Receiving a cancer diagnosis can feel like you’ve been completely blindsided from reality. Your world feels turned upside down, deep denial may begin to set in, and an enveloping feeling of hopelessness may be looming overhead. From shock to desperation, receiving a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering event that can make you feel depleted, terrified, and lost to your core.
While no one ever wants to receive this devastating news, there is still a silver lining that can be found. A cancer diagnosis can also serve as a pivotal moment in your life to assess your diet, lifestyle, and overall state of mind. It’s a moment to get to know yourself better and know what you are truly capable of.
The cancer journey is not as straightforward as one might assume. The healing process doesn’t just involve surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, it has to stem from within. One of the most crucial aspects of overcoming cancer is how you fuel your body on a daily basis.
In today’s day in age, many people’s diets are filled with refined sugars, processed ingredients, and a variety of preservatives. This surplus of unnatural ingredients can prohibit the body’s ability to fully perform and operate how it should. Whether you realize it or not, eating a diet high in processed ingredients can have a major impact on your overall health and energy, especially if you have been diagnosed with cancer.
Whether you are currently on your cancer journey or you’re ready to adapt your eating habits in order to prevent future illness, it is essential that you take the time now to change your lifestyle for the better.
In this article, we are going to review how your diet affects cancer, how to starve cancer within your body, and how to ultimately adapt your diet to support your body at a deeper level.
How Does Diet Affect Cancer?
Diet is one of the largest contributors to the development of cancer. Individuals who consume a higher level of processed foods and refined sugars are at an increased risk of developing a variety of different ailments. Diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and liver cancer are generally linked to a poor diet according to WebMD. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is an extensive list of common cancers that are all tied to unhealthy eating habits.
Some studies suggest that consuming a healthy diet can reduce your risk of developing cancer by 30-50%. So then, if it was that simple, why haven’t more people adapted their eating habits? Unfortunately, many people are either unaware or unwilling to make this lifestyle change, even though it could save their lives. While the majority of the population may be blissfully ignorant of the threat of cancer with their eating choices, cancer patients do not have the same luxury.
It’s important to note that many people have a healthy diet and still end up with a cancer diagnosis. Stress and emotional factors can also be the culprit, as they both increase the level of toxins within the body. The more toxins that arise, the harder the immune system has to work, leaving it compromised and susceptible to further health issues. A weakened immune system often serves as the perfect breeding ground for cancer cells to grow and spread.
If you have been recently diagnosed with cancer, one of the first things you should do is change your diet, and quickly. Diets high in processed foods, refined sugars, dairy, and processed meats are proven to be linked to a higher rate of cancer. On the contrary, a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables has shown to have the opposite effect.
While there are many types of foods that can lead to the development of cancer, there are also cancer-fighting foods that help support the immune system. Incorporating these foods into your daily diet can help aid in weight loss, increase healthy cells, and significantly reduce cancer risk in an individual.
How to Starve Cancer Within the Body
When it comes to conventional cancer treatment, doctors only focus on killing the cancer within the body. While this is an effective and aggressive approach, holistic cancer treatment methods are often never mentioned. Supporting the cancer treatment process by nourishing your body is an essential step for anyone who is looking to beat their cancer and prevent it from coming back in the future.
At its most basic level, all cells use blood sugar for energy. Cancer cells on the other hand use about 200 times more sugar than normal cells. The sugar that is being used and processed is all coming from your diet. Now, this sugar can be found in everything from chocolate cake to fresh fruit. However, processed foods tend to have much higher levels of sugar compared to natural sources.
When you choose a sugary food source, the liver has a hard time processing it and can no longer metabolize this amount of sugar. When you eat a piece of fruit, the natural sugars are also accompanied by a high amount of fiber. This fiber helps to slow down the absorption of sugar within the body. A healthy body is more than capable of processing this kind of natural sugar intake. However, when you go for fruit juices or candy bars, there is no fiber to slow down the absorption, which overfloods the liver with sugar and forces it to go into overdrive mode.
So, does sugar make cancer grow? This has been a burning question among doctors and patients alike for years. While the medical community may disagree if cancer patients should completely cut out sugar from their diet, it is 100% agreed upon that processed foods and sugar do lead to other health issues, such as diabetes and obesity, which are massive contributors of cancer.
When it comes to starving cancer cells, it’s essential that you are providing your body with the vital nutrients it needs to function at an optimal level. In my cancer treatment approach, I think it is critical to remove all processed foods and sugars from your diet. Most of these processed ingredients are laden with harmful preservatives and chemicals, which may also be accumulating in the body and causing worsening health effects. This amount of toxins in the body completely overwhelms the liver, making it fatty, and can no longer eliminate toxins at a normal rate. At this stage, the liver is unable to properly filter, sort, and neutralize waste, resulting in an accumulation of toxins. These high levels of toxins become a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, and other intruders. Once the body has a surplus of toxins, the cell nucleus is then denatured and can turn cancerous.
The point of starving cancer cells is to remove foods that are known to worsen health so that the cancer is less likely to spread and grow. In this approach, all processed foods should be completely eliminated from one’s diet. Instead,
Providing the body with nutritious ingredients such as raw fruits and vegetables will help support healthy cells and equip the body with the energy it needs to beat cancer and prevent it from coming back. I always suggest to my clients to eat as much organic raw fruits and vegetables as possible.
What Is the Best Diet For Cancer Patients?
When working with clients, I focus heavily on diet. Cancer treatment isn’t something to take on passively. It’s a journey that requires an aggressive head-on approach. That’s why I always recommend eliminating the following:
- Processed ingredients
- Refined sugars
- Gluten
- Alcohol
- Dairy products
- Red meat
Eliminating these foods will help your body, but if cancer is already present, you will need to take a more aggressive approach to detoxing the body. Doing regular cleanses will help purge the body of these toxins, which will help support the liver to operate how it should. When you aren’t consuming a diet high in processed foods and sugars, you will then be able to supplement those ingredients with healthier alternatives such as vegetables, fruits, sprouted seeds, and other natural ingredients from mother nature.
Plus, most foods that help fight cancer are made naturally. Foods that are high in phytochemicals are known to not only improve health but also prevent cancer from developing. Fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, sprouted seeds, and vegetable juices are all included on this food list.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to conventional treatment, most doctors take the most aggressive approach to killing cancer cells, but they don’t discuss how to support the body and prevent the cancer from spreading in the future. Cancer prevention all starts with diet, and learning this lesson sooner rather than later can make all the difference when reducing your cancer risk.
With a cancer-starving diet, you are better able to support your body, reduce your chances of tumor growth, and give your body the nutrient levels it needs to kill cancer. By working through mental blockages, feeding your body the most supporting foods, and working towards becoming your highest self, you are then able to equip your body with all the resources it needs for an effective holistic treatment approach.
Whether you are just starting cancer treatment or you are in recovery, a cancer coach can make all the difference on your road to recovery. As a survivor myself, I have learned over the years how to recover and strengthen the body after a pass with cancer. If you’re ready to adapt your lifestyle, open your mind, and rise above your cancer diagnosis, I can help. Reach out to me today and we’ll find a cancer coach program that’s right for you!
