I was wondering if anyone knows of imformation on diet and immune systems that has been scientifically proven?

I have 1 thing that makes me and is also really good for you.

Bruschetta.
A simple tomato, red onion and basil topping is best with a homemade garlic bread _base_ works best.
You just dice up the tomato and onion then crush some garlic, add some olive oil and spread it over the bread and give it a grill. Top the garlic bread with the tomato,onion and basil mix and there you have it. Its chock full of anti-oxidants and all sorts of other good things.

YUM - bruschetta is tasty stuff!

Anyone got any more cancer-friendly recipes I can steal?

Hi all,

I love the bruschetta idea and am a huge fan of fresh tomato-_base_d pasta sauces.

When I was diagnosed with ALL back in May, I contacted a friend, who is a Naturopath, for some advice. Aside from suggesting taking up Sandra Cabot’s Liver Cleansing Diet, which I had experiences with previously, she provided me with quite a bit of info on nutrition, anti-oxidants, cancer and blood diseases. I’ve read it can be argued that whilst undergoing chemotherapy it might not be the best time to load the system with antioxidants as the chemo drugs are toxins themselves and need to do what they are designed for. However, the chemo drugs are probably a lot more potent than any natural remedy so I guess it’s up to personal choice and how the individual is coping with the changes in appetite. Not seen anything confirming or denying this scientifically though.

Here is a little of the info that was provided to me from my Naturopath friend.

Eat plenty of:
Fish – in particular the cold water variety such as sardines, salmon, mackerel, herring and trout. Tinned fish in spring water and brine is ok. The consumption of fish is great for omega-3 fatty acids.
Pineapple and papaya – bromelains and papain for enzymes.
Onion family – onions, spring onions, leeks and garlic.
Cabbage family – cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts.
Berries and cherries (classed as the new super food) – contains many anti-cancer properties such as resveratrol, polyphenols and many more nutrients that are shown to fight cancer cells.
Green tea – 4 cups daily. Apparently blocking growth factor required by Leukaemia cells – supposedly great for AML patients.
Eat loads of garlic – garlic enhances the differentiation of and inhibits the proliferation of leukaemia cells by inhibiting the incorporation of Thymidine – a growth factor for leukaemia.
Chinese mushrooms – reishi, maitake and shiitake. These contain immune-boosting and immune-modulating properties.
Soy – cooked and fermented soy products contain L-Asparagine (I’ve had plenty of L-Asparaginase in quite high doses as a chemo drug throughout my treatment, which is apparently quite important in the treatment of ALL).
Turmeric powder – 1 tspn daily - One of the most powerful anti-oxidants in the world.
Raw nuts, seeds and herbs – pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds. Brazil nuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, almonds etc. Great herbs are rosemary, oregano, mint, parsley, coriander and thyme.
Buckwheat – recommended after radiation. You can get this in different forms such as buckwheat pasta, crisp breads, and breads with wholegrain.

Of course if you can afford it go organic. It is important to be eating a variety of foods to ensure a variety of anti-oxidants are consumed.

I also have some info on supplements and vitamins so if anyone is interested let me know.

Tri Man

Have to agree with you there DanT. It was suggested to me that if it wasn’t around 100 years ago should we be eating it at all?

I'm really looking forward to that hospital food for the next few weeks .

With regards to the toxicity of the chemo drugs, I'm sure the nurses and doctors don’t wear those lovely purple gloves and eye protection because they look good. The stuff is quite bad for you.

Regards.