My personal cancer journey

During my cancer journey I have come to realize how much diet and nutrition played a role in my diagnosis.

Although I am thin and have always been my diet consisted of high fats and processed foods. This is not

the proper diet for prostate cancer in fact this is the very worst diet you can have. In doing research I found that prostate cancer diet and nutrition plays a major role in the ability to fight this disease.

My Oncologist suggested that I change my diet to high fiber low fat diet. Since I have made these changes I have noticed a change in the way I feel and I have much more energy!

Cancer is exhausting and I know that making these changes in my diet has helped me have much more energy and I was able to get through my treatments much better.

The Best Foods For Fighting Prostate Cancer- My diet choicesIt was very hard in the beginning to change from my high fat diet to a high fiber low fat one. My entire life my foods were red meats and processed foods. These foods taste good to us because of the fat content so switching to a better diet is difficult at first because the low fat foods just don’t taste as good.

A high-fat diet stimulates increased testosterone levels which is known to be associated with prostate cancer growth.Now I eat whole grain breads which are a much better choice than white breads.

Bread should have at least 3 or more grams of fiber per slice. Include whole grains like oats, barley, quinoa and millet in your diet. Eating brown rice instead of white is also a better alternative.

I love white rice and it was hard switching from white to brown but it is much healthier and now I prefer the brown rice.

Fruits are extremely important and should be eaten daily along with vegetables. I have at least 3 servings a day of fruit and fresh fruit is higher in fiber than canned.

I love apples and oranges and those fruits have 3 to 4 grams of fiber. Don’t peel the apples. You get more fiber if you eat it whole.

I also eat a lot of raspberries because 1 cup has 8 grams of fiber. ( I drizzle some chocolate over them).

Dark chocolate is also a better choice than milk chocolate. Dark is high in magnesium which can help relieve pain.

My choices for vegetables are cauliflower, carrots, broccoli all of which have at least 3-4 grams of fiber. Although I don’t like eating them nut beans and legumes are high in fiber and I will occasionally eat them.

This is not a complete list of healthy high low fat foods they are just my choices. You will learn the best choices for you and this is just a guideline to help you understand how much diet and nutrition plays a role in any cancer diagnosis.

Are nutritional supplements good?:

It all depends on what supplements you are talking about. In my case I was extremely thin when I was first diagnosed. I am 6’3 and at the time I only weighed 145 lbs. The Oncologist prescribed boost nutritional drinks to help me gain weight in a healthy way so I would be better prepared for my radiation treatments and surgeries that were needed.

As far as other supplements you have to use due diligence before taking and talk with your doctor before deciding which supplements would be best for your particular needs.

My doctor suggested vitamin E, which has been shown to slow theprogression of prostate cancer. I take this on a daily basis. It also has many other health benefits such as helping to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Pomegranate is something that I use daily and has been shown to improve survival rates and slow the progression of the disease. Soy is also a good supplement and has also been showed to reduce the progression of prostate cancer. Again these are my choices for supplements.

Constant research may include other supplements that may help in the slowing of the disease and may someday even find a cure. There are many supplements out there so please remember to talk to your doctor first.

What Foods Should You Avoid?:

Foods that are high in fat and low in fiber should be avoided completely according to University of California Francisco and many other medical researchers.

High Fat encourages the growth of prostate cancer by increasing testosterone which is well-known to lead to the progression of prostate cancer.

I am still in treatment and I have been given hormone therapy for over 3 yrs.now. By taking these injections it completely shuts down your testosterone and helps in stopping the progression of the disease. (this is called chemical castration).

My Goal For Writing This Article:

I am I writing this article in the hopes of giving men who are fighting this disease the insight of why diet and nutrition are so important in the fight against this disease.

This was an extremely tough subject for me to write about because it is such a personal journey. If you, have been diagnosed I am fighting alongside you and know you are never alone.

It is a very emotional disease for me and can sometimes it makes me feel that I am no longer the man I used to be. I have struggled with this but I realize that by making these changes in my lifestyle my life and the fight will continue on. If you are fighting this please know you are never alone in your journey.

NEVER give up and keep Fighting. Science has come along way and someday it may lead to a cure! I pray every day for all of you who are fighting and May God Bless you all!

Stay In The Fight And Keep Moving Forward!