Many medical studies have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that faulty eating habits are one of the main reasons for the prevalence of cancer patients across the world today.
Equally, a change in eating habits is an integral part of cancer treatment and there is no doubt that without maintaining proper cancer patient nutrition – meaning proper nutrition – this disease cannot be cured.
There are types of food that cancer cells need in order to multiply and continue their harmful activity, while other types of food contain substances that harm cancel cells and prevent their growth.
Despite the many scientific studies linking proper eating habits with higher survivability, this subject is rarely brought before patients by their attending oncologists.
The Basic Principles of Proper Cancer Patient Nutrition:
- Completely avoid monosaccharides, such as glucose.
- Low-fat diet.
- A recommended diet for cancer patients will include: chicken, fish, whole wheat, whole grain rice, barley, oatmeal, soy, tofu, legumes, nuts and almonds; all fruits and vegetables (except for dried fruit), especially cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, turnip); very small amounts of low-fat dairy products; olive oil or canola oil, cold-pressed flaxseed oil, green tea, curcumin and ginger.
Proper Cancer Patient Nutrition – Special Diets:
There are several diets known as special diets for cancer patients. These diets are based mainly on the principles I have listed above. These diets are part of the encompassing term – complementary cancer treatment.
The following is a list of the most common diets that form a part of integrative cancer therapy:
Ann Wigmore Diet – No meat and dairy, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, nuts and almonds, plenty of wheat germ, which contains a lot of vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes and hormones.
Ketogenic Diet – A very low-carbohydrate diet (20 – 50g of carbohydrates per day). There is no limit on fats and proteins.
Budwig Diet – Several servings per day of flaxseed oil mixed with cottage cheese, fruits, vegetables, juice, no sugar, fish oil, processed food, soy, no dairy products.
Middle Eastern Diet – Fruits, vegetables, legumes, chicken, fish, seeds, olive oil, small amounts of red wine.
Gerson Diet – Lots of fruits and vegetables, especially in the form of juice, lots of carbohydrates and potassium, no sodium and fats, very little animal protein and supplemental digestive enzymes.
Paleolithic Diet – Based on the nutrition available to man during the Paleolithic period, which was mostly meat, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, roots, eggs and nuts.
Atkins Diet – No limit on protein, very low amounts of carbohydrates.
Raw Food Diet – No meat, dairy, chicken or fish. Includes mainly unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Lots of carrot, cruciferous vegetables, peach, asparagus, beets, pineapple, grapes, strawberries and cherries.
Macrobiotic Diet – 40-60% of the nutrition is based on organic whole cereal grains, such as brown rice, corn and barley; 20-30% millet, oats, vegetables; 5-10% beans, tofu, miso, tempeh and seafood; fish, fruits, cucumber and nuts several times a week. Avoid dairy products, processed foods, sugar, meat and vegetables like eggplant, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini.
These special diets are complex and require plenty of planning ahead of time when buying and preparing food. However, using the proper cancer patient nutrition principles I have listed above is simple and does not require any special planning when buying and preparing these foods.
Cancer Patient Nutrition – Conclusion
Maintaining proper nutrition is an integral part of integrative cancer therapy together and concurrent with other methods of treatment. Using proper nutrition is easy, free and does not cause any harm or side effects, while also providing therapeutic value to cancer patients and improving survivability.
More information can be found in Dr. Joseph Brenner’s book ‘Living Without Cancer’, which is available in English, Hebrew, Russian and Chinese.
