{"id":21475,"date":"2026-03-11T11:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/fighting-cancer-with-nutrition\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:12:16","slug":"fighting-cancer-with-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-with-cancer\/fighting-cancer-with-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Cancer With Nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following information is provided for educational purposes by Cancer Treatment Centers of America<\/a><\/strong> and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or nutritional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Individuals should seek the advice of a qualified health professional with any questions they may have regarding a medical condition<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you know that up to 80% of adults living with cancer are malnourished, and at diagnosis 1 in 2 cancer patients has some form of nutritional deficit? According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI)<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cMalnutrition is a common problem in cancer patients that has been recognized as an important component of adverse outcomes…\u201d<\/p>\n

As disheartening as those statistics are, it should give you hope and empowerment that your nutrition is something you are able to control. And that is, indeed, good news.<\/p>\n

One important distinction I have learned in my more than 20 years serving at the bedside of cancer patients is that malnutrition is not always defined as we have thought in the past. A person can be overweight and malnourished, as the true definition is to be: poorly or improperly nourished<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As I have gleaned insights from healthcare experts who monitor cancer patients\u2019 wellbeing, I\u2019ve learned that it is possible to be overweight or obese and still not be getting the proper nutrients your body needs to continue its fight.<\/p>\n

Get hope for Breast Cancer here<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our patients have protein-calorie malnutrition,\u201d said Dr. Michael DelaTorre, Internist\/Intake Physician at Cancer Treatment Centers of America \u00ae<\/sup> at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, Ill. \u201cA great majority of them do not have the ability to continue with treatments because they\u2019re so weak. If their immune system is compromised, so is their ability to respond to their treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how do we ensure we are eating with proper nutrition in mind, exercising properly and maintaining a healthy weight?<\/p>\n

How Do We Know What\u2019s Best?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My friends, the prevailing thought of nutritional experts in their field is diet and exercise may potentially be the best ways to maintain a healthy weight. But what exactly does that look like?<\/p>\n

The good news is that it isn\u2019t as difficult as you may think. Of course there is a necessary change of mindset, but there are ways to make minor adjustments for a dramatic difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are general health guidelines such as avoiding tobacco, avoiding smoking, and exercising 30 minutes a day, five times a week\u2013and that\u2019s just moderate activity,\u201d said Education Specialist Kendra Laufer of CTCA \u00ae<\/sup>\u2019s Southwestern Regional Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla. \u201cThat\u2019s not going to the gym. That\u2019s just staying busy for a minimum of 30 minutes a day and trying to increase fruits and vegetables. Simple things like that go a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

You hear the words diet and exercise and you immediately think of hours devoted to the gym and giving up all the foods you love. While you will certainly have to make some sacrifices in order to take control of your health, small steps are important steps.<\/p>\n

If you are looking for optimal nutrition, however, more and more studies continue to point to the benefits of a plant-based diet.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the epidemiological and observational data we have shows that people who follow more of a plant-based diet, sometimes find it easier to maintain a healthier body weight,\u201d said Carolyn Lammersfeld, Vice President of Integrative Medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s new literature coming out which shows that a plant-based diet may help maintain a healthy gut microbiome so that we have more healthy bacteria in our gut and less unhealthy bacteria, which may play a role in obesity. A plant-based diet is one way to maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carolyn is a voice in nutrition and finds that potentially one of the greatest nutrition guides we have access to is the Bible.<\/p>\n

Back to the Book<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a spiritual standpoint, we have early direction from God on what a healthy diet should look like directly from the Bible.<\/p>\n

Lammersfeld states \u201cCertainly, we could argue that the Bible is one of the first nutrition textbooks, or the Book of Leviticus. We\u2019re trying to move to more of a whole-foods, natural, plant-based diet with patients as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Book of Leviticus discusses dietary practices and eating habits. Though the New Testament states that we are free to eat as we choose, throughout the Bible it defines the benefits of vegetables and water to a strong body.<\/p>\n

Some helpful tips on what to choose:<\/strong><\/p>\n