What Can I Do Right Now To Stop The Cancer Growth And Improve My Health?

One of the most frequently asked questions from cancer patients is: “What can I do right now to stop the cancer growth and improve my health?”  And the answer is:  change your diet! 

When you have a scan with contrast dye, the carrying agent for the dye is glucose, or sugar water.  Glucose is used because cancer cells suck up the sugar so quickly and completely, it lights up the films and shows the doctors where the cancer is located.  

Sugar feeds cancer and helps it grow.  If you eliminate sugar from your diet, you will quit providing fuel for the cancer growth.

Sugar is hidden in many foods.  Sometimes we think we are eating healthy, but we are consuming large amounts of sugar.  

It doesn’t matter if the sugar is natural or refined – it’s still sugar.  While fruits are part of a healthy diet, we recommend eating only ‘northern’ fruits.  Fruits that grow where there is a winter season are best because the dormant season takes much of the sugar out of the fruit.  The best fruits are apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots and berries of all kinds (go easy on strawberries).  Fruits with the most sugar are southern or tropical fruits. The fruits with the most sugar are green grapes, melons, pineapples, mangos, papayas and bananas and citrus (lemons and grapefruit are permitted). 

Cruciferous vegetables are the most nourishing: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and celery.  Eat plenty of dark colored vegetables.  White potatoes contain sugar; sweet potatoes are better for you.  Use whole grain brown rice, not white rice.  Corn is starchy and sugary, so eat this sparingly.  Eat lots of salads with raw veggies.  Buy organic fruits and vegetables whenever you can.  If you can’t find organic, wash all produce well before eating. 

A word about eating raw:  When your diet is mostly raw, it takes an enormous amount of energy for your body to digest the food.  Cancer patients need that energy for healing, so be sure you have a healthy balance of raw and cooked food.  Also, people use raw diets to lose weight – and that is certainly not the goal when you have cancer.  Steam or bake some of your veggies, just don’t eat fried foods in any form.  Make veggie soups or sauté or stir fry your favorite veggies. 

Use organic olive oil instead of other oils or butter.  Never use margarine (lard with yellow food coloring), use organic butter.

Whole grains are also healthy.  Buy only whole grains (whole wheat bread is usually white bread with brown dye).  Ezekiel bread can be found in some grocery stores and most health food stores.  Look for whole grain cereals too. 

Use fresh herbs and organic spices, onions and garlic to flavor your food. 

Fresh ocean fish (never farm raised, they are loaded with mercury) and organic poultry are permitted, as well as organic nut butters, beans and lentils.   Stay away from all beef and pork. 

Sweeteners:  Use Stevia or Tupelo honey only.  Never use artificial sweeteners. 

Use herbal teas instead of coffee.  Stay away from fruit juice – it is just super concentrated sugar.  Drink high mountain spring water, the higher the source the more pure the water.  And drink plenty of water – keeping your body hydrated will help flush toxins and dead cancer cells from your body.  Of course, NO soda pop – stay away from carbonated beverages and alcohol. 

A healthy diet can help your cancer treatments work better as well as give you more energy and a boost to your mood.    Exercise, laugh, and spend time with people you care about.    You can beat cancer – it’s being done every day. 

Marla Manhart is a health writer and patient advocate. She has been working with cancer patients and their doctors for nearly 20 years. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We’re happy to have our doctors answer your questions.