Siti wrote:
Hey Alexandra
Thanks for joining our conversation. It’s wonderful that your boyfriend responded very well to chemo, that certainly is very encouraging. I am not surprised that a healthy diet, supplements and exercise played an important role. Would you mind sharing what supplements he took and what kind of diet he was on?
For me, I try my best to provide the best nutrition for my husband through well balanced meals but he’s beginning to lose his appetite and also had diarrhoea today which I can foresee would be a challenge if it continues.
Hi Siti!
I know how challenging it can be! My boyfriend lost weight in the beginning too, but now we have found a routine that works, with high-calorie foods that are healthy and that he enjoys. On the days he is wearing the pump at home, eating can be a challenge. I find smoothies are a good way to get good food into him, but he is generally very disciplined and pushes himself to eat because he knows he need the fuel.
I can definitely share the data regarding his diet and supplements! Just take it with a grain of salt, as the opinions vary so widely on this point and I wouldn't want to give you any advice that was harmful.
As far as diet is concerned, we have switched to 100% (at least 95%) organic. He eats a lot of vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and some fruit. He eats no red meat, only chicken and fish. No regular dairy but some goat's cheese, and he does eat eggs. I also make him a green juice every day, and he drinks green tea. Mainly we are avoiding all processed foods, simple carbs (white bread, white pasta, cornflakes, etc), refined sugars and harmful fats. He needs a lot of food to maintain his weight, but we have found a way that works, and we find that he recovers much faster from the chemo on a nutrient-dense diet. Since changing his diet, his digestive problems have gone away too, and he has regular bowel movements with no problems. He says his digestion has never been better, and the bloating and pains which led to his diagnosis have disappeared.
He takes a lot of supplements: A, B complex, C, D3, E, evening primrose oil, fish oil, coQ10, green tea extract, turmeric, magnesium, selenium, MSM, Chinese wormwood... I hope I'm not forgetting any. We did go see an orthomolecular doctor who approved our supplement list and dosages. But again, I want to stress that I am no expert and there are such conflicting opinions on this point! I would hate to recommend anything that could have a bad effect.
Best of luck! Your husband is lucky to have you
