Battling bad cells with good eating

Had enough of cancer, urine and assorted penis facts for now? Good, let’s talk about food!

I doubt I’ll ever know for sure the exact role my particular diet played in cancer’s attack on my prostate gland. But scientists do know that what we eat and drink is linked to the development of disease in many of the body’s organs, even if they don’t know exactly how.

So while I’m not going to waste any time regretting bad habits of the past, I will be very mindful of that connection as I move forward.

A session with a nutritionist and a bunch of books convinced me that food can play a role in my fight against cancer. After all, if certain foods had created a cozy environment in my body for cancer to flourish, it could only help me to stop eating them. Further, other foods might actively rally my good cells for the battle against the evil ones.

Within a few days of my diagnosis, I started making radical changes in my diet. That's not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, it has been a rather fun distraction, and it feels like the single most self-empowering thing I have accomplished in this entire journey.

When I learned I had cancer, I wanted to do something. I immediately pored over books and Web sites on prostate cancer, becoming as well-informed as I could, but it didn’t feel like I was actually doing anything to help my cause. With every book I read, those cancer cells kept right on multiplying. I spent a lot of time agonizing over what treatment option I would choose, which added to the feelings of inertia. Once I realized that a change in diet was something I could do immediately, all by myself, I felt like I was finally taking positive steps toward a cure.

I won't bore you with the detailed lessons in nutrition I delved into, but the general theme isn't exactly breaking news: Eat your fruits and vegetables, especially those high in antioxidants; cut animal fats; bulk up on whole grains; get enough protein.

When it comes to prostate cancer, the advice gets more specific, some of it based on differences in cancer rates among ethnic groups. For instance, men from Asian countries have a much lower incidence of prostate cancer than men from Western nations. But when Asian men adopt typical Western diets, generally as the result of moving here, their rate of prostate cancer goes up. Researchers theorize that native Asian diets, low in animal fats and high in soy products, are the reason. Fat has long been suspected as a possible cause of many cancers, while the isoflavones in soy are thought to fight or possibly prevent them.

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By some standards, my old habits weren't all that bad. I was always a vegetable eater and my regular lunch for years had included a piled-high plate from the cafeteria salad bar. I never had much of a sweet tooth, but I had recently acquired a fondness for ice cream. And I had begun to indulge more in the cookies, doughnuts and such that are a fixture in any newsroom.

Food, glorious food!
But my real downfall was the conspiracy of fat and chemicals that bring gastronomical joy to life, the mellifluous harmonies of meat, cheese, salt, hydrogenated oil and MSG that make taste buds sing like Oliver Twist in the workhouse. Fried chicken and New York steaks! Gorgonzola and camembert! Pizza! Prime rib! Biscuits and gravy! Nacho cheese chips! And downfall of all downfalls: sausage! Sausage in any size, shape or form, from the plump pork links I ate nearly every morning to corndogs slathered in Chinese mustard to the most exquisitely seasoned Italian delights served over polenta in Seattle’s finest bistros. Food, glorious food!

INTERACTIVE Prostate cancer: What you need to know

But somehow, after hearing the word "cancer," these foods weren't that hard to give up. As someone who has kicked both smoking and drinking, quitting beef, pork, eggs, dairy, refined sugar and most oils and prepared snack foods wasn't all that difficult. 

I realize that's far more drastic than many doctors would advise. But I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of person. So I invented my own modified version of a macrobiotic diet.

My goal is to have whole grains, fruits and vegetables provide about 75 percent of my daily food intake. Legumes, including soy products, provide another 10 to 15 percent. Small amounts of fish, poultry, nuts and juice make up the rest.

What does that look like? I eat a lot of salad, usually with spinach and romaine for the greens and olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the dressing. I hit the broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts hard because, as cruciferous vegetables, they are believed to have special cancer-fighting powers. Tomato-based sauces and juices are also high on my list because they contain lycopene, which is thought to be another key anti-cancer chemical.

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How cancer changed readers' lives Part 9: What cancer took Part 8: Cancer's gone — where's my confidence? Part 7: Back in the game Part 6: Battling bad cells with good eats Part 5: Soggy side effects Part 4: No room for Mr. Big Man Part 3: Betting on a cancer cure Part 2: A guy's toughest choice Part 1: Taking a leak and being a man Low Blow Section Front   Add Low Blow headlines to your news reader: