Nutritionist
I heard about this nutritionist, Dr. L., from a few of my cancer buddies. He has a doctorate in Nutritional Counseling and specializes in cancer patients and elite athletes. Perfect! I am both a cancer patient and an elite athlete. At least that's what Robin from Peloton tells me during her HIIT classes.
Anyway, I made an appointment and went to see Dr. L. in December, but I decided this would make a better post in January, after I'd thrown out (eaten) all of the Christmas treats. I was slightly spooked by the Bible verses on his website – I'm looking for scientific advice, not spiritual counseling – but it turns out I had nothing to worry about. He bombarded me with scientific articles for two hours and God didn't come up once, although he did tell me all about his wine vineyard. Oh, good news! Because I'm already on endocrine therapy, alcohol shouldn't have a cancer-causing effect on me. Woo-hoo! It's only my liver and general health that will be affected. Cheers!
Obviously I asked him what to eat to minimize my chance of recurrence. He can't legally prescribe dietary changes or supplements to treat my cancer, and neither can my doctor for that matter. Come on, people! I don't need you to write it in blood. Just give me an educated guess based on studies with mice or whatever. I realize no one can afford to pay for large-scale human trials on the anti-cancer benefit of eating cauliflower.
Speaking of cruciferous vegetables, did you know that you're supposed to eat them raw, chop them and let them sit out for awhile, or douse them in mustard powder? Cancer-fighting sulfuraphane must be activated by the emzyme myrosinase, which is heat-sensitive (and is also found in mustard, wasabi, and radishes). All of that steamed broccoli I've been eating has been useless! If you really want to maximize your sulfuraphane, you should be eating raw broccoli sprouts every day. Yuck. Not to mention the risk of foodborne illness.
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/broccoli-sprouts
I've started eating all the healthiest foods in one big pile for breakfast. I find that I'm usually feeling more cheerful and optimistic first thing in the morning, especially right after my coffee. So I eat a heaping bowl of beans, vegetables, and flaxseed. Later in the evening, when I'm feeling depleted and depressed, I can get away with eating chips and queso for dinner. Genius! Vegetables: it's what's for breakfast.
Dr. L. instructed me to wash all of my produce (even triple-washed, organic produce) in a bath of baking soda and a couple drops of super-clean soap. Great, let's make healthy eating a little more time-consuming. The only exception is frozen produce. Time to dig around in the bottom of your freezer for that ancient bag of frozen spinach!
My other big concern is osteoporosis, since I'm taking bone-thinning aromatase inhibitors for the next decade. Dr. L. recommended algae-sourced calcium supplements and vitamin D3. He wants to send me for intracellular micronutrient testing (a fancy way of looking for nutritional deficiencies). He also urged me to take methylated B complex, flaxseed, Theracurmin HP (turmeric), and melatonin.
The melatonin made me groggy and drowsy in the morning. The other day, I yelled at Claire for having scissors in my bed, and she had to slap me across the face and tell me that I was half-asleep and dreaming. I decided to cut my dose of melatonin in half and take it earlier in the evening.
Dr. L also mentioned the possibility that chemo could have wiped out my vaccinations. You know what would be the perfect way to top off a year of active cancer treatment? Having to repeat all of my childhood vaccinations. Let's hope I avoid that one.
Anyway, I made an appointment and went to see Dr. L. in December, but I decided this would make a better post in January, after I'd thrown out (eaten) all of the Christmas treats. I was slightly spooked by the Bible verses on his website – I'm looking for scientific advice, not spiritual counseling – but it turns out I had nothing to worry about. He bombarded me with scientific articles for two hours and God didn't come up once, although he did tell me all about his wine vineyard. Oh, good news! Because I'm already on endocrine therapy, alcohol shouldn't have a cancer-causing effect on me. Woo-hoo! It's only my liver and general health that will be affected. Cheers!
Obviously I asked him what to eat to minimize my chance of recurrence. He can't legally prescribe dietary changes or supplements to treat my cancer, and neither can my doctor for that matter. Come on, people! I don't need you to write it in blood. Just give me an educated guess based on studies with mice or whatever. I realize no one can afford to pay for large-scale human trials on the anti-cancer benefit of eating cauliflower.
Speaking of cruciferous vegetables, did you know that you're supposed to eat them raw, chop them and let them sit out for awhile, or douse them in mustard powder? Cancer-fighting sulfuraphane must be activated by the emzyme myrosinase, which is heat-sensitive (and is also found in mustard, wasabi, and radishes). All of that steamed broccoli I've been eating has been useless! If you really want to maximize your sulfuraphane, you should be eating raw broccoli sprouts every day. Yuck. Not to mention the risk of foodborne illness.
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/broccoli-sprouts
I've started eating all the healthiest foods in one big pile for breakfast. I find that I'm usually feeling more cheerful and optimistic first thing in the morning, especially right after my coffee. So I eat a heaping bowl of beans, vegetables, and flaxseed. Later in the evening, when I'm feeling depleted and depressed, I can get away with eating chips and queso for dinner. Genius! Vegetables: it's what's for breakfast.
Dr. L. instructed me to wash all of my produce (even triple-washed, organic produce) in a bath of baking soda and a couple drops of super-clean soap. Great, let's make healthy eating a little more time-consuming. The only exception is frozen produce. Time to dig around in the bottom of your freezer for that ancient bag of frozen spinach!
My other big concern is osteoporosis, since I'm taking bone-thinning aromatase inhibitors for the next decade. Dr. L. recommended algae-sourced calcium supplements and vitamin D3. He wants to send me for intracellular micronutrient testing (a fancy way of looking for nutritional deficiencies). He also urged me to take methylated B complex, flaxseed, Theracurmin HP (turmeric), and melatonin.
The melatonin made me groggy and drowsy in the morning. The other day, I yelled at Claire for having scissors in my bed, and she had to slap me across the face and tell me that I was half-asleep and dreaming. I decided to cut my dose of melatonin in half and take it earlier in the evening.
Dr. L also mentioned the possibility that chemo could have wiped out my vaccinations. You know what would be the perfect way to top off a year of active cancer treatment? Having to repeat all of my childhood vaccinations. Let's hope I avoid that one.
Hi Jami. I'm just getting ready to wash some peppers and wondering how much baking soda and what exactly is super-clean soap? In the meantime, I will guess and improvise. Which is what I do with most of my food prep anyway. �� Also wondering whether a good quality wholegrain mustard would have enough of that magic ingredient to make my raw cruciferous veggies super healthy. Good thing I like mustard. A lot.
ReplyDeleteHi Evelyn. I’m not sure of the exact ratios. I shake some baking soda into a bowl of water and add 1-2 drops of soap (free of fragrance, parabens, SLS, and any harsh chemicals). Regarding cruciferous vegetables, the scientific studies were all performed with mustard powder. I worry that the processing involved with yellow mustard destroys the enzyme. The book How Not To Die also discusses sulfurophane production in detail if you're interested.
DeleteOlay, thanks. I'll check out the mustard powder. Have fun in London!!
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