Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors (6 page)

We believe that if soy is organic and close to its original form, it can be a healthy addition to the diet. A cup of warm miso broth, some edamame, or a tempeh stir-fry can provide high-quality protein in addition to isoflavones, which act as weak estrogens, helping to guard estrogen receptors from more potent, aggressive estrogens.

The Japanese typically eat soy from an early age, which may be one key to their lower rates of breast cancer. In April 2008, researchers (Iwasaki et al.) used blood and urine samples to measure isoflavone levels in almost 25,000 Japanese women. Those who had the highest levels of genistein (a soy isoflavone) had the lowest rates of breast cancer.

Other studies provide mixed and often confusing results, depending on the age group of the women tested, the length of time soy products have been eaten, what other treatments are being used, and other variables.

Using an Eating for Health approach can help sort through the confusing data. E4H supports the use of whole, organic soy, eaten in moderation, just as it supports the consumption of all whole foods. We do not recommend that you use soy as your sole source of protein, and we definitely advise against the use of all “fake” soy products, such as soy bacon, soy chicken, soy meatballs, and other “foods” created from soy-based, textured vegetable protein. These are not whole foods and, as such, would fall outside the scope of an E4H lifestyle.

We also suggest that you stay away from soy isoflavones as a supplement, because some experts have postulated that too much concentrated soy could fuel the growth of an existing tumor (ACS 2010c). There is also concern that soy might counteract the protective effects of tamoxifen (Ju et al. 2002). If you have trouble digesting soy or have thyroid issues, it is best to avoid it altogether.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are the water-soluble starches and sugars in food that provide energy to the body, modulated by the hormone insulin. Complex carbohydrates, such as unadulterated whole grains; root vegetables and tubers, like yams and turnips; and an abundance of fresh, organic, and seasonal vegetables and fruits provide the fiber, B-complex vitamins, and minerals the body needs to support the health of the gastrointestinal (GI) system and to satisfy our appetites.

According to advocates of low-carbohydrate diets, as Americans’ intake of carbohydrates has increased, so has the incidence of obesity, cancer, and heart disease. While this is true, most low-carb guidelines fail to clarify the difference between complex and simple, refined carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates provide generous amounts of B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, chromium, vitamin E, and fiber. Simple, refined carbohydrates have these nutrients removed. Sadly, Americans have been sold the myth that synthetic vitamins, when added to refined carbs, are as good as or better than the original, naturally occurring nutrients that were removed. The Eating for Health plan recommends only consuming complex carbohydrates in their whole, unprocessed form.

FABULOUS FIBER

The E4H model advises eating high-fiber foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, and legumes, to fully benefit from both insoluble and soluble (sometimes called “viscous” or “gooey”) fiber. Both types of fiber are plentiful in plant foods, because they are the structural part of the plant itself. A diet high in both kinds of fiber speeds transit time through the intestine and fosters regular elimination, helping to flush toxins, including excess estrogen, from the body. Some good sources of insoluble fiber are organic whole grains; nuts and seeds; the bran of various grains; fibrous vegetables, such as celery, green beans, and leafy greens; and the skins of fruits and vegetables. Important sources of soluble fiber include oats and oat bran, dried beans and peas, barley, flaxseeds, nuts, and psyllium husk.

Bad news for cancer: fiber stabilizes blood sugar.
The positive effect of fiber on blood sugar and insulin is important in preventing all types of cancer, including breast cancer. Both insoluble and soluble fiber (but especially soluble) help to normalize blood glucose levels by slowing the rate at which sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream. This keeps blood sugar and insulin levels lower, which denies a growing tumor both the sugar and insulin it needs to thrive. We’ll discuss this in detail in chapter 6.

FATS

Although seeds and oils take up little space in the E4H model, they are in the bull’s-eye, a very prominent position, because fat is crucial to our survival and is our greatest source of energy. Healthy fats build and maintain healthy cells, insulate tissues, protect our organs, and make up more than half of the gray matter in our brains. Healthy fats also help us absorb fat-soluble nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K; maintain the health of our skin, hair, and arteries; and stabilize blood sugar levels. Without enough healthy fat in our diets, we would become ill, indeed.

Phenomenal Phytonutrients: Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, and Spices

Plant foods contain literally thousands of beneficial compounds, including macronutrients,
micronutrients
(vitamins and minerals, the subject of chapter 5), and phytonutrients (
phyto
means “plant”), protective chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants. Biochemist and Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi first discovered the tremendous power of a family of phytonutrients called
flavonoids
in 1936.

Thousands more phytonutrients have been discovered since 1936, most of which are now known to be faithful defenders against all types of illness. Phytonutrients abound in the fruits of some plants, in the leaves or stems of others, and in the skin or white pith of still others. These phenomenal phytos act in a synergistic way with other nutrients to regulate critical bodily functions, such as those controlled by the liver and the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. Choosing an artificial-chemical–free E4H plan takes full advantage of these phytonutrients in the form of fruits, vegetables, and “booster” foods, such as herbs, spices, and seaweeds, which are critical pieces in the puzzle of maintaining and restoring good health.

PLANT FOOD: YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

We want to clearly emphasize that food is your best line of defense against breast cancer and its spread. That said, due to biochemical individuality and a history of insufficient micronutrient and phytonutrient intake, targeted supplementation with specialized nutrients may provide valuable backup support. However, we are aware that some folks believe they are getting an insurance policy by washing down their fast food with a chaser of vitamins. This is not a winning strategy! In fact, a report from the Department of Food Science, Cornell University, asserts that “the additive and synergistic effects of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables are responsible for…potent antioxidant and anticancer activities and that the benefit of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is attributed to the complex mixture of phytochemicals present in whole foods” (Liu 2004).

With that, let’s look at some of our favorite cancer-fighting foods.

To Do: Top-15 Hit Parade of Cancer-Protective Foods

Foods work on multiple body systems to nourish, cleanse, and heal. An E4H diet provides six to twelve servings a day of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. Each of the following plant foods contains as many as one hundred cancer-protective phytonutrients. Some of these phytonutrients have been consistently associated with elements of cancer protection and healing in population-based epidemiological studies; others show great promise in laboratory and animal research but are still awaiting confirmation in human research. If you haven’t already tried these foods or made them a part of your weekly routine, you’ll want to add them to your to-do list right away!

* The studies cited here are representative of the many hundreds of studies undertaken to examine the relationship between food and breast-cancer risk and development. Although these and other experimental results are very promising, it is important to remember that results in a test tube (in vitro) do not always translate into results in a human body. Animal (in vivo) studies, on the other hand, can offer significantly improved predictive value, because there are more similarities than differences between humans and laboratory animals.

Eating for Health Sample Meal Plan

Final Thoughts: A Call to Consciousness

Eating for Health is more than a dietary program. It’s a way of thinking, feeling, and living that emphasizes a return to more traditional, whole foods, eaten mindfully and with the intention to feed and nourish the body while communicating a gentle, peaceful message to your genes and DNA. It’s a return to nature for nourishment.

Last Word

For me, my cancer diagnosis was a call to action, an invitation to examine my daily habits and make changes for the better. I learned that true healing happens one bite at a time, one sip at a time, one breath at a time, with an attitude of gratitude for the chance to share love and live with purpose. By embracing the principles of Eating for Health, I feel that I have learned how to live well by eating well.

—Debbie M., breast cancer survivor

4.
Avoidable Exposures

Then a strange blight crept over the area, and everything began to change… . There was a strange stillness… . The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of scores of bird voices, there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.

—Rachel Carson, from
Silent Spring
, September 1962

Chapter Goal: Learn how to limit your exposure to toxins to a manageable level

With the publication of
Silent Spring
, Rachel Carson inspired a generation. For the first time in human history, millions of people learned that the indiscriminate use of pesticides threatened both their health and that of the planet. Through scrupulous study and observation, Carson ascertained that in nature, where all species are interconnected, chemicals aimed only at insects were soon ingested by other animals and passed up the food chain. “As few as eleven large earthworms can transfer a lethal dose of DDT to a robin,” Carson wrote (1962, 108). “And eleven worms form a small part of a day’s rations to a bird that eats ten to twelve earthworms in as many minutes.” Carson’s work spawned an engaged and active environmental movement, and although it can boast many successes (such as the banning of the pesticide DDT), it has also faced a number of escalating challenges in the ensuing decades, as more and more hastily tested or untested chemicals have been released into the environment.

Pollutants and chemical contaminants can activate cancer in a variety of ways. In this chapter we’ll take a look at some of them.

The President’s Cancer Panel