Many breast cancer survivors second-guess their food choices and worry that the foods they love caused their breast cancer. 

But do you have to stop eating what you love to avoid recurrence?

Cathy Leman is the registered dietitian, nutrition therapist, certified personal trainer and breast cancer survivor behind the Peaceful Plate, a program designed to help women stop feeling anxious and confused about food after breast cancer treatment.  

Cathy graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor’s in human nutrition and dietetics and holds a master’s degree in health psychology from National Louis University. 

She shares her professional expertise and personal experience with the hormone-positive breast cancer community on the dam. mad. about BREAST CANCER blog.

On this episode of The Breast of Everything, Cathy joins hosts Kim Schott and Dr. Linsey Gold to explain why she suggests a plant-forward diet with whole foods for breast cancer survivors. 

Cathy walks us through the three most common myths in the breast cancer community around what to eat and what to avoid and offers advice to survivors who are unhappy with their weight. 

Listen in to understand why there is no one ‘right’ nutrition plan for every survivor and learn how to eat for breast health without enduring a diet of deprivation.

Key Takeaways  

Cathy’s experience with hormone-positive breast cancer and why the diagnosis caught her off guard

Why Cathy suggests a plant-forward diet with whole foods if you’ve received a breast cancer diagnosis

Cathy’s response to women who feel like they have to stop eating what they love to avoid recurrence

Why there is no one ‘right’ nutrition plan for every breast cancer survivor and what factors to take into consideration as you make food choices post-treatment

The 3 most common myths in the breast cancer community re: what to eat and what to avoid and how to discern good advice from misinformation

Cathy’s insight into 3 breast cancer diets that harm rather than heal

What foods Cathy recommends to clients to prevent cancer recurrence and what foods to avoid

What research says about the link between alcohol and breast cancer and Cathy’s advice to survivors who aren’t prepared to give up drinking completely

How chemotherapy, steroids and tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitor medication can cause weight gain

Cathy’s advice to breast cancer survivors who are unhappy with their weight

How breast cancer survivors can leverage resistance training to improve bone health

How Cathy’s Peaceful Plate program helps hormone-positive breast cancer survivors end food anxiety

Connect with Cathy 

The Peaceful Plate

The Peaceful Plate on Facebook

Cathy on Instagram

Cathy’s Blog

Connect with Dr. Gold

The Breast of Everything

The Breast of Everything on Instagram

The Breast of Everything on Facebook

Subscribe to The Breast of Everything

Resources 

The 5 Foods Survivors Should Eat

‘3 Breast Cancer Diets That Harm Not Heal’

AICR Nutrition Guidelines

World Cancer Research Fund Continuous Update Project

AICR Recommendations on Limiting Alcohol Consumption