+ What is a Nutritionist?

A nutritionist is someone who has been certified in the individual components of food and how those components affect the human body.

+ Why is it imporant to find one when you get diagnosed with cancer?

A nutritionist can help you make changes. They can also advise you about any other dietary problems you might have during or after your cancer treatment.

Nutritionists are absolutely integral to cancer treatments and overall cancer care. There are different phases throughout the process that require different needs. For example, they can teach you how to handle side effects such as nausea or heartburn. But more than that, if you can meet with a nutritionist right when you first get diagnosed you can learn what feeds cancer, you can check the various markers like inflammation, and be taught how to empower yourself toward better health.

+ Where can you find a Nutritionist?

1. If you don’t know where to start, get online and see if there’s a college/university that offers graduate or undergraduate degrees in science-based natural medicine that integrates mind, body, spirit, and nature. Then, look at their faculty to see if any of them take on patients. Call the department and ask for a referral. Clinics that partner or have their training from an integrated facility like that will have cutting edge science including IV treatments, oxygen therapy, acupuncture, movement classes like Qigong and much more. Usually all in one place.
   

2. You could get a referral from your doctor. Often, there are nutritionists that partner with cancer centers, or large institutions. In those situations, you might be able to get the service covered by insurance. One caveat with large institutions is they tend to have outdated nutritional information, but it can be a great start if the patient has little to no experience with nutrition.
   

3. You can also research nutritionists online for your specific type of cancer. Nowadays, remote nutrition can be very helpful. You skype or zoom with them and they request your bloodwork, then you go to a local lab, then schedule your next appointment to discuss. With technology, we now can get access to the best nutritionists from all over the country/world without having to leave our homes.
   

4. Look for books/websites/social media accounts with nutritionists who are passionate about your specific type of cancer. Really listen to who inspires you, who you feel you are aligned with, and find their information and email/call/etc to see if they can take you on as a client. Don’t be shy, you have nothing to lose.

+ What is a food group you should avoid?

There are some universal truths about food, like avoiding processed foods, but after that, things start to become very nuanced. It’s important to meet people where they are and then introduce them to elevated food choices. Food changes need to be sustainable over the long term, and there is so much to learn.

Each body has different nutrient needs, working with a specialized nutritionist that can track your blood levels (helping you adjust, through diet/supplements, things like lowering your homocysteine, or free iron) to fine tune your body and your health is more precise than just taking supplements because you read it in a book/article/a nutritionist recommended it without checking your blood.

There are various food tests using blood, muscle testing, or skin pricks, etc. These tests can garner clues to help you improve your inflammation, overall health, and feel your best. But no test is foolproof, so it is important to listen to your body and know whether a food item, food group, or supplement feels like a good fit for your body.

+ What is the first thing you would recommend to someone who just got diagnosed?

Take a beat. Take a breath. This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Remember that you are not a statistic.

+ Are there nutritionists who specialize in people who have cancer?

Hell yes there are, and they’re light years ahead of general nutritionists. Above that, there are cancer nutritionists for subtypes. And that is imperative because the recommendations between, for example, brain tumors vs colon cancer, are practically opposite. Then you look between types of brain cancer and some metabolize glucose (sugar/carbs) yet others feed on amino acids (protein). These things can make a massive difference in your survival, so it's important to be knowledgeable about your specific type of cancer.

There are so many types of treatments, but if you’re able to work with a nutritionist at the same time as any various treatment you’re going through, there are often synergistic additions that can potentiate the efficacy of said treatment. In the same vein, some drugs/supplements can hinder the success. The most important thing to remember is that you are a study of one. Your intuition needs to guide you. Also, we can’t be experts about everything regarding our cancer and our cancer care, put together experts that you trust. Surround yourself with the smartest people you can get access to, find ones that you respect, that respect you, that will listen to you and that will be willing to work together.

+ What are some foods that you would add immediately?

1. Broccoli sprouts (See Rhonda Patrick’s research, or PubMed keywords: “sulforaphane + cancer”)

2. I hesitate to list anything else before a person has had their blood checked.

+ When you don’t have the resources for a nutritionist where should I start?

When in doubt, if you can’t afford a nutritionist, start with whole foods in their natural form. Eat mostly vegetables. Check out books on nutrition to inform yourself and see your food as medicine. It can feel overwhelming, but if you can look at it as an opportunity to help heal your beautiful body, it can transform how you view this new lifestyle adjustment. And if there are others in your household, incorporate them, invite them to cook with you. Turn this opportunity into quality time together, feeding your souls, bonding with love.