The Anti-Cancer Shopping List

[ElaineM]

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-cancer-shopping-list
From Dr. Melmet Oz

Vegetables & Fruits

leafy greens
brussels sprouts
tomatoes
beets
carrots
sweet potatoes
squash
broccoli
onions, leeks, shallots
mushrooms
lentils
peppers: bell, jalapeno
spinach
oranges
grapefruit
lemon
lime
apples
berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
apricots
pomegranates
mango
Whole Grains

whole grains (bread, pasta, tortillas)
oats
flaxseed
quinoa

[whatz]

In our cancer support group a dietician recommended against Flaxseed for hormone + breast cancer. I can't remember the reasoning why. Does anybody have the yes/no answer to that?

[ElaineM]

I had the same question as you did about the flaxseed. I thought I read that it can increase estrogen levels. Maybe we should write to Dr.Oz and ask him why he included flaxseed. I wonder if Tanya has an opinion about this? Otherwise I think the shopping list is a good guide, although we might want to add or delete things according to our preferences and over all health condition.

[ElaineM]

I did a search and found a couple links about flaxseed. I guess it has omega 3 which is a healthy oil, but I think I will stick to walnuts which also have omega 3.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Flaxseed.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed
http://www.cancure.org/flax.htm
http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/aminforcanre2.html

[whatz]

Thanks for the tip. I didn't know that about walnuts. I'll sure pass it on!

[ElaineM]

I am a vegetarian, so I eat 3-4 small handfuls of walnuts a week for omega 3. Sometimes I put them in cereal and sometimes I eat them as a small snack to tide me over to my next meal when I think I have an empty stomach. I remember my father eating walnuts many years ago, so maybe he knew about the benefits too.

[TanyaRD]

See this link for an update on flax and breast cancer in research. Opinions vary among practitioners. I feel very comfortable recommending flax for breast cancer survivors.

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/nutrition-research-updates/breast-cancer.htm?ContentId=316139

[ElaineM]

I just read the article you posted Tanya. This is really good news. Thank you.

[Jackie07]

Thought this link from the National Library of Medicine might help with the 'shopping' decision-making:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002096.htm

Plus a more updated/comprehensive description of flaxseed:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-flaxseed.html

[ElaineM]

Thanks Jackie. Good resources.This is a good discussion. Each of us can make adjustments where we decide they should be, but at least a few steps in the right nutritional direction will certainly help keep us well nourished and in good general health, so we can deal with cancer.
I have started making my own juice, smoothie and soup blends in my blender(not juicer) which does not destroy the plup where most of the nutrients are.
I make a lot at one time and freeze half for future use when I may be too busy to cook from scratch or I am feeling a bit tired.

[TanyaRD]

I just got this in my email box from AICR. It is interesting timing since we were discussing it last week.

http://www.aicr.org/new/docs/pdf/AICR-InDepth-Issue-01-Flaxseed-and-Breast-Cancer.pdf

[ElaineM]

Thanks for the article Tanya.
Feel free to share articles about nutrition with us anytime. The more we can do to help ourselves in the area of nutrition and exercise the better off we will be.
If you see interesting articles about supplements related to cancer I would also appreciate some of those too.

[Jackie07]

Not sure if this article has been posted somewhere before. Just thought I would share it here since a couple of the pointers are related to 'food' and 'cancer':

http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/cancer-causes/CA00085/METHOD=print

[TanyaRD]

This is a great link, Jackie. Thank you!

[Becky]

For the flax question - supposedly flax does have phytoestrogens but I feel it is not in the same league as soy. I would be careful about high lignan varieties of oil if hormone positive. Flax is soooo good for you. We buy it and my husband uses it ground like wheat germ on cereal every weekday. I use it once a week that way too and on Sunday - pancake day, I put about 1/4c in the batter. I believe this will not hurt you at all but I would hope Tanya would comment.

I also believe soy eaten now and again will not hurt you either - when you get Chinese etc.

[Rich66]

This where I spout off on the sugar/glycemic/insulin/IGF load of the sweet fruits (and where folks tell me it's ok cuz it's a food). Someone else can address the issue of grapefruit.

[TanyaRD]

Becky,
I agree with your statements about the safe use of ground flax in the diet. The current literature supports its use even in hormone sensitive breast cancer. It is also a great source of fiber and can be used in a variety of foods. It can even be used as an egg substitute in recipes by adding a little water to the ground seed until it is about the consistency of egg white.

You are also right about the use of soy. The recommendations have been modified and are more liberal in the use of soy foods. Soy supplements should be avoided. My advice to patients is that soy does not necessarily need to be added if it has never been a part of your diet but if it has (such as vegetarian diet) then 1-2 servings per day is now supported. Actually, up to 3 servings a day is supported but I tend to err on the side of caution.

[Unregistered]

My oncologist said NO FLAX and NO SOY and NO ALCOHOL. Period. I have hormone receptor negative cancer, but that didn't matter. Doc said recurrences can be different types of cancer than the original, so I thin that was part of the reasoning. I am not going to take chances when there are many other healthy options. We all need to ask our oncologists for their recommendations.

[Rich66]

"Doc said recurrences can be different types of cancer than the original"

Very good point.

[Ellie F]

Thought flax was supposed to downregulate her 2?
The question of soya seems to rage on. I have relatives in the far east who consume ,by our standards large amounts of soya but have a very low breast cancer incidence. HOWEVER how they consume it is totally different from here in the West for example in tempeh and tofu. I wonder if in some way these different processes like fermentation may explain some of the difference?Would be interested in Tanya's view.
Just a few thoughts
Ellie

[ElaineM]

Ah soy !! We will ever get past the soy issue? I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years. I eat alot of various kinds of beans, including edamane, which are soy beans in one of their most natural states. I eat tofu or natto once in awhile. I drink miso soup instead of chicken soup when I catch cold. My total estrogen levels actually went down and what estrogen I had left went into perfect balance (the different kinds of estrogen)
over a period of several years after my diagnosis.
High estrogen levels can be from different causes, not only soy.
Now if Tanya would explain chia seeds I would be grateful. They are supposed to have similiar nutrition as flax. A friend put some chia seeds in a smoothy she made for us and I tried them in oatmeal. They were very tasty, but more expensive than flax meal or flax seeds.

[pibikay]

We are vegetarians/So flax seeks is the only source left for us.I use it on toast and in the Kanji (Gruel) I make.I want to know from Tanya what is her view on Soy.Hema is Er-ve PR-ve

[TanyaRD]

Expert, Mark Messina, was interviewed in the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group Newsletter recently. His recommendation for breast cancer patients re: soy is as follows. “First, the current default position of most oncologists to advise their breast cancer patients against using soy is no longer justified. Second, there is insufficient evidence to actively recommend soyfoods solely for the purpose of improving prognosis. Third, oncologists should allow women who consume soyfoods and develop breast cancer to continue consuming soy and should allow their patients who want to begin consuming soy, for whatever reason, to do so.”

Another expert, Dr. Stephen Barnes, provided these points.


Isoflavones given in the diet in animal models of breast cancer inhibit the appearance of carcinogen-induced mammary tumors, BUT only if given prior to puberty.
Diet (and exercise) early in life may have an important role in determining the risk of adult br. cancer.



There is very little information on chia and breast cancer. Chia is high in omega 3 from ALA like flax. Like soy, evidence is inconclusive.

[Jackie07]

Thanks, Tonya.

The article (and responses) on the Washington Post site echos similar sentiment on certain nutrition factors:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/foods-that-are-good--and-bad--for-your-heart/2012/01/17/gIQAOvE6uQ_story_3.html

[Jackie07]

Not sure if this site has been posted before:

http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_research/policy_advocacy/world_cancer_day_2012/wcd_2012_reduce_cancer_risk.php

A summary by AICR:

http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=recommendations_home

The ongoing update website:

http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/

[Rich66]

Elaine,
I appreciate the links..but hard to get a bead on your overall situation. you wrote "My total estrogen levels actually went down and what estrogen I had left went into perfect balance (the different kinds of estrogen)
over a period of several years after my diagnosis.
High estrogen levels can be from different causes, not only soy."

Is this post meno? I am interested in the use of estradiol measurement, even if oncs generally aren't.

[ElaineM]

Some labs can do blood tests for the various kinds of estrogen in our bodies. I don't remember the name of the actual blood test. Maybe if you do an internet search for something like blood tests for estrogen levels you might find it or you can ask your physician. Even if that person doesn't immediately know he or she might be able to check for it in the physicians desk reference or check online. Doctors have online sources of information we don't have sometimes. The trick is finding a doctor interested enough in your case to be willing to do a little extra work on your behalf.
Several biopsies with complete pathology investigation over time might also show a difference in estrogen levels.
Many foods (not only soy) can either increase or decrease estrogen levels in the body. I suggest you do an internet search or work with a nutritionist, an endocronologist (spelling?) or a naturopathic physican on this.
Also carrying extra body weight can increase estrogen levels, because estrogen is generally stored in body fat. I slowly lost 55 pounds on purpose over a period of 9-10 years with the help of a naturopathic physican. That helped everything !!

[ElaineM]

I forgot to mention that our hormone levels may change as we get older.

[pibikay]

For vegetarians flax seed is the best source for omega 3.The Onc here has said yes to flax seed but no to soya