I am mourning the loss of my carefree life. Goodbye, eating-whatever-I-want. Goodbye, cheese and dairy and butter. Goodbye, most meats. Hello, wild-caught fish. Hello, vitamins. Hello, daily exercise (yuck). Hello, things-in-even-more-moderation-than-before.
My tumor is estrogen-positive, which means that it is fed by estrogen in my body. I’ve been reading about these tumors. 80% of newly diagnosed breast cancer involves estrogen-positive tumors. Our bodies make estrogen naturally, and at times there are surges, such as in pregnancy, or decreases, such as in menopause. Some foods also contain estrogen – edamame, tofu, soy, and various fruits and vegetables. Peaches, of all things!
There is a bewildering array of information on what women with my type of cancer should not eat. It seems reasonable to limit intake of estrogen-rich foods. But do I need to ban them? I love edamame and tofu. And…breast cancer is not prevalent in Asian women. There’s some breast cancer, but not the rates we see in Western countries. I’ve grown up with a mix of Asian and American diets. The two main things I’ve consumed a lot of, that women in Asia probably haven’t, are dairy and alcohol. I love dairy – eggs, butter, milk, ice cream. I’m lactose-tolerant, unlike a lot of Asians, and dairy has until now been my friend and comfort.
I especially love cheese. I have probably eaten at least 100 cheese pizzas (yes, whole pies!) in my lifetime, no exaggeration. Maybe more. I once ate a whole wheel of cheese, when pregnant with my son – a large cheddar wheel my mother-in-law sent me from The Smokehouse in Arkansas. While I have been careful to buy organic milk, the label “organic” means no added hormones; however, all milk still contains normal hormones from the cow. Further, I have not been careful about buying organic or hormone-free cheese. I never thought about it, frankly. I have probably consumed blocks of generic cheeses over the years. Brie, blue cheese, and manchego are among my favorites – but slices of plain cheddar are a standard go-to snack. Mild, medium, sharp, white – I don’t discriminate (except for Colby).
I found online an article that a group of doctors had tried to petition FDA to require a warning on cheese – “this product may cause breast cancer” – because the concentration of hormones in cheese is higher than in other dairy products.
The skeptic in me wonders. Seems to be the case that every time data are published to support one proposition, there are data that support the opposite. To be safe, guess I will find a different go-to snack from now on.
Goodbye, cheese.