As someone who has family members diagnosed with cancer, I am deeply concerned about this topic. For whatever reason, the idea of sticking to a healthy diet, having a fixed sleep routine and working out to keep my joints and muscles active have appealed largely in the past year for me. 10 months have passed, I’m not entirely sure about the results, and talking to a dietician/nutritionist is the only way to find out if I have been eating healthy. 

There have been noises about sugar feeding cancer cells and I want to find out if it is the truth. In fact, there is a twist to this. Also, why do cancer patients lose weight during their treatment? How can we help them increase their food intake to a regular level? Can they eat anything and everything? What about anti-cancer diets? Do they exist?

Join me as I speak to Jing Wen, a nutritionist in Singapore, working for a non-profit cancer nutrition center, who happens to know what a cancer fighter should eat. If you stay longer, I also showed her my medical health report to see if I’m really healthy.

Timeline:

[00:00] What does she do and why does she do what she does

[01:45] I thought everyone should have the same diet, why customize?

[04:18] Do cancer fighters change their diet overnight?

[06:44] The difference between the advice given from a dietitian/nutritionist and a medical doctor

[09:37] Healthy grocery shopping with the healthy choice label and nutrigrade labels

[14:20] 3-in-1 coffee in Singapore is healthier than in Malaysia?

[17:38] Nutrigrade labels - is this referring to the sugar content only?

[22:39] Can we tell if we are at risk of cancer by looking at these numbers?

[25:31] How often should we get screened for cancer?

[28:01] Should we get screened multiple times at once to avoid false positives?

[29:26] Who are some of the people that consult her for diet advice except cancer fighters?

[31:02] The things she tells cancer fighters BEFORE the treatment?

[32:24] What about DURING the treatment?

[35:40] Maintaining the BMI throughout the treatment

[38:08] So she says we can eat anything during the treatment…

[40:41] Changing our diet going into the treatment to increase our blood cell count

[43:23] Tackling nausea and vomiting during treatment

[47:55] What to do about declining weight during the treatment?

[51:12] Anti-cancer diets

[54:04] Keep them happy or healthy during treatment?

[55:57] Post-treatment diet/nutrition

[57:03] What happens if the cancer fighters have diabetes too?

[57:43] Is my diet risk-free of cancer?

[01:02:59] Any signs of over intake of protein?

[01:03:37] My health lab report

[01:07:24] Misconceptions about cancer nutrition

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com and https://www.epidemicsound.com/