My approach to nutrition and an anti-cancer diet

In my case, I have completely cut out anything which has added sugar. I still eat fruit but not in excessive amounts. For example blueberries which are so high in antioxidants and considered low-GI so that is a fruit that makes sense. We are aiming for a low GI diet(low glycemic index) which means foods that cause a slow, gradual rise in blood sugar after you eat it, rather than a quick spike, as the quick spike in blood sugar means there is an immediate increase in the amount of glucose available for cancer cells to feed on. A quick spike in blood sugar also signals the pancreas to release insulin, high insulin levels lead to an increase of a growth hormone known as IGF1 which promotes cell division and reduces apoptosis (programmed cell death) which could support the survival and growth of cancer cells.

All of this can be avoided by eating the correct diet and also many natural supplements and some repurposed medications which have been proven to block these pathways. 

A damaged mitochondria caused by a poor diet can result in inflammation, inflammation if not addressed, weakens the immune system. When inflammation sticks around and becomes chronic it can change the way immune cells work. Instead of helping to protect against cancer, these cells might start to support tumor growth instead as when our immune system is in repair mode, tumor cells can cleverly hack these mechanisms which in turn helps them survive and progress. 

The good news is, so much of this can be addressed by drastically changing our diets. 

Based on my experience and many years of research a good diet to follow is the Mediterranean Diet , with the animal source of protein being predominantly fish. Red meat is limited and when consumed to ensure it is organic and grass fed purely because another of cancers feeding pathways is glutamine which is high in red meat and bone broth. Glutamine is an essential amino acid which cannot be completely eliminated but we can choose foods on the lower end of the scale by choosing protein sources such as fish and plant based sources such as beans. Whilst dairy is a slightly complex issue, for the reason it contains insulin like growth factors which have been linked to the development and progression of some cancers, it is widely agreed that dairy should be limited and when consumed, it should be organic and not have been treated with synthetic hormones. 

Our diet should be free from refined sugar, free from processed foods. Focusing on filling our plates with a rainbow of vegetables to ensure a diverse range of phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals are being consumed. 

The evidence is now overwhelming on the powerful healing we can receive from many plants. Whether they are healing through their anti-inflammatory properties, the amount of  antioxidants they can provide, the vitamins and minerals we need to support our immune systems but also the foods now known to have the ability to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death)  in cancer cells, a process they had managed to avoid in order to develop in the first place. 

I will talk about how environmental toxins contribute to our failing health later but to add here that that is why our diet should be organic wherever possible. We want our food to be just that, food. Not laced with poisonous chemicals that directly impact our mitochondria.

For the first 3 years of my stage 4 cancer journey I followed a predominantly plant based diet but i've since focused more on a mediterranean diet with lots of fish and other meat products limited and on rotation. I no longer eat refined wheat due to its inflammatory nature. My diet has always been low in starchy carbs due to them causing rapid increases in blood sugar levels. Since many cancer cells rely on glucose for energy, higher blood sugar may potentially fuel cancer growth. Consuming starchy carbs can also lead to increased insulin production. Elevated insulin levels have been linked to the growth of certain types of cancer cells.

A little hack I like to take advantage of is after eating, going for a short walk or even doing some air squats or pushups is a good way to combat the blood sugar spike as movement will encourage the glucose into the muscles for energy as opposed to being available to the cancer cells.

One of the issues with chemotherapy and why I would always encourage an integrative approach always is that chemotherapy drugs are good for killing rapidly dividing cells however cancer stem cells are not killed by chemo as they are not fast dividing so they escape the killing and are just there to keep on producing more cancer cells. Also, chemo kills cancer cells in a way that it will leave debris behind from the dead tumor tissue which cancer stem cells can actually ‘mop up’ and use to their advantage, therefore, potentially allowing the cancer to come back, even more aggressively. 

Fortunately, there are natural compounds found in plants that have the ability to target cancer stem cells, as well as some ‘repurposed drugs’ .

Try to incorporate a diverse range of vegetables, herbs and fruit into your diet to unlock the healing abilities available to us by food. By eating a diverse range, you can ensure to be getting plenty of the naturally occurring compounds known to heal and strengthen the immune systems defenses and ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Whilst this is all a great place to start and could frame an outline for you to start building yourself a bullet-proof anti cancer diet, please see my list of resources to deepen your research. I will also provide a food diary of what a week of meals typically looks like for me. 

Whilst this is a great place to start to lay a foundation of eating to beat disease, I recommend delving deeper for better understanding.