Page 4 - DietaryPlan03

convenient benchmark to help guide a healthier balanced diet. Some foods are known to be
more acidic than others, e.g., cheeses, processed meats, alcohol and sweetened fizzy drinks,
whilst others, like fruit and vegetables tend to supress acidity. Taken in the round, a mixed
and balanced diet of all of these foods can sustain a healthy body environment. So, my rule
of thumb is to eat predominantly organic vegetables and fruit, and only enjoy dairy, alcohol
and fizzy drinks as occasional treats, but not to eliminate them completely from my diet. It’s
important to occasionally enjoy a few small things in moderation, otherwise we feel like we
are punishing ourselves.

4. Hormones. It is theorized, but not proven, for those with existing tumours, elevated or
excess hormones in the body might stimulate the tumour to faster growth. We all produce
hormones at levels natural to us, but plenty of foods we eat also contain hormones,
naturally or not. Partly for this reason, I decided to take sizeable step and not eat any farm
reared animals or fish. Given other factors already discussed, and that we do not know what
is in animal feed let alone the farmed animal or fish itself, I choose not to eat any animal
protein other than wild caught fish and shellfish. In addition, many plant-based foods
contain ‘Phyto-oestrogens’, some of which bizarrely behave in an 'anti oestrogenic' manner.
These lock onto receptor cells, blocking other oestrogens from being absorbed, theoretically
regulating levels in the body. I don’t pretend to know how these things work, but being
aware of vegetables that have antiestrogenic properties is useful to me. Some examples of
these include mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, turmeric and curcumin. Again,
there is very little hard scientific evidence directly linking foods to increasing or lowering
hormone levels, yet given the overall picture, adopting a largely vegetarian diet felt the right
thing to do.

5. Anti-inflammatory foods. Inflammation within the body can arise for a whole host of
reasons be it infections, torn ligaments, ulcers, cuts, sores and bruises, or from surgery,
where the body is actively healing and repairing itself. Inflammations create an environment
where cells replicate and repair from which some cancers might begin to develop.
Additionally, it is thought existing tumours may grow quicker in an inflamed environment.
Fortuitously, there are a whole host of foods thought to have 'anti-inflammatory' properties.
Some of these include for example red grapes and berries such as blueberries, strawberries
and raspberries; oily fish such as mackerel, sardines and anchovies; many vegetables for
example broccoli, avocado, cabbage, chilli peppers and mushrooms; and useful spices like
turmeric, cinnamon and extra virgin cooking oils.

6. Antioxidants. Antioxidants are important because they help protect our cells from damage.
A poor diet can lead to heightened ‘oxidative stress’, whereby toxic by-products known as
free radicals form, which are thought to cause damage to the cells, potentially leading to
cancer. All foods contain natural pigments that gives them a unique colour. For example,
beta-carotene makes carrots orange, chlorophyll gives vegetables such as kale their rich
green colour. These pigments also act as highly effective antioxidants, reducing free radicles,
potentially keeping our cells healthy. Some examples of foods and drinks containing good
amounts of antioxidants include blueberries, strawberries, organic oats, potatoes, various
beans, broccoli, spinach, walnuts and green tea. Whilst again, there is no hard evidence that
antioxidants directly stop cancers from forming, these food choices intuitively blend well
with healthy living. In particular, I like to focus my diet around dark green, orange, red and
purple coloured organically grown fruit and vegetables, such as beetroot, aubergine, red
onions, sweet potato, kale, carrots, all cabbages, green beans, red grapes, blueberries and
strawberries.