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Cancer diet... Can we move the mark?


marc9338

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While preparing breakfast for myself yesterday, I had a thought... 

 

The question that triggered the thought was...  why does it have to be so hard to eat healthy?

 

After pondering on the question and figuring out what I would ultimately eat for breakfast, it hit me...  There are a lot of cancer patients, ex-cancer patients, people who have cancer in their family, etc. (millions and millions).  Why isn't the market place doing more to help us eat better.

 

With that in mind, I've decided to tackle this problem.  But, before I dive in to far, I wanted to see if anyone knows of other people/organizations which might also be trying to solve for this?  I work in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry (big fancy words for food) and want to kick off an initiative to challenge the industry (food companies and retailers) to help us eat better. A few thoughts...

 

1) carve out a section in grocery stores for food choices/options approved by notable cancer centers (i.e MD Anderson, etc.)

2) encourage food manufacturers to create/distribute foods that are cancer friendly (preventive, chemo complimentary, etc.)

3) put simple and cost effective ideas/recipes in our hands (mobile app, kiosk, in aisle,etc.)

4) encourage manufactures/retailers to donate product/dollars to help those less fortunate eat healthy (control the controllable)

 

Through and initiative/challenge like this, greater awareness of lung cancer (all cancers) could be achieved.  People are watching less and less commercials on tv these days due to TiVo and the like, however people are still walking the aisle of grocery stores everyday and are a captive audience.

 

Any thoughts?  Any advice?  Any connections (retailers, manufacturers)?  Anyone interested in the endeavor?

 

Thank you,

Marc

 

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Marc,

 

My wife has undergraduate and masters degrees in nutrition (dietetics).  She is my caregiver and her two sustaining messages during my treatment were:  eat something (during chemo side-effects) and eat lean protein, whole grain, fresh fruit and vegetable at every meal.

 

There were times during chemotherapy when I completely lost my appetite.  This period lasted about 3 days and Martha went to great lengths to get something into me.  She made ice cream that actually tasted pleasant during chemo - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. (It is not one of my favorites now so chemo likely altered by taste buds). It was about the only thing I'd eat during this period. Calories were very important with my body struggling to make red and white blood cells that were wiped out by chemo.  

 

When I felt well enough to eat, breakfast became a spinach omelet, and a cup of Cheerios with fruit (no sugar) . (There are hundreds of vegetable omelet combinations - try sautéed asparagus tips). Lunch was a cup of vegetable soup and a turkey bacon BLT with whole wheat bread and sliced fruit (apple, pear, banana, or peach).  Dinner was lean roasted pork with wild rice, and green peas with onions and mushrooms and sliced fruit for dessert.  There is something about presenting sliced fruit at the dinner table that makes it more appetizing.  To give flavor for the lean meats (chicken, turkey and pork) she'd sear and caramelize one side of the meat in a very hot cast iron skillet, turn and then finish cooking in a hot oven in the skillet.  Sometimes she'd make a pan sauce using the skillet drippings with water and seasoning or white or red wine.  She placed the meat on toasted whole wheat bread and spoon on the pan sauce!  She encouraged me to snack on lightly salted peanuts or almonds (for my chemo induced Magnesium deficiency) and or fresh fruit.  Martha also loosened the rules and allowed the occasional pizza or spaghetti and meatballs!

 

She also charted my weight twice a day, morning and evening, and we could see variation during the periods of dull appetite.  I could loose 5 to 8 pounds during this period.

 

There is a lot of advertising on organic, fat free, diets and the like.  I like Martha's simple solution - lean protein, whole grain, fresh fruit and vegetable at every meal. It worked for me.

 

Stay the course.

 

Tom

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  • 3 weeks later...

HI,

 

IMO, what we eat / don't eat may be the most important part of the treatment.   There is a professor of Biology at Boston College and he has numerous papers out on treating Cancer as a metabolic disease, Dr Thomas Seyfried.   Run a search on Youtube and see all his lectures on how to fight cancer the right way.

 

John

 

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  • 9 months later...

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