Diet restrictions with DCIS diagnosis?

Dang. I just got my diagnosis 5 days ago. I live in an apartment, so any attempts to grow my own veggies are limited. And financially can’t afford much in fresh fruits. I can try frozen, but I know some have additives.
Has any one felt going a form of vegan/vegetarian with limited chicken or fish a good idea?

I was just diagnosed Jan 18 - so I’m with you on this new journey. What I’ve been doing until surgery is - mo alcohol, bad oils, processed foods, dairy, gluten or sugar. Only meat is chicken (hormone free and pasture raised) where I can), tuna, halibut, shrimp and turkey. I’m intermittent fasting between 13-16 hours a day. (Fairly new study - stretching overnight fasting to 13 hours everyday reduces BC recurrence by 62%) -Google it. I invested in Viome and I’m working to improve my gut health/microbiome). I’ve read and am practicing the principles from Eat to Beat Dusease by Dr William Li and clean eating and fasting/keto with Dr. Dr Mindy Pelz. It’s a new lifestyle and my taste buds are changing. I love cashew yogurt (Tader Joes) with pomegranate seeds and chia seeds - as good as ice cream. Learning to cook Thai food at home. Replicating so many cravable salads (like Cava chicken salad bowls with “crazy feta” - a flavor explosion with homemade tziki sauce and tahini sauces. Google all these if you want recipes. I’m finding delicious and healthy, recipes and building them into a new catalog of standbys. Love hearing everyone’s ideas!!!

@rpwun4 if you were just diagnosed 5 days ago you have other worries right now. I hope you can eat what you want and what gives you pleasure for now ...

Thank you so much. Ya, just trying to do the accept/denial thing. (Navy version, complicates it) I see the oncologist/surgeon on the 14th. I’ll know more then.

I am almost 5 years out from ER/PR+ breast cancer dx, mastectomy, and lymphedema dx, and was told the same thing by my doctors at the outset. I am quite sure I was "addicted" to sugar! I was also committed to making the necessary changes. I visited with a nutritionist at the cancer center early on. She advised me to try to follow a 30% protein, 30% fat and 30% carb diet, using the My Fitness App (free). That helped me a lot, but I can tell you the first few months of craving sugary things was really hard. I was able to add in exercise, at first with a physical trainer who worked with me individually and eventually into group classes. What I found most helpful in terms of food choices: I began to eat PLAIN low fat Greek Yogurt (hated it at first!) and would add in almonds, a tsp of raspberry jam, bits of 60% cacao or sometimes just a drizzle of pure honey. During chemo/radiation this proved to be one of the food items that I was able to tolerate and learned to like! The withdrawal from the previous diet was the hardest and took a long time, but now 5 years out I look back and think, "how could you have eaten that stuff" that used to be my main stay. The other strategy I employed and continue to employ during food shopping is that when I walk down an aisle, lets say the candy or cookie aisle, I get a thought of how "good" something would be/taste, and then consciously tell myself THAT FOOD WILL KILL YOU and keep on walking! My first observable change physically with the dietary changes was not SIZE but was how much stronger I was. I could get out of bed much easier, stand up from a chair without using my arms to push me up, and walk for longer distances. As I am on Anastrazole, the actual weight loss has been very slow, but I am down 40 pounds over my weight when I was first diagnosed with Breast Cancer (5 years ago). I attribute my success to my ability to tolerate and now LOVE non or low fat PLAIN Greek Yogurt into my EVERY DAY diet, being able to find low calorie high protein items (Gatorade ZERO Protein Drink) that I incorporate into my daily eating plan to allow me to INCREASE my protein intake. The change in my eating patterns has truly been one of the BIGGEST and HARDEST things I have ever done in my life. It wasn't easy or smooth. It was NOT a quick fix. It was a total lifestyle change for me and really, really challenging. I didn't succeed at first or quickly. Lots of failures. Lots of frustration. I had to add in a program of exercise (I participated in the LiveStrong Program first and then moved on to a community fitness center). I did stick with the 30/30/30% diet plan and Work Out programs and now, 5 years later, it is HOW I eat each and every day, I enjoy what I eat and I feel much better about myself, my odds of living a longer life, and am really strong.

I have cut down on my animal proteins. I definitely have a vegan day a week. I follow the cancer dietician on line and "Eat the rainbow" Not all processed foods are bad (you have to read labels). I eat fresh when I can, cheat occasionally but recover swiftly. I am mindful of what I eat

Vegan/vegetarian is not necessary, nor is it the answer to breast cancer. I have a lady in our cancer group that has never eaten meat of any kind in her life, as her parents were the same. She thrived on healthy and strong and did all the careful little things that I don’t have the energy or budget for. She got breast cancer at 40,
I do feel like we can make our lives better and our bodies stronger by eating the best that we can, and keeping our bodies as healthy as we can. This also helps when we do get cancer, being otherwise healthy might be the thing that gets us through it all.
If you are doing the navy version (love the term), you have plenty to think about without trying to change your entire diet. My guess is that you are already stronger than many who are joining this awful club, if you eat with an eye to healthy that’s all you can ask of yourself.
This is a time for absorbing the diagnosis, how are you feeling? Have you wandered around other conversations on connect ?

Thanks I needed that. Rough day today.(have other health problems to contend with & I’m single mom and guardian to an autistic son. Had a hysterectomy in 2020/21. Been a long couple of years. I haven’t been looked into the Group too much. There’s so much(unfortunately) to look through. So many people. —(sorry, rough morning) again , thank you.

Celebrate whatever you can do, whenever you can do it. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. There isn’t one answer to any of this — if there was, we’d all follow it and not be here.

I found it helpful to write down some simple guidelines I could reasonably follow, and then I allow for exceptions when necessary, probably in the 5% range.

You’re doing great, better days ahead!

p.s. I have a wicked sweet tooth. I went cold turkey on refined and added sugar. Within 2 weeks, fruit (my substitute) tasted extra good. Your tastebuds will reset and the cravings do subside. If I can say that, it’s a possibility for anyone!