Hope, Health and Healing - Therapeutic Nutrition in Cancer Diagnosis

Every cancer patient knows how confusing and out of control things can get after being diagnosed with this devastating disease. There is nothing more uncertain than wondering what will come next - what are the chances of survival, what treatments are going to be prescribed, how will you manage with work, family and finances and many other questions may be lingering day in day out.

In the midst of uncertainties and complications, nourishing our bodies with nutrient-dense food is something we have true agency over regardless of where we are in the healing journey from cancer.

My oncology practice is rooted in therapeutic nutrition. What is therapeutic nutrition, exactly? In a nutshell, it’s using food including herbs and spices to treat a disease, keep disease in remission and/or manage symptoms. It can also be used to decrease the risk of the disease and hopefully not get it in the first place!

It is a way of eating that goes beyond elimination of ultra-processed foods and addition of fruit and vegetables. Although, fresh vegetables, clean water, high-quality proteins and healthy fats is a very good start.

Examples of a therapeutic nutritional guidance to achieve specific health goals include:

Managing blood sugar spikes: 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar before meals, carbohydrate reduction including fruit, adding prebiotic fibre, and cinnamon and many others approaches

Reduction or elimination of bloating: complete elimination of sugar and processed foods and add fibre (e.g. flax and chia seeds), probiotic-rich foods (sauerkraut, kefir, apple cider vinegar, etc.) and polyphenols which are found in color-rich foods such as berries, green and hibiscus tea as well as a recommendation to exercise.

Reduce progression of arthritis: adding anti-inflammatory herbs and spices such as turmeric and assessing for allergies and/or intolerances.

Reduce breast cancer risk: a lot more complex subject and multiple approaches need to be taken but few things can be done immediately - 2-4 cups of green tea daily, exercise, weight loss if overweight, and limiting alcohol consumption.

Reduce nausea: Sip on ginger tea; lemon water, soda water, herbal teas with lemon, frozen cherries or raspberries may make a great anti-nausea snack; eat foods lukewarm or cold (hot foods may have more smell to them and create aversion), chew thoroughly and eat slowly.

Aren't these approaches wonderful? And they are right here, available to you right now, if you choose to.

Cancer is an extremely complex disease with multiple factors that need to be addressed from different angles. These angles include helping liver to remove toxins, management of blood sugar and inflammation, nutrigenomics (yes, eating turns on or turns off our genes!), and many others.

For these reasons, therapeutic nutrition protocol for cancer prevention, treatment and remission can be fairly rigorous. However, it is always developed with personalized health needs in mind - based on current diagnosis, family history, symptoms, genetic and blood testing, patient motivation as well as taste preferences.

Therapeutic way of eating is not about fitting you into a specific diet but create a nutrition plan that meets your immediate needs and goals .

It's a plan to make you feel empowered on your journey to healing.

And it’s a plan that will inevitably evolve.

Just because we eat, it does not mean that we eat healthy especially during cancer healing process. Only several appointments with an expert who has dedicated a portion of their life to learning about nutrition and its impact on disease will place you on a trajectory of hope, health and healing.

Humbly, I offer 15-minute free discovery calls for us to get to know each other. Please connect to say hi, tell me your story and challenges and lets see where that takes us. You can book the call in the services section of my website. If a call feels too intimidating for you, no worries, you can always email me.

In abundant health,

Valerie