So what does everyone eat!

I ate food before and I still eat food.

Didn't change my eating habits. I refuse to let PC dictate how I live my life!!!

Andrew

Since I've been cured of my prostate cancer, why would I make any changes now? That would be like closing the barn door after the horses are out. To the extent that diet increased my risk of PC, if it did at all, it did so over a lifetime - so what possible effect could changing eating habits now have for me? The evidence is incredibly weak for dietary changes affecting PC. But I can certainly see how those with incurable PC might want to make changes in order to wrest more control. Personally, I'm much more concerned about dietary effects on CV disease - a much bigger killer.

That said, I've always kept myself in good shape, exercise every day, and don't binge eat or drink - except when I occasionally want to.

Doire said...
Hi Guys

Hope everyone is well today! Im hoping you guys can tell me what lifestyle changes you have made since your diagnosis/treatment. Hubby is blessed with regards his weight/fitness level etc BUT his diet is far from good. He is 6ft and 190 ... he can pretty much eat and drink what he wants without gaining weight. With that said, his diet (i think) now needs to be reviewed. The URO didnt really give any guidelines only to say keep doing what your doing, keep it heart healthy. The URO doesnt know about the daily bacon egg and cheese, the nightly attacks of chocolate bars, and the Beers that are drank 3-4 nights a week.

So how did your diagnosis change your eating/drinking habits? What advice were you given regarding your diet. What recommendations do you have. Are there any studies on alcohol intake and PCa and its effect?

Doire, good question.
I got very little direction, actually none, from my Dr (prostate surgeon). The reality is that in Medical school, from what I've read, they spend about 1 hour on nutrition over the 3 years that a doctor attends. D2mn shame. But my Dr does have a "wellness expert" in English, a nutritionist who is well versed on diet and pc, on staff. I met with her once, and most if what she told me, Iad already heard here..

I've eliminated nothing, but GREATLY reduced red meat, egg yolks, dairy (butter, cheese, ice cream) and sugar (AKA poison).

I've also greatly reduced carbs, but that's more for cardiovascular issues.

I agree with tall Allen, there is scant science behind diet and PC, especially after you get PC. But it can't hurt, and maybe it will slow, or prevent recurrence.

I think you do what you can, but you have to balance it with enjoying life. (Like what, I'm never going to eat ice cream again? EVER? Are you f'n kidding me ? Who can live a life like that?)

Basically what everyone else is saying. Too late for the idea of changing for cancer. Varied diet light on animal products. Still treat myself to goodies now and then. I've thought reduced gluten has merit, but requires more discipline than I want.

Prato & fiddle that is what i was wondering, thanks for the info.

TA and PDA, i was coming at this from the view of how to keep from BCR and avoid fueling the beast because in my mind i was figuring there are now steps to be taken to ensure it doesn't come back. I had read here and elsewhere that your diet can have an effect on BCR. In short, i saw this as prevention, am i wrong? I was not necessarily asking what you think he should eat but more asking what changes were made and what advice was given, that was all.

Doire-

I was answering for me, and what changes I made or didn't make and why. I have seen nothing that leads me to believe that a recurrence is preventable by diet. Because I have no evidence of disease, I consider myself to be fully cured. This attitude improves my outlook on life. But, as I said, there are good reasons that others might want to go beyond the medical evidence. If there's no harm, why not?

Thanks TA, i misread your first response. I guess its a personal thing whether you feel diet restrictions/changes aid in preventing BCR.

When I was dx my urologist said to be reasonable and gave me a book by Dr. Mark Moyad. I also got info from Dr. Snuffy Smith on his diet instructions. The way we put this into action was to identify the foods we were eating too much of and developed a few lists. One list is what we should eat every day, foods we limit to once a week, and foods we eat once a month. Thus we didn't give up what we like, we just aren't eating as much of them and they are much better when we do have the "forbidden fruits".

My attitude is like Tall Allen says. My current diet will have little to do with PCa. It does have much to do with my overall health and that is more what guides me. But I balance that with the psychological aspect of enjoying food and drink that isn't all on the Dean Ornish lists. Moderation is best for us. Of course at a GFMPH weekend there is no moderation!!

I am sure if I was a bit younger I would have a different attitude, but at 72 I have accepted that I now have a limited life expectancy and while I won't be doing anything silly, I am not going to make my life miserable by denying some of the simpler pleasures of life.

My biggest concern with food is that I don't add weight which is bad for cardio (and my wallet if I have to buy new clothes) and having resumed HT, that is a concern. However by reducing portion size I have managed to maintain my pre HT weight (even lost a bit) but I haven't changed what I eat. Stilly enjoy a glass of wine (or two) and a couple of squares of chocolate and an occasional bowl of ice cream.

If I skipped that stuff would I live an extra month or two? Who knows, but I do know that life is too short to deny yourself a pleasure or two.

Chas

I now eat way less red meat and dairy, far more turkey, chicken, and fish, much more vegetables, fresh fruit, very little sugary stuff, avoid fried foods, etc. When I was diagnosed, I was bordering on moving from overweight to obese, was pre-diabetic, and just didn't like my body image. Started making small changes to my lunch diet, no cheese on my sandwich, switching from mayo to italian dressing on my sandwich, traded the bag of chips for a salad, changed desert to an apple, that just snowballed over time to pretty healthy eating. Tried to keep my total to around 2000 calories a day and curbed hunger bouts with apples and cherry coke zero. I dropped about 60 lbs in 10-11 months. Now I'm staying between 165-170 and feel great.

Also, I stopped drinking beer. Now when i drink I have rum with something low to no calories. I'm sure that made a huge difference as well, i used to drink a LOT of beer.

Hi Doire,

Your husband sounds like more of a cardiologist's problem than a urologist's problem. I too have allegedly been "cured of PC", my prostate was taken out six weeks ago and now my PSA is undetectable. So I could say I could go back to my typical American diet, but we may have other pre-cancerous situations we don't even know about. Just yesterday in the dentist chair the dentist and his assistant were concerned about spots on the roof of my mouth. darn! Another possible cancer to worry about.

Food can't cause cancer, mutated genes do. However, weakening your body through poor nutrition and lifestyle choices allows it to take off. Especially obesity and sugar. I am a very fit 64 with good BMI. However, I am a Type 2 diabetic and have a cardiac condition called cardiomyopathy. For a decade before the this PC diagnosis I learned I better start taking care of myself or I will really shorten my life expectancy. I also made the mistake of going to my 40th high school reunion where I actually saw how OLD people looked and how many people in my birth year died of natural causes. That was an eye opener.

So...preparing for the PC surgery a couple of months ago I switched to a 100% plant based diet, mainly to make the BMs easier, and have been on it since. 14 pounds melted away! I was inspired by several Netflix documentaries, listed below. I felt I owed it to myself to get in the best condition possible to strengthen myself to stave off any more bad medical conditions. I now have more energy than I had in years.

I added one more hour of sleep to my cycle. To fight incontinence I quit coffee and alcohol and those two made a big difference in terms of my energy level. I am almost Vegan and the only real problem is finding good dinner options. But I have curbed my appetite by losing the weight. Most of the guys saying they eat whatever they want, that doesn't have to do with PC, that has to do with their upcoming heart issues that they don't even know about yet, or push them into Diabetes...I think when one hits their mid-60s and friends and acquaintances start dying off, that's when one realizes it's important to analyze what one puts in their pie hole!

Here's some Netflix docs to watch to inspire him to live longer:

What The Health
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
Food Choices
Food Inc.
Forks Over Knives
Sugar Added
Vegucated
King Corn

Good luck to your husband. As a female you will live longer than him anyway, so by getting him to improve his nutrition you'll have him around longer!

Nick

P.S. My favorite line from The Big Short: "People tend to not think about the worst thing happening, because they don't think it will happen to them".

I've always viewed my diet as "strengthening" and maximizing my body condition against any future "battles."

After being diagnosed with PCa now, I don't think my diet and supplements will provide any "cure," of course, but as I'm on active surveillance, I think a healthy body puts up a better fight against the progression of the disease. As our bodies function as an interrelated system, diet does affect overall well being. I have a tendency to view some food as I would tobacco/cigarettes.

In addition, let's say I'm lucky, and I get 10 years on active surveillance. My body is only getting older, so if the time comes and I do need direct treatment, I want to be in the best shape to handle it. I'd rather not have other ailments (e.g., diabetes, atherosclerosis, reduced lung capacity) thrown into the mix when the time comes for direct treatment for PCa.