The Zipperleg Chronicles - Fighting cancer with style!

The Anti-Cancer DietPosted on Sat, Aug 13, 2011

Back in May, my wife Kristin did a lot of research, and I mean A LOT, about what would be a good diet someone in my condition should be eating. Turns out, there are a lot of opinions on the subject, but by comparing reliable sources with other cancer patient’s inputs, she came up with the following diet:

1. No Sugar or Sugar Substitutes – Sounds like a no-brainer, but it makes it very difficult to find products without it.
2. Only Organic Chicken and Fish – Especially fatty fish, like salmon. Chicken is a “sometimes” meat. Beef and pork are too hard on the system.
3. Whole Wheat Bread and Brown Rice – All that white stuff just turns immediately to sugar in the stomach.
4. No Alcohol – I don’t drink much anyway, but it, again, turns to sugar in your stomach. Not to mention the fact it’s basically poison, and my body’s having a hard enough time as it is without assaulting it with Jagerbombs.

About a month later, we had a meeting with a holistic doctor at Sloan-Kettering who basically confirmed all of Kristin’s decisions, but added a few tidbits we didn’t think about:

1. No Suppliments – Turns out, anything your body is lacking is probably doing so because the cancer is eating it up. So if you’re B deficient, it could easily be because your tumor is thriving on it, so why feed it more. A basic multivitamin and D suppliment is okay.
2. No Anti-Oxidents – Seriously. While they might (MIGHT) be good for you when you’re healthy, any assistance they are giving your cells being healthy, they are also giving to your cancer cells. I know, right?
3. No Juicing – The body absorbs too much from juice drinks that it also converts right to sugar. Also, many are geared towards stocking you up with more vitamins, which reminds us of #1. Smoothies with the whole fruit in it are okay, as it adds the fiber to slow down absorption.
4. Moderation is Okay – While I tend to be a tee-totaler because I know how easy it is to rationalize, she was sure to point out that a little cheat here and there won’t kill me. I can have the occasional glass of wine, chunk of chocolate, bit of bacon, cup of cheese…

And I have had my own personal things:

1. No Dairy – As a long-time lover of aged cheese, this is where I have my most difficult time staying kosher. But my family has had a bad history with dairy-related-products, so just to be safe.
2. No Coffee, just Tea – While I was told no green tea, I have mostly been avoiding coffee as it always felt to me like I was throwing oil in the gas-tank. So I’m sticking with oolongs, blacks and pu-ehr. Makes me feel healthier. Bugs Kristin, who is a die-hard coffee drinker, I think, but she doesn’t let it show.

There’s more to all of this that I am sure Kristin will want to add her thoughts on, but this is the basic diet I have been following. The interesting side-effect has also been that I have lost about 30 pounds in 4 months, almost all of which happened before chemo began. Since chemo began, my weight has stabilized at a slightly-slight 190. (I’m 6’3″)

It took some getting used to, especially discovering how many products have sugar, and how many supposedly health-food products have “evaporated cane juice” listed – which is another name for sugar. Sugar in potato chips? Really? Really.

But now, I don’t really even miss anything. I don’t even really miss chocolate. People would ask me when I was first starting how long I would have to be on the diet, and the question confused me. This is how I eat now. This isn’t something that I will do for awhile and stop, even if I go into remission. This is just how I eat now.

About the Author

An actor trained in physical theater, living in New York City, livin' the dream. I am married to an amazing woman without whom I'd probably be dead by now, and step-dad to the irrepressible Izzy! I sculpt masks, I juggle, I act, I design graphically-type-stuff, and when offered the choice between two evils, I take the one I've never tried before. I listen, I fly planes, I bike to the beach, I am a tea brewing ninja, I design new board games with my daughter, and I tell stories... too many stories. And while I used to be trying to learn to juggle my work, living in this city, my dreams, my wife, but now I am reminded every day they are all one, all my life, and every day is one more day I get to live it.