Food hang ups…

Hi , 

sorry you’re feeling bad about foods and drinks, I was advised that a healthy diet was the best way to be (and I didn’t need chemo) and to have honest, the hype about sugar and cancer is just that, hype! It has no foundation in fact whatsoever. 

Keep posting, 

Hugs xxx

Thanks moomy I think it’s probably me trying to take some control from the cancer. I did a search on the chat & found someone had posted a similar question. Thank you for replying I really appreciate it xx

Welcome. I've found the main Macmillan site has some good reading material as opposed to say Google which is alarming as info is out of date and not helpful. Try the link below

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/healthy-eating-and-cancer

I don't consider myself to be a bad eater, I've just tried to eat more healthily just in case. My treat is chocolate so I still have it but I go for quality not quantity. I'm not a biscuit or crisp eater but am partial to a nice piece of cake. If you deny yourself food, then you'll want/crave it more. Treats in moderation but if you feel like something then go for it. Life is too short especially what we are all going through and a treat is a nice bit of tlc x

Hi,

I did the same thing after I received my diagnosis. I ate super healthy - lots of vegetables, pulses, totally cut out sugar including a lot of carbs and lost weight. I wasn't fat to start with so my friend said I'd better eat up or I'd look like a skeleton once I started chemo. The last scan I had before chemo sorted it for me - my healthy diet hadn't worked! So I'm not saying eat junk food now but during chemo you don't always have the same appetite on chemo (I've had 2 sessions so far) and you need to keep your weight up. I say to myself that I'll get back to eating healthily after chemo. 

Shalli x

Hi Charl42

If it were that important that we avoid sugar, why would patients be given piles of biscuits straight after operations to remove cancer ? Recommendation from a Doctor for me was ice cream, as I had a very sore throat after the op. and could only manage one bite of a biscuit. I ate healthily at home, lived on porridge for a while, which my husband made for me, as very soft.

Both my consultants (oncologist and breast surgeon) were really adamant that a healthy diet and everything in moderation is the way to go.  They were  very critical of all the “diets” that allegedly cause cancer and dismissed these as having no foundation.  This was especially around dairy, as I am having hormone treatment that weakens bones so calcium is super important.   The only thing they said was to ensue alcohol remains at a maximum of 14 units a week as there is some evidence of a link between alcohol and cancer.

A dietician friend also advised me to significantly increase my protein intake for 4-6 weeks after surgery to help my recovery, and to take a Vit D supplement as we din't get enough sunlight in the UK.

Hope this helps x

I think all this hype about sugar began after PET scans came into being! 
Everyone who knows anything about nutrition knows that ALL cells in your body use a type of sugar as nutrition, it’s the job of your digestive system to turn all food you eat into the type of nutrition that your cells need. It’s just that cancer cells are comparatively rapid growing and dividing so their uptake of nutrition is faster than most of our normal cells. 

Hugs xxx

My oncologist said food doesn't really make any difference, there is no magic diet to keep breast cancer away but obviously eating healthily is good for your body and recovery from chemo. I think during chemo though, you should try not to worry about it and eat what you can as you don't feel like much! 

The chemo is destroying you and the cancer, so try to feed yourself so that you recover quicker. Let the chemo worry about the cancer, and you worry about the rest of you. 

Thank you everyone for your advice it’s really helpful. Yes I need to keep my strength up & especially my bones need the dairy. Thank you again I’m so grateful for this site xxx