I Was Told to Avoid
 

Soy, flaxseed and alcohol. By my oncologist. I lost weight on my diet a couple of years ago by switching to soy milk and adding lots of fibre, including flaxseed to my menus. Who knew?
She tells me that having Chinese food now and then is fine.

The thing is, the cancer center nutritionist, her office nurse, and the other oncologist in her office tell me different things!
I was surprised by the number of processed/store bought food items that contain soy lecithin and especially soy protein. So I asked each person, how much soy, if any is really safe?
The nutritionist said three glasses of soy milk per day was fine, but no protein bars, as that would put me over the limit.
The office nurse said, "natural is better, avoid processed foods."
The other oncologist said, "everything in moderation."

I am so confused!

Re: I Was Told to Avoid
 

Flaxseed is good!! Especially for her2+. A good rule to follow is that if it doesn't rot, or sprout - then don't eat it. Avoid sugar as much as possible, even fruits high in sugar. And if you are eating meat or fish - Organic grass fed or wild. Alcohol is horrible - yes avoid that, any cell put into alcohol dies, the rest is easy to figure out. Soy - well there are so many different opinions on that one, that I refrain from commenting. I do however, eat soy from time to time. Good luck in your nutrition navigation. There are very few oncologists that have any training in nutrition.

Re: I Was Told to Avoid
 

Tanya (TanyaRD) posted the AICR findings (about soy) not too long ago: http://www.aicr.org/cancer-research-...ber_18_2012_1/

Details about soy: http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/soy.html

Nora (norkdo) has also posted a link about soy and Her2 breast cancer recently: http://her2support.org/vbulletin/sho...&highlight=soy

The Chinese food sold in the restaurant can be greasy. But stir-fried (or 'Steamed') vegetables are usually good. Try to get lots of broccoli, mushrooms, bell pepper and snow peas if you are eating at a Chinese buffet. And don't forget to drink a lot of (green)tea.

Re: I Was Told to Avoid
 

Thank you for the comments and the links. Interesting reading.

Re: I Was Told to Avoid
 

All things in moderation. If all we ate was salad (traditional types with just veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, mushrooms) we would also eventually die from lack of protein and other vitamins and minerals we need even though salad is very,very healthy. As such, a piece of birthday cake, a glass of wine, will also not kill you unless you have several every day and it won't do you any good. Flaxseed and soy products are good for you but in moderation. As with the salad, cake and wine example - if that's all you do, its not so good for you.

The jury is still out on flax and soy versus hormone positive cancer but how could a serving here or there really hurt. A couple of pounds a day would be bad for anyone.

To be sure, I would go to a good nutritionist - perhaps one that works at your cancer center since they are even more in tune with cancer and discuss your situation.

For the record, I was never a soy person before cancer but always enjoyed the vegetarian selections of Chinese and Thai food that contain tofu. I continue to enjoy those selections when having these entrees. I also use ground flaxseed and actually put it into baked goods so my daughters get some without knowing it - pancakes for example. However, I don't put flaxseed in or on everything I eat.

Re: I Was Told to Avoid
 

Jackie you beat me to the punch! Thank you. Nutrition can be very frustrating because it is ever evolving--as is medicine as a whole. Soy and flax were things we used to tell people who experienced breast cancer to avoid but newer research has demonstrated that it is not necessary. Alcohol however continues to be a risk factor. The recommendation for women is less than one drink per day.

Re: I Was Told to Avoid
 

Hi Everyone!
I refer often to Jane Plant's website for nutrition information. She has an entire section about soy and I felt less confused after reading it.
Also, Rebecca Katz's cookbook 'The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen' is excellent. The recipes are DELICIOUS and she has a lot of information about ingredients. She also focuses a lot on nutrition during chemo, and I believe it helped me get through chemo while wrangling my 1 & 3 year-old kids!

5/14/13 Found lumps via BSE
7/19/13 Dx IDC left breast; cluster of small tumors; no suspected lymph node involvement
8/1/13 Started neoadjuvant TCH
11/15/13 Finished TC!
12/4/13 Double mastectomy/tissue expanders scheduled