As I write this I am kind of weak. I think I need red meat. The oft-maligned beef!! I’ve been cutting down on red meat consumption but nothing else seems to be giving me the energy boost I need. Since my cancer diagnosis it’s been exasperating trying to figure out what to eat. Some say definitely go vegetarian. Or even vegan. Better still raw vegan. The vegetarian/vegan proponents say get your protein from plant sources because meat, fish, eggs create an acidic environment in which cancer cells thrive. Others (experts and non-experts) say you definitely need meat if you have cancer and you need it even more if you are undergoing chemotherapy. Chemo destroys not only the cancer cells but the good cells too (red and white blood cells, etc) and meat helps replenish red blood cells and boosts the immune system in general.
Cancer cells also love sugar so some say we cancer fighters should not only avoid sugar (and other sweeteners) but also lower our intake of foods such are grains that are converted to sugar in our body. So our meals should largely consist of good fats (nuts, seeds, avocados) and vegetables.
For some part of the time I lived in Hawaii I was on about 70 per cent raw food diet —- succeeding in keeping off excess weight, maintaining flawless skin, and going off Coumadin (blood-thinning medication), but since my cancer diagnosis it’s been hard to maintain the raw food diet for various reasons. For one, I’ve been put back on Coumadin and sadly so many vegetables ( the dark green veggies high in Vitamin K especially) interfere with its efficacy. That means the risk of developing blood clots ( which could kill faster than cancer) is associated with consumption of foods high in vitamin K. Because of this some health care practitioners tell me to avoid dark green vegetables all together. Others say eat only a small amount daily or every other day and some say eat the dark veggies but keep the amount consistent and your Coumadin dosage would be adjusted to accommodate your intake level. Regular blood tests (PT-INR) indicate how well the Coumadin is succeeding in thinning the blood.
I’ve been trying to reduce flesh and dairy consumption and increasing my consumption of plant-based protein (nuts and seeds). Now that my doctors have me back on Coumadin I resent not being able to eat generous portions of my favourite Nigerian ofes such as afang and edikainkong soups (made with dark leafies such as ukazi, spinach, ugu or water leaf). When I lived In Hawaii (and was off Coumadin) I occasionally indulged in my version of these soups. I used taro (ede , cocoyam) leaves and spinach.
Babs, my fellow high school alum has been sending me lots of information and products to try. Even though I know he’s knowledgeable and I know his brother was cured of cancer without going on chemo, I still want to research everything he tells me before I buy into it. I check out compatibility with chemo and Coumadin. The biggest stumbling block is Coumadin. It’s action is undermined by many good cancer-fighting foods/products. I would love to try the Moringa he sent me. Everyone battling cancer needs a friend like Babs.
I’ve ordered books, Tapes. CD’s. Another friend is sending a book on what to eat before and after Chemo. I also troll the internet for information and of course there’s quite a lot to wade through. I discovered the www.CancerTutor.com website and love it. They assess alternative cancer treatment therapies and tell you which are compatible with chemotherapy. You can get a paid-for consultant from the website to guide you through the treatment protocol you choose. It was on that website that I first read about the Budwig diet. And later the Cellect-Budwig protocol. I have not been able to play the CD’s they want me to watch first before accepting to provide me with services. I think the problem is Babs recorded it for me on a Mac flash drive that refuses to run on my P.C.
I have many medical appointments and lots of other paperwork to keep up with so there’s little time left to really engage in this personal battle against cancer the way I want to. Fighting cancer is a full-time job. I am discovering. Some say because of the information overload (sometimes conflicting) cancer patients should stay off the internet. I want to be able to make informed decisions about my health and so I will continue to keep up with research. I run many of my findings by my doctors but they are not really into anything else but chemo.
My Hawaii friends have connected me with Nowlin who beat cancer (of the brain, bones, prostrate) without chemotherapy and he told me to go on the Budwig Diet right away. The diet is compatible with chemotherapy and it is up to each cancer patient to decide whether or not to continue with chemo.