Shameless Self Promoting

Do you or someone you know need nutrition guidance?  Well you are in luck! I am available for  consulting with a focus on oncology, special dietary needs, weight management (loss OR gain) and general healthful eating.

Check out Anjee Barber on Thumbtack or click here and/or message me for more info. I regularly run deals for new clients, so lets chat!

The alkaline diet

Oncology is a field where those of us living and/or working in it can become desperate. Desperate for answers, for a fix. Desperate to feel better, to live life again like before. Desperate for a cure.

A cancer diagnosis is terrifying; suddenly everything feels like it is out of control. Your body is hijacked, and your treatment plan can include any number of things with so many syllables and consonants you'd swear it was a settlement in Russia and not something that was about to go into your body. One of the (many) things still in your control, however, is your nutrition. And for this reason foods get a LOT of attention in the cancer world.

With so much information on the Internet (including this little blog), it is so hard to find solid sources you can trust. One thing I get asked about a lot is a basic (or alkalizing) diet.

Rather than subject you to my poor writing skills, I am going to link to this AMAZING site which sums up why trying to alter the pH of your blood is a waste of time. What I DO like about this type of diet, however, is that it promotes some types of fresh fruits and vegetables which have been scientifically proven to aid in the fight against cancer (and more importantly prevent it from happening in the first place).

So give it a read and remember that peer reviewed, scientific journals are your best source for info-and they are healthily and heavily cited in Authority Nutrition's content.

As always, keep fighting.

The gut-brain connections in Autism

Well look how timely this article on the gut-brain connection and autism is! Right after a post about yogurt.

This article is an absolute must read....

Eating your bacteria

I LOVE this article from Supermarket Savvy regarding yogurt and cultures contained in various forms of yogurt and supplements.

It's critical that the cultures in yogurt or a supplement are live for them to do the good stuff: aiding with constipation, diarrhea, bloating and gas. Organic yogurts tend to be preferable because processing can lead to the death of many microorganisms.

Diarrhea and constipation can be particular issues for people undergoing chemotherapy because of the damage it can do to the gut. Additionally, many patients undergoing cancer treatment may receive some forms of antibiotics because of infections that can arise from complications of treatment. Lastly, radiation induced enteritis can cause serious GI issues.

A good source of probiotics can help replenish some of the beneficial bacteria lost during treatment. And as this article and many others have point out: supplements typically don't have as many of the live cultures they say they do (I've read anywhere from 1-10% of the live cultures the label claims).

So grab yourself a container of Greek yogurt and dose up on some good bacteria!

Nausea and vomiting and frankincense. Oh my.

Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is probably one of the most textbooks side effects of going through cancer treatment.  While there are a number of anti-emetic meds to help with these side effects (Zofran, Ativan, Compazine, etc.,) sometimes a good old-fashioned home remedy can be helpful.

I have begun recommending ginger chews and ginger beer to patients who struggle with CINV. The research is varied on its effectiveness but this study found ginger to be more favorable than a placebo when it came to controlling these symptoms in breast cancer patients. A couple other studies have also found ginger to be helpful in retro viral therapy , however, a recent review article does confirm the need for more research regarding the role of ginger as an anti-emetic.


Another remedy I have received recent information on is frankincense oil.  I know, three wise men, blah, blah. However, I have it on good authority that taking a whiff of the sidekick to myrrh right when you feel the nausea coming on ameliorates the effects quite well. I should mention here my "good authority"  is an uncle of mine going through cancer treatment who is very anti "all these hippie therapies", so I feel if he is willing to endorse it, it may actually be worth looking into. Anyway, you can find the oil for a very reasonable price online.

You can try these remedies as ways to help control your symptoms a bit better if you are struggling with CINV, and feel free to share any of your own ideas; I'd love to hear what works for you.

Big Girl Pants

So guess what? I actually grew up and became a real life dietitian. It only took me about 4 years and about $25K more than I had planned on, but here we are.

Since finishing my internship or dietetic residency as some would call it, I took and passed my RD exam. And after 5 years of studying, crying, whimpering, laughing, celebrating, whining, sweating, paying, breaking, rebuilding, panicking and all the seven dwarf's names, I became a gainfully employed dietitian.

For about the last year, I have been working in the bone marrow transplant unit of an oncology hospital whose name will remain anonymous lest I seriously bother someone with my nutritional musings. I LOVE my job and all the heartbreak, frustration and genuine friendships that come out of it. It is maybe the most satisfying thing in the world to help someone going through the battle of their life. I am continually amazed and inspired by my patients. It is also fairly terrifying.

The really good news, however, is that I will now be passing along some of my symptom management tips as well as ways to integrate supplements into cancer care.

It's maybe also worth mentioning that my dad was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma about 2 years ago, and a very, very dear friend of mine just lost her own father to a loooong and painful battle with esophageal cancer. So some of these posts will have some personal meaning.

I would love to welcome any of your own tips, tricks, questions, etc., if you or someone you know is dealing with cancer. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned being in oncology is that my patients teach me about as much as I teach them.

Oh and...

Year of the Snake

How was everyone's New Year's? What are the things in 2012 you'll be glad to leave behind? And what are the things you'll be sad to see go? I for one am pretty over 2012. 2013 will be better for two reasons: 1) it's the year of the snake and 1977 (the year I was born) is also the year of the snake-and look what an awesome year that turned out to be! 2) I'ts not 2012.

Did you make New Year's resolutions? We have all at one point in our life made a plan to do something to better ourselves and either succeeded or failed. If trying to eat better or get some more physical activity in your life made your list of resolutions, I have some tips for you.

The first step to eating better is not to overwhelm yourself with unachievable goal. As Lao-tzu said-"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Many people feel very motivated at the beginning of the year to make a huge lifestyle change, which is great! But the way to keep that motivation going is to make ACHIEVABLE goals for yourself and track progress. Why set yourself up to fail? Oftentimes we try to be very regimented in restricting our diets and find we can only stick with our plan for a few weeks or months, but the REAL key to long term success is not to start with an extreme, restricted diet plan but instead aiming for a long term, lifestyle change.

Lifestyle changes work best by setting SMART goals. SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time specific. For example ,instead of starting with, "I am going to eat better by not eating anymore sugar", start with something more achievable and specific like: “I am going to cut out soda and limit myself to dessert once a week." We have picked a smaller, achievable objective that we can track over time, and tracking your progress is important! It helps you celebrate your small successes and recognize your improvement. Document what you did to achieve your goal, how you felt about it (was it hard this day? easier another day?) and how you can continue to work towards your objective.There are some great apps for this like Nutrition Menu for your smart phone or just logging it in a small notebook that you can keep with you in your car, purse or work desk. Recognize that lifestyle change is fluid and will constantly be changing. In our previous example, after 2-3 weeks of not drinking soda and limiting dessert, it’s time for another goal. Once you realize that you are capable of making a change, the next change will seem easier. As you set new goals, don’t abandon your newer, healthier habits!

Remember; don’t punish yourself if you slip up. It’s much more important to stay with your goal for the long term and not get discouraged by mistakes.

Eating healthy isn't always about taking things away! It should also be about adding things to your diet like fresh fruits and vegetables, which most American’s don’t consume enough of anyway.

Stumped for a goal? Try these:

• I will eat one fresh piece of fruit and one vegetable every day
• I will limit red meat to once a month
• I will limit soda to once a week
• I will limit dessert to once a week
• I will add lean meats twice a week
• I will eat fish twice a week
• I will walk 30 minutes 4 days a week 

A recap of what we talked about:

• Aim for lifestyle changes NOT crash or fad dieting
• Set a SMART goal
• Track your progress towards your goal
• Set new goals often (aim for a new goal every 2-3 weeks)

Also, if you need help setting some goals for 2013 regarding diet and/or physical activity  message me and I will help you!