American Breast Cancer Guide - Plant Food Power

What we eat can have a dramatic impact on cancer prevention and protection from cancer recurrence. Dozens of questions arise, and you may be overwhelmed with information by well-wishers, concerned family members, and well-meaning friends. Why in the midst of all this should you have to think about what to eat or not eat?

Every day we learn more about the link between cancer and diet. Thousands of studies have confirmed that eating more grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds helps protect against cancer. When people who normally eat few plant foods add fruits and vegetables to their diet, there is a good indication that they enhance their degree of protection from cancer.

Plants are nature’s own elite foods. They have been packaged perfectly and can help maximize and speed our recovery from illness and help prevent future recurrence. Some researchers feel that if we ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, cancer would decline by approximately a fifth of the current rate.

This is also true for breast cancer. The foods we choose to eat or not eat can potentially hinder the body’s ability to tackle the disease. We have learned that plant foods high in fiber—like fruits, vegetables, and unrefined grains—are beneficial in the fight against breast cancer. These foods will also give your body the energy, vitamins, minerals, and the other nutrients it needs to rebuild itself. These foods also furnish an abundance of protective compounds, called phytochemicals, that may help keep breast cancer from recurring.

Phytochemicals are the new super-nutrients of the century, although they have been abundant in the plant world for as long as humans have been around. They are the bioactive compounds found only in plants and include thousands of different substances such as powerful antioxidants, carotenoids, and phytoestrogens. Although hundreds have been identified by chemists, their potential protective effects have yet to be studied. Many phytochemicals have been linked with anti-cancer actions, such as preventing or slowing down tumor growth or even possibly reversing pre-cancerous tumors before they become malignant. It may be that phytochemicals are among the primary reasons why we see such strong associations between fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake, and protection from cancer.

So, where are these powerful protectors? Think of your favorite grain, preferred fruit, or any vegetable from A to Z—just about any unrefined plant food is packed with phytochemicals. This means that whole grains, nuts, seeds, and oils made from seeds (especially sesame) contain abundant phytochemicals. Green tea is particularly rich in certain cancer-protective phytochemicals, and broccoli and its botanical relatives like kale and collard greens are superstars in their own right. Then there’s the cabbage family, garlic, leeks, onions, and tomatoes. New evidence even links nuts with protection.

We must keep in mind, though, that as soon as we have begun processing a food, some of the phytochemicals are damaged or lost. As scientists delve further into the complexity of plant foods, it is also becoming more apparent that it’s best to get phytochemicals from foods rather than relying on supplements. Besides, eating foods that are properly prepared and beautifully presented add to life’s joy of eating.

When there is illness, the body’s most fundamental needs after water are an adequate supply of energy from calorie-rich foods, phytochemicals to fight the illness, and protein, which is crucial to the healing process. These needs are particularly important during times when eating becomes a chore, whether you are tired, affected by chemotherapy, or are recuperating from surgery or radiation treatment. At the very least, eating properly will help give you strength and provide your body with sustenance that is much needed to help it heal.

The most desirable sources of energy come from unrefined carbohydrate-rich foods such as whole grains and cereals, cooked dry beans, lentils, nuts, split peas, fresh fruits, and dried fruits. These can range from those very easy to eat and digest—like cooked sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, and fruit nectars— to hardy and filling choices such as barley, bulgur, oats, peppers, figs, broccoli, and any of the hundreds of varieties of cooked dry beans. These foods are also loaded with vitamins, minerals, phyto- chemicals, and other nutrients that the body needs.

Protein is the other fundamental piece of the nutritional healing process. When we say protein many of us think of meat, fish, poultry, and cheese. While these animal foods surely provide excellent protein, they provide little or no phytochemicals, and they sometimes contain too much fat. Some types of cancers are found in groups that eat large amounts of animal foods. Keeping animal foods to a small fraction of your daily diet leaves more room for powerful and protective plant foods that are protein rich.

Plants that contain the highest amount of proteins include cooked dry beans, whole grains, tofu, and nuts. Contrary to popular belief, it is very easy to meet your protein needs from these kinds of plant foods. During times when eating is difficult, tofu is especially easy to eat and digest. Nonfat or low fat dairy foods—such as cottage, ricotta cheese, or yogurt—are also acceptable alternatives when you don’t feel like eating.

Another excellent body-building protein is the egg. The egg is one of nature’s most easily digested and most body-friendly protein foods. Egg white is almost pure protein, so the yolk can be discarded if cholesterol is of concern. However, remember that when eating is difficult, it is most important that you get enough calories. The desirability of a soft-cooked egg, along with a piece of whole grain toast, would likely outweigh cholesterol concerns, unless your physician has directed you otherwise.

Along for the ride with plant foods is fat. In terms of cancer, these fats can be considered “good fats,” since they contain powerful and natural disease-fighting antioxidants (a class of phytochemical). However, as with most things, it is best to enjoy even the good fats in moderation. In contrast, we have learned that animal fats from beef, pork, lamb, chicken, butter, or cream cheese may not be good for cancer.

Sometimes, the radiation or chemotherapy that aims to help us get better makes us feel worse. And nothing takes away more from the enjoyment of eating than not feeling well. But it is at this vital time when you need to replenish your body and continue the healing process. When your appetite is poor and food tastes unappealing, you need to focus on foods that are rich in strengthening and healing potential.

Unfortunately, there is not yet a magic pill that will help prevent or stop cancer, but switching to a way of eating that is rich in plant foods is the best way science has shown us to achieve protection. Learning how to eat a plant-based diet means making some changes. Cooked beans, potatoes, bananas, pastas (whole grain, whenever possible), tomatoes, and onions are among the common plant foods Americans eat. We need to eat more. Start by adding one more fruit or vegetable at each meal. Move animal foods from center stage, and replace them with the powerful and protective plant foods that promise to benefit your fight against breast cancer.

Dr. Gene Spiller, a distinguished researcher and author, has conducted groundbreaking work on the roles of fiber and other nutrients in health. He is the director of the Health Research and Studies Center and the Sphera Foundation in Los Altos, California, and he is a consultant to the Stanford University Center for Research in Disease Prevention. His books include Nutrition Secrets of the Ancients, Eat Your Way to Better Health, and Cancer Survivor’s Nutrition & Health Guide.