Dietary and Nutritional Counselling
It is well-known that the rates of most cancers are increasing year by year. One of the biggest factors in this rise is the foods eaten, and not eaten, by those living in most industrialized nations. Today, there are still over 225 cultures world-wide that eat a traditional, whole-foods, unrefined diet. Not surprisingly, the rates of cancer in each of these societies is relatively incredibly low, despite our environment being the same.
What is a whole foods diet? There are many names for this diet, including Paleolithic Diet, Traditional Diet, Ancestral Diet, Macrobiotic Diet, and others. There are differences in all these dietary philosophies or histories, but they have a few things in common. They only allow foods that are unprocessed and in their whole form such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, whole grains, and varied amounts of wild and organic animal products. They do not include foods that have been packaged and refined allowing for years of a shelf-life.
After more than a decade of experience in treating cancer patients at Integrated Health ClinicTM, we are aware that making dietary changes is often the most difficult part of a patient's healing journey. We recommend one step at a time, and slow and steady changes towards an end-goal.
Through the management of diet and the educated use of nutritional supplements, our cancer patients assure themselves that their nutritional needs are met. During cancer treatment, the requirements of certain macro and micro nutrients change; our patients receive guidance from our Naturopathic Oncologists specific to addressing individual needs. Not all cancers require the same dietary or nutritional interventions, and the recommendations will be adapted to target the idiosyncrasies of varied cancers and treatments being used. Give us a call and we will get you on your way to better health.
Some Food for Thought - Here are some of the Basics.
Eat & Drink more of the following:
- Colourful fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains (brown rice, whole oats, etc)
- Nuts, seeds, olives and fish
- Ample purified water and moderately green tea
- Garlic, onions, and ginger
- Dark greens (kale, spinach, etc)
- Spices (turmeric, rosemary, cinnamon, etc)
- Wild mushrooms (shitake, maitake, reishi, etc)
Eat and drink less of the following:
- Processed foods of all types
- Preservatives, food colourings and flavourings
- Simple sugars (“cornerstore foods”)
- Hydrogenated or Trans fats (margarine, etc)
- Alcohol and soft drinks
- Smoked and processed meats
- Refined carbohydrates (white flour products)
- Too much food! (Eat to maintain healthy weight)