BC-064 Learn How To Eat After Diagnosis: A Candid Conversation About Cancer Pt 2

Part 2: Beat Cancer Board Member Emeritus Andrea Anderson with Nutrition Commission, Talks About ‘Learning How To Eat in a Healthy Way After A Cancer Diagnosis’

Following Andrea Anderson’s aggressive Stage 2B / Stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis while pregnant, she was faced with 42 years of eating habits that needed to be changed. Listen to this podcast to learn how Andrea navigated changing her eating habits, addressing the emotional needs behind her cravings, and structuring a plan to keep her on track. She is also sharing her daily juice and salad here: 

2:38 My friend wanted me to watch The Truth About Cancer. I watched all 9 part docuseries I learned about chemotherapy and the industry and I learned how food could heal.

3:43 Foods have the power to heal. In parallel, I was doing oncology and made an appointment with the Cancer Center For New Medicine because I heard their name on The Truth About Cancer Docuseries.

4:20 The foods that I ate as a kid with my family, the way we treated food, it was comfort and pleasure. Now I was introduced to food as medicine and in the state of chronic illness it’s about the therapeutic benefits of food.

5:06 I read The Anti-Cancer A New Way of Life book that became a guide for me.

5:43 I gave birth in July 2015 and my mother-in-law from Greece came and she was a big piece in learning how to cook veggies and how delicious they are with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and oregano, salt and pepper. It was exactly what my body needed.

7:34 I was juicing every day, first getting it from whole foods and flooding my body to make it alkaline and detoxing from chemotherapy at the same time. I was also taking baby steps to take out sugar, grains, alcohol.

9:43 Detoxing was also a big part of this with coffee enemas. I didn’t feel as sick as other people I’ve heard were. I bounced back after 2 days of every treatment. I was eating organic, good quality food.

11:37 I was feeling hungry and burned out. I didn’t know what to eat.

13:33 I did a slew of testing. I was taking about 60 supplements and did micronutrients testing, mitochondrial function testing, and a toxicity test for heavy metals. My A1C was good but nutritionally I still wasn’t good. This is where candida, parasites, and the gut health comes into it.

16:03 I felt like I was developing an eating disorder, orthorexia. People with chronic illness and cancer know they need to pivot and eat differently, but I almost wasn’t eating at all because I couldn’t get past the do not eat list.

19:17 I came across Chris Wark’s work. He healed with food and figured out how to make it simple. He taught me the trick of how to eat the same things every day. My life transformed at this point. I was focused on what I should eat and how to make it delicious. I incorporate different fats, textures, and the sweet and the creamy. It’s very low maintenance.

24:10 Half my plate is loaded with veggies, 1/4 of my plate is a protein source, and then the remaining is for olives or beans or complex carbs. I do olive oil on veggies and I cook with coconut oil in good cookware.

27:44 The sugar cravings were the toughest thing to battle. What worked for me was Bulletproof coffee with coconut oil and grass fed butter. I would do Intermittent fasting until 10-11am and break the fast with green juice.

31:25 You have to stop and think about what is fueling your desire for the food. I would look at food and say, why do I need this? What am I feeding? Do I need self care? A walk, a sauna, a hug? Slow down and connect with what’s behind the behavior.

36:47 I did coffee enemas 3 to 4 times a week, especially if I had strong cravings.

40:50 I have not felt like crap in the afternoon anymore because I eat a salad every day.

41:41 We didn’t go out to eat a lot.

43:22 I lifted the load of perfection because that made me sick, like eating disorder mentality. But I’m very careful about my habits.

47:28 You don’t want to put harmful things into your body and if you keep reaching for them you have to dig deeper and ask why do I need this? The urge is so powerful. What is it really about? Do I need to relax? Self-care? A hug? A walk? Reading a book? Mindfulness?

Andrea’s go-to Green juice in this order!

1 cucumber

2-3 celery stalks

1/2 romaine lettuce

2-3 handfuls of spinach

1/2 - 1 granny smith apple (low glycemic)

1 lemon w/ peel removed

1 ginger piece (about the size of your thumb) - add more if you prefer!

My Favorite Combination for Creating my perfectly, delicious Daily Salad! 

“Andrea’s Signature Salad”

Lettuces: I like to mix in 2 different lettuces and a few handfuls of each options (spinach, butter lettuce, or arugula) 

Veggies: Cucumbers + Broccoli Sprouts + Cauliflower Rice + little bit of Green onions (I stick with these all the time!)

Crunchy: Nuts. I’ll add in either pine nuts, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds. Entirely up to you but ensure they are plain and not store-bought as roasted.

Sweet: Fruit (ie, Pomegranates, Blueberries or Strawberries only!)

Salty: Roasted Sweet Potatoes cut into cubes – 1 tbspl of olive oil with Garlic Salt + Himalayan Salt + Cooked @ 400 for 45 min.

Sauerkraut! I love this stuff! I’ll buy Bubbies and put in about ¼ - ½ cup at least. Creates a great texture and ‘juiciness’ almost to your salad.

Garlic Olives. About 3-4!

Creamy: Healthy Fats & Beans. I cut up half of an Avocado + add in a Creamy Dressing Option + 1 tbls of olive oil to the salad to help blend up the creaminess.

I make a home-made, dairy-free Caesar Dressing ‘or’ sometimes I just a dollop of Avocado Chipotle ‘mayo’ from Primal Kitchen to give my salad a creamy kick!

Beans. I’ll add in a few ‘gigante’ beans which are mediterrean style and delicious! But I would limit these to no more than ¼ cup as a protein source to your salad.

Toppings: Organic, Hemp Hearts (I’ll put in 3 tbsp to get me 10 grams of plant-based protein!)

Cheese: Special Occasion - I might add a few sprinkles of organic goat cheese or feta from time to time!

Homemade, Dairy-Free, Caesar-like Salad Dressing (without anchovies!)– drop into food processor and blend! (Add 1 tbsp of water if needed to liquify to your liking)

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcester sauce
• 1 pasture-raised egg
• ½ cup to ¾ cup olive oil
• 2 -3 cloves of garlic
• Salt-