Why Sugar is a No-No When Battling Cancer

Sugar takes a bad rap all around these days, between Mayor Bloomberg's obsession with drink sizes, and the First Lady's crusade against childhood obesity, sugar has certainly been demonized.

Too much sugar really IS bad for you, rotting your teeth and making you fat, fouling up your blood with it's gunky residue, changing your brain chemistry, making your kids run around as if they are possessed and then leading to a cranky, teary slump.  Adults can  also get a "sugar high" with the inevitable crash afterwards. It also exhausts your liver and pancreas.

Sugar should be a treat, not a dietary staple. Unfortunately, there is hidden sugar in almost every packaged product that we eat.

There are  folks who shouldn't eat sugar, period, especially those battling cancers.

Cancer cells just love sugar and nothing you put in your mouth will grow them faster. Cancer cells love an atmosphere that is free of oxygen, they thrive in an anaerobic environment. Cancer needs sugar to ferment and spread. If you're fighting cancer, no matter if you choose chemotherapy, go the holistic route, or combine them in a one, two punch, please don't eat sugar. This goes for white sugar, so-called natural sugar, high fructose corn syrup, you get the picture. Let's not forget white flour, the main ingredient in squishy white bread. It's a major source of hidden sugar.

Since so many cancer patients have a hard time getting any nutrition because of lack of appetite and nausea, many choose to drink their calories in smoothies made with lots of fruit which contains large amounts of  "healthy" sugar. Some are ingesting those foul "nutritional drinks". You know, they come in cans and have names that sound like insurance. The only thing they insure is a gummed up digestive tract and lots of empty, sugary calories. It's like a can of cancer food. You can do better!  

Many cancer patients crave sugar as well. They go on craving it even when the body goes into cachexia, a starvation syndrome caused by the cancerous cells converting your body's protein into sugar.  This causes your body to literally be eaten up by the voracious cancer cells. Most folks who pass from cancer die because they have been so dreadfully debilitated by this effect. (Please see my column on Dr. Joseph Gold and hydrazine sulfate.)

So what this means is, minimal fruit, no bananas or pineapple which are both very high on the glycemic index.  Stick to apples, pears, berries and melons and then only a couple of times per week. Eat organic fruits whenever possible, because the last thing you need is a pesticide laden cancer bomb going off in your stomach.  No citrus please, it makes your digestive system too acidic, and that also feeds cancer.  

I think the recent study saying that organic is really no better than sprayed fruit is a lie bordering on the criminal. Even a dolt can figure out that spraying your fruits and vegetables with chemicals derived from nerve gas, cannot be good for you.  Unfortunately, it seems these scientists can't. Peeling is no help, because the pesticide is in the produce. If you are sick, please eat organic.

 Stay away from empty carbs, another source of hidden sugar, and sick or well, never eat anything that has sugar as a first, second or third ingredient. In fact, keep carbs to a minimum and then whole grains only.

You might try Stevia, a sweetener that is not sugar and  as far as we know, has no ill effects. It comes from leaves and is many times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes along way. Stevia used to be difficult to find, but now you can get it an almost any supermarket in little pre-measured packets.

 Drink juices made from cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, mixed with some celery and protein powder. You can use a Vita-Mix  or Champion juicer to blend whole fruits and vegetables into a delicious, home-made version of that famous cocktail with the 8 veggies and have it fresh and alive!  Eat a diet of 70% raw organic vegetables to 30% cooked. By cooked I mean lightly steamed, otherwise there is no sense in eating them at all.

Many Naturopaths suggest a vegetarian or vegan diet, but I believe in order to keep blood cells healthy and feed your brain, you have to eat a certain amount of meat. Make sure it's clean, humanely raised and free of hormones and additives. Eat firm white fleshed fish from deep, cold waters and no shellfish, they are unclean. Two or three times per week is sufficient. Dr. Bernard Jensen swore by veal joint broth to strengthen the body and give pure nourishment,

Ask your nutritionist about supplementing with digestive enzymes and use only raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar as a condiment on your salads. Whilst other vinegars suppress stomach enzymes, ACV contains malic acid, which enhances them.

Stay away from booze of all kinds, it's just a big glass of alchoholized,  fermented sugar.

Eliminating sugar from your anti-cancer diet plan will definitely improve your chances of sending it packing and getting back to great health. Remember, fighting cancer makes you a warrior, not a victim!

Dr. Kleine regrets she cannot give advice by phone or e-mail.  For an appointment, call 631.472.8139 or e-mail us at Drfootsi@myway.com