Healthy Food and Optimal Diet for Recovery

GOOD NUTRITION DOES NOT DIRECTLY CURE CANCER, YOUR BODY DOES, BUT IT NEEDS THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS TO CARRY OUT THE TASKS. 

Although the causes of cancer are many and continuously being investigated, chief among them is your diet.   Without realizing it, you may be eating many foods that fuel cancer, while neglecting the powerful foods that can protect you.   Learning the value of and quality of food and choosing the right food is one of the most important things that you need to help you in your healing journey.

Many people are looking for help and guidance on overcoming cancer with diet (looking at the number of diets and self-help diet books sold as well as internet resources) however, there is a great deal of contradictory advice out there; consider this - low fat diet vs. Keto diet, vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, juicing, paleo etc.  Some of principles of these diet are poles apart, yet still touted as producing results. This is terribly confusing for people who are serious about utilizing nutrition as a therapeutic tool.

Our approach to nutrition is based upon the simple premise of going back to real wholesome food, avoiding foods that are known to be harmful and focusing on using foods that have been proven to be beneficial.   Simply put - eat real food, quality and quantity matters and mainly plant.

So, you are ready to adopt a healthy diet but aren't sure where to start?  In this section we will give you simple tools to guide you towards healthy eating.  You will need to learn some nutritional basics such that you won’t be easily influenced by misleading, half-truths from a wide range of sources.  We hope that the information provided will equip you with the necessary knowledge to sort through the latest research, advertisement and advice and empower you to make meaningful and lasting changes to your nutritional plan.

NUTRIENTS BASIC

Nutrients important for healthy cells

Nutrients are substances found in the food that are needed (in varying amounts) in every living CELL for energy, growth and various bodily functions   Cells are the smallest component and fundamental units of life from which all your tissues and organs are made.  Each living cell is surrounded by a thin layer of fluid which contains the nutrients, hormones, waste products and other substances essential for its function and well-being.

Thanks to extensive research we now know with a high - degree of scientific certainty that our body needs about forty to forty-five nutrients to function optimally.   Broadly, the nutrients can be categorized under macronutrients, micronutrients and trace minerals as tabulated below:

The above nutrients enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for proper growth and development.

Various roles of nutrients

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Carbohydrates - Is the main source of energy for the body.   When food containing carbohydrates is consumed, the body will break it down into glucose and fibers. 

Carbohydrates >>> to glucose (absorb by the body) and fibers.  

All the cells in our body can use glucose for energy.  Fibers are not broken down into sugars and will eventually be passed out of your intestinal system as roughage or food for the gut bacteria. 

Carbohydrates also create an energy reserve when they form glycogen.   Reliable sources are vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruits, and other legumes.  Read more on carbohydrates and sugars

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Protein is crucial for both structural and enzymatic functions. Tissue repair, immune system functions and growth of children all require proteins.  They are present in every living cell, for example in the skin, hair, cartilage, muscles, tendons and ligaments.    Important biomolecules like hemoglobin, myoglobin and various lipoproteins that carry oxygen and other substances within the body are also made up of proteins.   Proteins hold together, protect, and provide structure to the body.  As enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and globulins, they catalyze, regulate, and protect the body’s chemistry. 

Protein is not usually used for energy, however, if the body is not getting enough calories from other nutrients or from the fat stored in the body, protein will then be used for energy.  When eaten, the   proteins contained in foods are broken down into amino acids. 

Proteins >>> to amino acids.

Sources of protein are fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, soy products, nuts, beans, and other legumes. 

Note: Protein that comes from animal sources contains all the essential amino acids that we need—they are called ‘complete proteins'.   Plant sources of protein, on the other hand, do not contain all of the essential amino acids.

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Fat is the most concentrated and energy efficient form of food.  It is an essential component of cell membranes, insulates and acts as a shock absorber for bones and organs and assists in growth, development and brain functions.   Some essential fats are also required for the formation of hormones.  Reliable sources are animal and dairy products, fish, nuts, seeds and oils.   For more information, read more on choosing Fat.

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Vitamins and minerals facilitate thousands of essential reactions and processes in the body, but they do not provide energy.   They have unique roles to play in maintaining your health.  For example, vitamin A helps fight inflammation, while many of the B vitamins assist in deriving energy from the foods you eat each day.   It is now well established that the sunshine vitamin D is one of the most important anti-cancer nutrients as it is involved in switching on or switching off more than 2000 genes.  It is also critical to immune system function.

Minerals help to maintain normal body’s biochemistry and metabolic stability and aid immunity, inflammation, detoxification, oxidation and normal cell growth.   For example, calcium gives your bone strength and density and also builds and maintains strong, healthy teeth.  Potassium keeps muscles (including heart muscle) and the nervous system functioning normally, iron transports oxygen through your blood and zinc helps keep your immune system strong, helps your body fight infections and repair cells. 

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Nutrients from sardines Protein, fat, vitamin D, B2, B3, B12, minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, calcium and trace minerals including iron and selenium.

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Nutritional deficiency occurs when the body doesn’t absorb the necessary amount of nutrients.  Nutrient deficiency can lead to a variety of health problems such as problems of digestion, skin problems, stunted or defective bone growth and cancer.

How do we get the required nutrients?

Unlike plants, which synthesize (make) their own proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and all other phytochemicals, we must obtain all these nutrients through the foods and beverages that we eat and drink.  We digest these foods to release the nutrients and make them available to the body. 

The best way to get enough nutrients is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods.  A balanced diet can provide all the essential nutrients in optimum quantity.  It also delivers nutrients to the cells in a steady flow while an unbalanced diet provides either too much (eg. excessive carbohydrates) or too little (especially essential minerals) of these nutrients. 

The best foods are whole foods which human beings have adapted and consumed in the course of their evolution.   Modern processed foods, which are so widely available, enable us to avoid starvation, but this leads to obesity and ironically suffering malnutrition. 

Empty or naked calorie foods are foods that are deficient in nutrients.  They cannot be used in the body without vitamins and minerals and other digestive enzymes.  For example, a diet heavy in sugar or refined carbohydrates is stripped of nutrients which inevitably lead to multiple vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  They cannot be metabolized unless vitamins and minerals are present. As a result, the body must get them from other food stuff.  Essentially, you are robbing the body of the scarce nutrients available in the body by eating junk food or “empty calorie food”.

Excessive sugar is highly inflammatory and leads to an excessive drain on the pancreas for insulin.  High blood sugar and hyperinsulinemia are powerful stimulants for cancer proliferation.

Nutrient deficiency can contribute to cancer initiation and can hamper recovery efforts.  Hence, it is important that you choose your food sources well (both in quantity and quality) to ensure that you obtain all the nutrients required for optimal function.