Diet For Cancer Patients

One important aim of a naturopath is to educate, empower and support the patient to assist them obtain health. Through education, the patient will then be able to take a more active role in their health care. Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability and a healthy diet is an important part of this!

Healthy Foods

 The follow are recommended to be eaten within a diet rich in variety and preferably organic foods.

Vegetables

• Capsicum peppers - red, yellow and orange
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage - red and green
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Herbs - parsley, Chives, basil, etc
• Cucumbers
• Raw and cooked Garlic
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms especially Shitake, Reishi
• Pumpkins
• Seaweeds - Kelp, Kombu, etc
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Sprouts - fresh alfalfa, mixed
• Zucchini

Fruits

Fruit is best eaten in season, fresh and organic. Limit fruit to only several pieces a day

• Apples
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Raspberries
• Watermelon
• Mangoes
• Fresh coconut
• Passionfruit
• Strawberries

Beans

Beans are a good protein substitute for meat. If you are considering a vegetarian diet, then an adequate protein intake is essential

• Black beans
• Dry beans
• Kidney beans
• Navy beans
• Pinto beans
• Soybeans
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• White beans

Meats & dairy

• Chicken, organic
• Beef, organic (moderation)
• Eggs, organic
• Fermented milk
• Kefir
• Organic whole milk yoghurt (consider homemade)

Nuts & seeds

• Almonds
• Chia seeds
• Brazil nuts
• Flaxseeds
• Sunflower
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Walnuts

  Fluids

• Coffee (limited intake)
• Green tea
• Organic vegetable juice
• Herbal tea, eg peppermint, dandelion tea, Yarrow

Oils & fats

•  Coconut oil
• Flaxseed oil
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Avocado oil
• Hemp seed oil

Fish

Fish should be freshly caught and cooked with minimal salt and sauces. Be aware of fish that contain high heavy metal content such as shark, swordfish and tuna

• Snapper
• Herring
• Mackerel
• Salmon
• Sardines

Spices & herbs

• Basil
• Black pepper
• Garlic
• Holy basil
• Parsley
• Saffron
• Turmeric

Grains

• Quinoa
• Amaranth
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Millet

"Anti Cancer" Foods

The term "anti cancer food" should be used carefully because these foods are not exactly anti cancer, but rather nutrient rich foods. Furthermore, they are not usually used only as single foods but rather part of a healthy diet full of variety.

Food to avoid

Processed Meats

Processed meats tend to have high saturated fat content, sodium nitrite and related preservatives which are normally added to processed meats to ensure their freshness and bright, red colour. Sodium nitrite has been shown to react with chemicals in the stomach to produce nitrosamines, which are known to be cancer-promoting. In addition to their nitrite content, the carcinogenic potential of processed meats appears to be related to the effects of frying or broiling, which have been shown to produce mutagenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). One study reported that fried bacon had a higher level of HCAs than fried pork, fried beef and fried chicken.

Alcohol and Cancer

Alcohol intake has been shown to contribute to the risks of multiple cancers including upper GIT cancers such as mouth, oesophagus, larynx, and pharynx cancers, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer. Moderate alcohol consumption can also increase cardiovascular risk and type 2 diabetes and an increasing amount of evidence is gathering. Alcohol increases the excretion of multiple nutrients such as vitamin Bs and vitamin C and also increasing the utilisation of other nutrients like zinc, vitamin A, iron and selenium.

Naturopath Philosophy

The word “naturopathy” is a broad term used to describe a natural medicine physician trained in the areas of western herbal medicine and natural therapies. The practice of naturopathy is also known as alternative medicine, integrative medicine or natural therapies in Australia. Naturopathy includes a multimodality approach, incorporating nutrition (which includes diet and lifestyle modification and vitamin and mineral therapy), herbal medicine, homeopathy and iridology. Iridology is often used as a diagnostic aid to compliment the other tools. Physical therapies may also be employed, including therapeutic massage and remedial massage. A naturopath should be eclectic, using a mixture of these therapies, or specialise in one or more. The key is to tailor the consultation and treatment to the individual patient.

Treatment options

The symptoms expressed by an individual in a state of disease are produced by the body in an attempt to heal.  The naturopath’s first task is to identify any factors in the patient’s diet, lifestyle or environment that may be contributing to the problem and to assist in removing them.  If any therapy is given, it should aid what the body is trying to do to assist the body to balance again into a state of health.  The naturopathic approach aims where possible not just to remove the symptoms but also to remove the reason for the symptoms.

Consultations are available Australia wide in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane via skype or telephone.

Contact the clinic to speak with a naturopath or to make an appointment