There is deep and compelling evidence that we all have the capacity for not only prevention of disease but to actually participate in healing of our own bodies.
I highly recommend this to not only cancer patients and their families but anyone interested in prevention of disease.
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I would also like to thank you all for your great comments last week. I learn so much from all of the readers here!
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Kim can also be found at the inadvertent farmer where she raises organic fruits, veggies, critters, kids, and…a camel!
THANK YOU <3
I am so glad that you found a great resource and something to give you a better view about treating illness!
Isn’t it nice when you feel like you can “do” something about it. I also read a book recently which doesn’t only cover cancer but other diseases that can be stress-related. It’s called “When the Body says No” by Gabor Mate.
I’ll see if I can find this one at the library. Thanks for the recommendation.
I am glad you found his book. I was going to comment about to you, but didn’t get the chance. I read it too, and although some it is a bit technical medically, most of it is wonderful and informative. Our county fair is coming up and all week the hospital has booth features-Lifeline, Meet the Docs, etc. but only one two hours session the entire week on nutrition. The established medical profession just does not acknowledge the importance of food. How sad.
hi!
Since I know you are looking for cancer nutrition I save you a link a found in a magazine: marlenesmealmakeovers.com
She had breast cancer and started to check her nutrition, a bit like what you are doing for your mom. She started the make over to help other cancer patient with diet and inspiration.
Eat a balanced diet. Reduce your intake of sugar and white flour and trans-fats. Increase your omega-3 intake. Increase you intake of anticancer products like green tea and specific anticancer vegetables and fruits
Advice like this always seems incomplete to me. You don’t know how much sugar, white flour, trans-fats, omega-3s, green tea, and so forth, that I eat now, so how can you say whether I need to increase or decrease my intake? Also, what if increasing the amount of one food displaces another, more protective food? Nutrition is so complex that I think it’s hard to make concise statements about what people should or should not eat.
Joshua, I understand why you would think it is “incomplete”, but I think if you were able to find a copy of this book you would have a better understanding of how to apply it to your situation. I happened to run across this book about a week ago after my mother was diagnosed with cancer, & while many that I picked up seemed “hokey-pokey” for lack of better words, Dr. Schreiber gives concrete examples of how each aspect works to help create an environment that makes it difficult for cancer to survive. He does it in a very easy to read & comprehend format. He gathered this information through medical and scientific studies and literature when he was trying to increase his odds of surviving cancer.
I would add to the original post that Dr. Schreiber also emphasizes the direct correlation between the characteristics of the Western diet and cancer. Specifically it’s high glycemic index, in combination with an significant imbalance in the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio, high trans fat content, & high content of inorganic phosphate preservatives. The consumption of refined sugars & “white” flour causes spikes in blood sugar & resulting spikes in insulin and IGF(insulin like growth factor) and it is known that all three are essential for cancer growth & spread. The western diet is also inherently low in Omega 3 (essential for nervous system development, flexibility of cells, prevention of coagulation & inflammatory response) & high in Omega 6 (causes cell rigidity, production of fat cells, promotes coagulation & inflammatory response). Both are essential fats not made by our bodies that come only from what we eat. The optimal ratio is about 1:1, but western diet gives us anywhere from 1:15 to 1:45 omega 3 to omega 6. This promotes inflammation, which is at it’s basic level, what cancer is. An inflammatory response. He goes into greater detail with an easy to understand explanation. He emphasizes the Mediteranean diet and 80% vegetable, beans, nuts, grains, essential fats, etc and 20% fish, meat, & dairy. dr. Schreiber doesn’t focus only on diet, but also exercise (6 days a week), stress reduction & management, elimination to environmental carcinogen exposure as much as possible, and other practices. It is a must read for anyone battling cancer, who has a loved one who is, or who wants to do everything possible to help prevent it. He also details, by the way, the misconception that genetics play the largest role in risk factors for cancer.