The Cancer Diet

Why I have given up eating most of the foods I used to love.

This is my twin brother and my birthday with our best friends. Look at the expression on my and Kirsti’s face - we were excited to eat that homemade chocolate cake!

Hello, my name is Garnet. I am a foodaholic. I, specifically, love three types of food: cheese, anything made with sugar, and bread (in that order). When it comes to these three categories of food let’s just say that I have some trouble with moderation.

It all started when I was a child. My mother was an amazing cook that made everything from scratch, including sourdough bread. We always had a homemade dessert on hand – cookies, brownies, cakes, bars, puddings, you name it.

I never thought of my love of food as a problem, until I got diagnosed with cancer. When I first got diagnosed, my oncologist told me I could eat whatever I wanted. She would say: “We like to keep the pantry stocked,” meaning she wanted her patients to carry a little extra weight. Why? Because chemo and surgeries usually make you lose weight, and you need calories to make blood, fight disease, etc. I loved this advice, because it meant I didn’t want to give up any of the foods I loved.

However, when conventional medical treatments stopped working for me in 2024, I sought additional schools of thought. During this time, I began seeing an acupuncturist, holistic practitioner, holistic doctor, and naturopath. All four of them told me you most definitely can not eat whatever you want, especially when you have cancer. That’s because many of the things Americans consume can cause our bodies to become inflamed and/or lead to cancer.

Because of my specific issues, with regard to how my body processes food, I was also told to no longer eat raw veggies, peanut butter, or grains. Say what?! If I add dairy products and anything with sugar to this list, it’s basically eliminating EVERYTHING I love to eat. I like to call this new way of eating the cancer diet. These are some of the reasons I have chosen this new lifestyle:

Sugar

In addition to increasing your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, sugar can also contribute to fatty liver disease and certain types of cancer. When my cancer came back again in my lungs after chemotherapy, radiation & three surgeries, I asked my oncologist if I should stop eating sugar. She said, and I quote, “No. I haven’t seen any studies that have convinced me that sugar contributes to cancer.” Well, this is absolutely not true; but, at the time, it was again exactly what I wanted to hear. I didn’t want to give up sugar.

Sugar is bad for a myriad of reasons. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “Dietary sugars and mixed processed foods may be a key factor leading to the occurrence and aggravation of inflammation.” NIH goes on to say, “Close attention should also be paid to the combination of high glucose-mediated immune imbalance and tumor development.” Please note: glucose is a simple sugar. So consuming sugar definitely isn’t a good idea, especially if you have cancer.

Dairy

There is a lot of controversy about dairy. Is it good or bad for you? While there are health benefits to incorporating dairy products into your diet, the problem lies with how the dairy products are processed.

According to Science Direct, “most studies involving milk processing have focused on showing how it can reduce milk's protective effect against respiratory allergies, occurrence of infections, and loss of bioactive functions.” So, it’s not that dairy products are bad, but how they are made. Science Direct goes on to say, “the continuous exposure of the organism [humans] to the environmental triggers of the inflammatory process, causes cellular inflammatory mediators to continue circulating, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation (Calder et al., 2013; Duncan & Schmidt, 2001). This type of inflammation is associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases of various natures, psychological and neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer.”

So, unless you know how your dairy products are being processed, it’s probably best to avoid them altogether. Your dairy intake can be replaced with supplements. I highly recommend OsteOrganiCAL Plus, which is what I take.

Peanut Butter

I used to eat peanut butter almost every day. I thought it was a good source of protein. While it does have protein, it also has fungus. What many people don’t know is that peanut butter can contain a fungus called Aspergillus, which produces aflatoxins, a type of mycotoxin that can be harmful to humans. (I have abnormally high levels of aflatoxins in my body.)

According to NIH, “Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts.” So, again, if you aren’t sure where your peanut butter, corn, or tree nuts are sourced or how these products are being made, it might be best to avoid them.

Grains

Grain, which includes corn, rice, and wheat, has been consumed by humans for thousands of years. However, not all grain is created equal. Whole grains can be a part of a healthy diet, because they have not been processed to remove the brand and germ. Refined grains and some modern wheat varieties, on the other hand, can pose serious health concerns. According to Healthline, “refined grains have less fiber — an essential nutrient for healthy digestion and other functions — and fewer nutrients than whole grains.” Refined grains can also cause blood sugar (glucose) spikes.

Again, it all goes back to processing. How was the grain grown? Is it a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)? Was it treated with pesticides or round up? All of these things affect what you end up putting into your mouth and could cause future health ailments.

So, now that you know all of the things I can’t eat, you might start to understand why food consumes a lot of my thoughts on a daily basis. Mostly because I have to prepare in advance for what I am going to eat, especially if I am traveling or going to a restaurant.

The other issue I have and struggle with daily is trying not to eat the “bad” types of food I listed. This is where I think I can relate to an alcoholic or drug addict. Not to minimize the plight of traditional addicts, but when I see cheese, pizza, a hoagie, doughnut, candy bar, or a piece yummy bread, it takes everything in me not to eat it.

An example of what I am talking about here occurs weekly at the grocery store. When I am there, I am bombarded by all types of things that I should not eat. I make a point not to walk in the bakery side entrance, so the smell of freshly baked doughnuts, doesn’t smack me in the face, as soon as I enter. I honestly hate the bakery section altogether because of all the yumminess that is on full display and taunting me.

The worst is when you stand in line at the register, and you see all of the candy on the shelves. I think to myself, one Hersheys chocolate bar won’t hurt. I could eat it in the car on the way home and no one would know.

I also struggle when we have food in our house that isn’t normally there because of a special event or holiday. This happened recently when my son graduated from high school. We had lots of extra delicious food that we don’t normally have. I had bought some pastries for breakfast, and every time I would go into the kitchen and see them, I thought about ripping open the plastic container and shoving one in my mouth.

This is when I wish I had a sponsor to call that could talk me into taking the cookie out of my hand, because I have to be honest: I do fall off the wagon sometimes.

I feel bad as soon as I have swallowed the last mouthful of ice cream that is making its way to my gut. The Itty Bitty Shitty Committee in my head gets loud and starts telling me how weak I am, how everything I just ate is going to make my cancer worse, and asking me why I don’t have more will power.

So, yes, my name is Garnet, and I am a foodaholic. And while yesterday might have been a bad day, I’m going to strive with everything in my being to make tomorrow a better day. And in between the good and the bad, I tell the Itty Bitty Shitty Committee to pipe down. I’m eating much better than I used to, and I am only human.