Has anyone changed their diet after bladder cancer diagnosis?

When I was first diagnosed, I limited most meats from my diet. I eat salmon and baked chicken every now and then. I have increased vegetables, fruits etc.

Initially I combined eating less processed foods with an increase in fruits, coupled with an increase in walking and some weight training. I also fasted at least one day per week, usually on BCG instillation days, and sometimes two days per week. I wanted to lose 20-25 pounds but after losing 10 pounds, the holidays hit, and I've been on a plateau ever since. I cutoff alcohol completely from the initial TURBT until one week after the last of the first 6 BCG treatments. Then I restarted alcohol, mainly wine, but not to the same extent as pre-BC. One week before the second round of BCG, I stopped drinking alcohol again but now that the series of 3 has concluded, I'll restart again shortly.

I have cleaned up my diet a bit. Lot of fish and chicken. Lot of vegetables. Eggs and whole grains. Yogurt with fruit and nuts. Avoid fried foods and snacky stuff like chips and cookies. Just basic healthy eating, really. Try to stay around 2,000 calories and 100g of protein a day.

Coffee is my one vice but I’ve learned to like green tea quite a bit. I still have a coffee 2-3 times a week.

I think I’ve had two drinks (one beer and one cocktail) since being diagnosed four months ago.

Alcohol never helps the situation. But occassionally having a few drinks does not appear to have a significant impact. At least, not from many patient reports over many years.

Interestingly studies show that eating certain foods and COVID shots early into ICI journeys, and adding CBM588 and akkermansia and camu camu (to boost aforementioned) can boost ICI significantly.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-025-00819-2
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12325897
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03086-4
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9133437
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10528119
https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2024.42.4_suppl.TPS491
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09655-y
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040842825002963
A key factor is that chemo before ICI and antibiotics due to chemo induced illness (such as AKIs/sepsis) depletes the gut of beneficial bacteria. CBM588 akkermansia camu camu shocktherapy for me restored this in weeks. I went from terrible painful constipation to regular stool.

Smoking cigarettes if you still smoke is also something to think about quitting. My husband has had bladder cancer 2x. We have moved away from processed foods. More veggies and fruit. Trying to eat a Mediterranean Diet.

This may sound extreme, but I eliminated all added sugar from my diet after initial NMIBC diagnosis and TURBT in 2023. I have never smoked, I have been a vegetarian since 1979, and I haven't consumed alcohol since 1989, so there wasn't much else to eliminate from my diet. So far, so good, thanks to the grace of God, Adstiladrin treatments, and a healthier lifestyle.

@jaxfl Wow, thank you so much for the additional detailed information. I wish you well!

@davidpball , so helpful. I have been reading about the role of sugar and cancer. I have given up added sugar from time to time for 14 days in an effort to “detox”, prior to being diagnosed with HG NMIC. Each time I felt the benefits, but at day 15 , back to the added sugar via a cookie I went. I am going to give serious thought to elimination - again thank you. I have decided to forgo all alcohol even though the surgeon said 1-2 drinks a week would “probably” be ok. Surgeon also said red wine is the worst drink for the bladder. Funny how we have heard red wine is so healthful all these years.

@michzn Prayers and best wishes for your healing journey. Eliminating sugar (as much as feasible, perhaps limiting to a few grams per serving) and alcohol (it's the polyphenols in berries and grapes that yield the antioxident benefits in red wine) will pay enormous dividends in strengthening your immune system.