Have you changed your diet post breast cancer?

No idea. I found a page that had a list of things to avoid and it was on there. I was surprised. I'm not sure how much it is based on scientific evidence. I was feeling frustrated that there is so much conflicting information. But also, body chemistries and breast cancer are different in different people, I suppose - so I'm not sure how you ever really know.

I also felt I was eating pretty well when I was diagnosed. We don't eat out a lot and don't eat a lot of carbs. The only difference was maybe too much red meat, so I'm backing that down. I make the majority t of my own meals and even salad dressings. I feel like something I really need to deal with is my stress level. I had been at a very high stress level for a few years and feel like I could have had extremely high cortisol. That is something I'm really working on.

I have ben under chronic stress my entire life, literally. I had the saliva cortisol test done and my adrenals were depleted. My dr set me up on supplements and that's when I also started the autoimmune protocol diet for 90 days. That was several years ago. I finally starting feeling better.

I do think that what we eat and drink matter a lot. I have followed Julie Lanford, a cancer dietitian out of NC. She works with Cancer Services and is fabulous. She is down to earth and and fun to work with (all through email, zoom and podcasts. She will be starting a 6-8 week program "Eat the Rainbow" today but join when you can. Cancerdietitian.com. Inormational and self guided. once you connect, you can view earlier webinars.
While we are learning to feed our bodies better, we need to move them as well.

Thanks for your reply. I am concerned because I take sleep gummies with chamomile in it, along with valerian and lavender.

Maybe run it by your oncologist, if you haven't already? I try not to ask Dr. Google for info too often but I do try to continue to educate myself on this disease.

the program is 12 weeks, sorry for the error
Maggie

My diet has changed in that I don’t eat out as much. Mostly now because after and during radiation therapy I began to have indigestion problems like acid reflux and nausea a lot. I ended up having to take something daily. Tried eating small meals and stopped eating out pretty much at all. I thought the food I was eating was good, mostly vegetarian and it was mostly bought from a food bar at an organic health food store. They make fresh salads and a hot bar that’s mostly lean chicken or fish. They list the ingredients. I eat mostly vegetarian for years now. But once I stopped going there and cooking my own food, I started getting better. I’ve been needing less of my acid reflux meds. I have slowly weaned myself off and eating whatever I want. If someone has recipes for homemade salad dressings, please share. Then again maybe I just needed more time to recover from the radiation therapy. I feel that radiation hurt my esophagus somewhat.
Glenda from Fl.

Thanks.

I was ketovore before and I’m mostly carnivore now. I buy all local meat, eggs, raw cheese. No additives or antibiotics. I’ve been gluten and dairy free for several years. The raw cheese doesn’t cause inflammation for me. Cancer thrives on sugar and carbs. I’m doing the best I can. This works for me and also cured my IBS. My gut issues are so much better than when I was eating the SAD. To each his own. It’s a very interesting subject
I had HR+ most likely caused by HRT therapy I had been on for 20+ years

I eat whole food plant based since 2016. I think it helped greatly that I was very healthy when diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer January 2022.
I would like to ask the brand name of the vegan frozen dinners you liked.

Just to add another voice. I do not live on a strict adherence to any plan. I am 20 years out from my original diagnosis, with a very poor prognosis from the gate.
I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but if I wanted some ice cream when it was 107* a couple days ago, I won’t feel guilty for eating it. Same answer for dairy, my normal dairy intake is a little 1/2-1/2 in my coffee in the morning.
I don’t eat much meat but I didn’t feel a bit guilty when my neighbors brought us cooked grass fed local steaks and I made it into steak strips with my salad for 3 nights in a row.
I don’t live by any hard and fast rules. I try to remember to keep my body as healthy as I can while I live with cancer. I will not deprive myself of foods that I love, I will decide when I really want them instead of eating them all the time.
Since alcohol has a direct link to breast cancer, I cut what little bit I had from my life on day one, and kept it that way. I just don’t drink period.
Try to remember that making an effort for health by reading labels and eating healthy doesn’t have to be bondage to a diet.
How can you accept for yourself, an occasional food without guilt? Are there cultural foods that you feel you shouldn’t eat, and how do you deal with that issue?