By Richmond Natural Medicine

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March 12, 2018

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“Prevention through diet and lifestyle has a crucial role to play in stemming the tidal wave of cancer that we are facing” —World Cancer Report, 2014

Cancer, as a collective entity, is the single leading cause of death in the world today, with some 8.2 million deaths per year resulting from cancer related dis-eases (according to the Union for International Cancer Control report, 2014). As a result, there has been a considerable uptick in the research surrounding preventative approaches to cancer, including nutritional therapies.

What we are finding is that there is no one “right”diet for everyone. By taking a more holistic approach to each individual person, it is clear that not everyone will respond to the same treatments in the exact same way, and food and nutrition is no exception. While a few diets may be considered “healthy”overall, they may not work well for certain people who require something quite different or more advanced/in depth nutritional inputs. For example, the raw foods diet it touted by many as the ultimate healthful diet, however for someone who is depleted, constitutionally cold with poor circulation and a low digestive fire, the raw foods diet would probably be one of the worst options. Instead, a diet of whole foods, cooked well with warming herbs and spices would be much more balancing and easier to digest. This is just one of many factors to take into consideration. Just as we are aiming for whole foods, we are looking at the whole person.

The Eclectic Triphasic Medical System (ETMS) looks at all of the inputs that goes into the development of cancer – lifestyle, environment, body type, family history, geographic location, seasons, traditional diet (ancestry), diet-gene interactions (nutrigenomics) and organ systems. When we research and apply nutritional therapies and botanical medicines as adjunct treatments (along with any pharmaceuticals and western treatments), we must always look at the whole person to see how effective all inputs are in the landscape of their entire lifestyle. That’s a really big picture, and nearly impossible to come up with one right blanket treatment for everyone.

Most any “cancer diet”you research will almost certainly reinforce the importance of “whole foods and vegetables”- a large category with loads of options that can be overwhelming to the novice cook or fast food (standard American diet) connoisseur.

General nutritional therapies to include every single day:

1. Increase foods that are blood building like beets, collards, cherries, dark leafy greens and black strap molasses – These increase immune function and keep your detoxification system running smoothly.

2. Broccoli – A highly nutritious cruciferous vegetable with proven cancer preventive effects. It is packed full of phytonutrients that contribute to the body’s natural detoxification process.

3. Blueberries – Rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, blueberries also have proven cancer preventing effects, especially nutrients found in the blueberry skin.

4. Increase healthy fats like coconut oil and avocados – Healthy fat intake, especially via avocados, has been directly linked to the reduction of oral and prostate cancers and contain an extremely high amount of lutein, glutathione and beta-carotene.  Cooking with stable oils like coconut oil decreases the oxidation occurrence of heated oils.

5. Increase fresh, bitter food – Bitter foods like artichoke, dandelion leaf and dark chocolate stimulate the digestive system and assist in liver detoxification. 

6. Decrease sugar intake – Processed sugars (and artificial sweeteners) contribute to “glucose overload”  in most standard American foods, causing insulin imbalance and inflammatory conditions.

7. Decrease consumption of Red Meats – Donald Yance, a leading cancer researcher, states that research on red meat consumption, “has found statistically significant associations between several common cancers (gastric, pancreatic, esophageal, prostate, breast & lung) and total dietary intake of red meat and processed meats”. The preparation of meats of course plays a major role.

     8.  Some other favorite, well researched foods include asparagus, sweet potatoes/yams, bitter greens (dandelion!), pomegranate, mushrooms and spinach.

A general rule of thumb would be to follow a Mediterranean Diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and minimal red meats and sweets.

As with any botanical or nutritional therapy, we cannot expect or demand a quick fix or immediate resolution. Foundational approaches to healing take time and continued use to show lasting and stable results, and ideally the supervision of a well trained health care professional to tailor a treatment plan that is right for you. It is promising to see the increased research on nutrition and botanical inputs on the treatments of cancers, and we must keep in mind that some of the best treatments are those that are preventative. Keep your entire lifestyle in mind – community, spiritual practice, environment, diet, genetics, body type and even your career. All of this can contribute to the manifestation of disease. As with anything, balance is key!

Richmond Natural Medicine has designed a program (STAR – Support/Therapy/Recovery) for patients at any stage of cancer.  To learn more about the Naturopathic cancer support we offer, click HERE.

References:

Donald Yance

Eclectic Triphasic Medical System

Union for International Cancer Control

California Hass avocado: profiling of carotenoids, tocopherol, fatty acid, and fat content during maturation and from different growing areas

Meat Intake and Risk of Stomach and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma within the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

About the Author

Lindsay Kluge is a Clinical Herbalist & Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist and received her Masters of Science degree in Herbal Medicine from the Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2012. She has been with Richmond Natural Medicine since 2013, and specializes in therapeutic holistic nutrition, circadian rhythm balance and sleep physiology, digestion, and Ayurvedic nutrition. She offers individualized nutrition and herbal medicine consultations that include meal planning support, custom compounded herbal formulas, nutrition guidance and general wellness support.  Learn more about services that Lindsay offers at Richmond Natural Medicine by clicking HERE.