My Anti-Cancer Diet

I’ve been told many times over the years by oncologists that I am an anomaly or just very lucky to still be here after my terminal cancer diagnosis. I like to think I’ve engineered my own luck by taking control and overhauling my diet and lifestyle.

When it comes to cancer, or any illness for that matter, by making certain dietary changes you can take control and kick-start the process of healing. Nutrition is the first and best defence in preventing and reversing disease.

In modern life, it is difficult to follow an anti-cancer diet. Fast food restaurants, convenience foods, microwavable meals etc dominate people’s daily menu. These foods are so lacking in nutrition that it’s no wonder more and more people are getting sick.

Cancer thrives in an acidic environment, that’s why the best piece of advice I heard was to alkalize my body to prevent any further spread and to start reversing the disease. Eating an alkaline diet reduces inflammation and improves intracellular pH.

Today’s modern diet in the Western world is one that promotes inflammation and acidic intracellular pH. This provides a perfect environment for cancer to develop and spread. A properly constructed alkaline diet will improve your intracellular pH over time providing an environment in which disease cannot exist.

What feeds cancer?

Cancer cells feed mainly on sugar so one of the most important dietary changes for a person suffering from any form of cancer is to try and avoid sugar. Also, refined white flour products should be avoided as well as when they are metabolised they turn into sugar which creates acid. Moderation of fruit is important due to the high fructose content. If you frequently eat sugar or fruit throughout the day, you can suppress your immune function and increase the insulin levels causing further problems.

Cancel cells also feed off iron. That’s why it’s best to reduce or avoid red meat. Iron is however needed by the body but most of it is bound to transferrin or ferritin in the bloodstream, where it is carried to tissues mainly to make blood. It is the ‘free iron’ that is harmful which causes inflammatory reaction in any tissue and also causes cancer cells to flourish. Under normal healthy circumstances, there is very little free iron circulating in the blood but two things in particular have been shown to free iron from where it is bound. The first is alcohol and the second is oestrogen.

My Diet

I was a big meat eater before and I was of the opinion that a meal wouldn’t be a meal without a serving of meat. However, after being diagnosed, I adopted a vegetarian diet before taking it a step further and going vegan after attending a raw food health retreat. There is a lot of debates around about what diet is best and people will defend their ideologies with everything they have. I see a lot of bashing going on in each of the different camps, vegan, carnivore, paleo, keto etc etc. We are all different but I don’t believe it has to be that complicated. We should try and listen to our body to find balance.

A Typical Day

Upon rising, I drink hot water and squeezed lemon. Although cognitively we see this as being citric acid, when we metabolize the lemon it is highly alkaline.

I then have my first juice consisting of apple, celery, romaine lettuce, cabbage and cucumber. Then approx. one hour later I’ll have a carrot juice. Sometimes to mix things up, I’ll add an apple, ginger and beetroot to the carrot juice. All ingredients are organic.

I like to eat breakfast around 10am which will be a bowl of organic porridge oats cooked with almond milk. I also add chia seeds, desiccated coconut and topped with some blueberries and cashew nuts.

For lunch I tend to have a jacket potato, accompanied by things like beans, legumes, sprouts, chopped peppers, avocado, hummus, sauerkraut/fermented vegetables and a mixed salad.

As a rule of thumb, I try to eat dinner before 6pm. This mainly consists of things like potatoes, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, vegetables, mixed beans and legumes, salads and sprouts. I also regularly have a large pot of soup on the go. If I am cooking and need to use oil, I will only use coconut oil.

For snacks I will have small portions of nuts and seeds or sprouts such as broccoli seeds or alfalfa. I do also enjoy the occasional piece of dark chocolate as a treat.

Its important to note that all ingredients should be organic.

For drinks throughout the day, I drink filtered or distilled water, and have green/herbal teas with this water.

The human body is intelligent and knows how to heal if given the correct environment to do so. Toxicity and deficiency will suppress the immune system. My aim has always been to try and create a healing environment that will bring balance.