Juicing has been a staple in my diet for most of my adult life. It’s an amazing way to efficiently fuel my body with the healing powers of vegetables, herbs, and some fruits while enjoying a bold and refreshing drink. However, with anything, juicing for breast cancer can heal or harm your body. So, learn from my mistakes, read the studies, and discover powerful concoctions that supercharge your immune system for optional healing and vibrant health! Now, THAT’S something I’d drink to 😉
Juicing, Blood Sugar Levels & The Cancer Connection
One day, after trying out a new juice combination, I began feeling lightheaded and sick. It eventually passed that day, but the feeling persisted after each daily glass. At this point, I had bee
n juicing for over 30 years, so of course, I was perplexed and concerned by these horrible symptoms that I had after doing something so “healthy” for my body…or so I thought.
During that time, I also studied Insulin Resistance and the problem with high blood sugars, so I began to do tests on myself. I was baffled to find out my blood sugar was off the charts (160 mg/dL), totally explaining my symptoms! Even worse, my high blood sugar was actually promoting breast cancer proliferation. How horrifying!
This is because cancer cells have 44 times more insulin receptor sites for glucose (sugar) compared to healthy cells, meaning that cancer cells get fed first. (2018 Study) Additionally, high blood sugar leads to insulin resistance and can also make breast cancer cells more resistant to chemotherapy and other immunotherapies and hormone therapies. (2021 study) To dive deeper into this connection and research, please listen to this podcast episode with Dr. Ritamarie and this blog post. It’s the plain truth—no sugarcoating!
Test Your Blood Sugar Levels
The only way to know what is going on in your body and if something is harming or healing you is to TEST. Please read this blog post to learn how to easily and quickly test your blood sugar levels.
Harmful Ways To Juice
As mentioned above, drinking juice can be healing or harmful, so first, I will start with what NOT to do.
DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING:
- Drink juice “from concentrate” that you buy in a box or plastic bottle at a grocery store. This will be a glass of sugar, toxins, artificial ingredients, food dyes, etc.
- Use non-organic produce. Always try to buy organic, especially when juicing. Otherwise, you will be drinking excessive amounts of toxins and GMOs.
- Press too many high sugar fruits. I hear people juicing 15 mangos a day; sending dangerous amounts of sugar straight into their bodies. It’s also super taxing on your liver, which will spike inflammation and cellular stress—two major causes of cancer, on top of a main cause of cancer: sugar. If you add fruit to a juice, add a low-glycemic fruits such as Granny Smith apples and berries.
- Rely on juice to be your only source of nutrition. You still must eat a wide range of foods for a balanced and healing diet and take supplements as needed.
- Juice to increase your fiber. The juicing process strips most fiber from fruits and vegetables. Therefore, make sure you get fiber from other sources.
- Drink orange and grapefruit juice. Orange juice can make mouth sores (from chemo and radiation) even worse. Grapefruit can negatively interact with treatment as it may block an important enzyme called cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). Currently, 85 drugs may poorly interact with grapefruit, so it’s wise to just leave it out of your diet. (More info here.)
HEALING Ways To Juice For Breast Cancer
When done correctly, juicing can be a powerful way to supercharge your body with nutrition! For example, one ounce of wheatgrass juice (learn more here) is the nutritional equivalent of eating 2.5 lbs of vegetables! It’s a highly effective way to absorb more nutrients because you are more likely to drink a small glass of juice over eating several pounds of vegetables daily.
Please DO include the following in your juicing:
Vegetables.
Eat and juice all of them as much as possible! Make sure to put a special focus on eating cruciferous vegetables, your “breast friends.” They literally control breast cancer’s “on and off switches” and powerfully enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatments. These vegetable powerhouses also neutralize the effects of toxins and chemicals in your DNA and optimize phase 2 detoxification.
Broccoli.
The queen of all cruciferous vegetables for destroying cancer is broccoli, especially broccoli sprouts, which are 20-50x more effective (add them to your juices and meals!). If you can’t stomach eating broccoli daily, just take a few Brocco Power capsules. One Brocco Power capsule = 1 lb of broccoli! For more details, studies, and recipes on broccoli and other cruciferous veggies, please read this blog post.
Green apples.
They help sweeten and mask the taste of other vegetables and have the lowest sugar content of apples. More importantly, green apples (especially the peels) naturally kill breast cancer stem cells. Discover more ways to naturally suppress breast cancer stem cells via this blog post.
Lemons.
Lemon peels and their extracts are loaded with potent flavonoids that have been proven to suppress tumor growth, slow down the speed of cancer cells, cause cancer cell death, stop the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors, and down-regulate inflammatory enzymes. (2022 Study)
Blueberries.
Nature’s candy protects your cells from radiation’s miserable side effects and makes them more sensitive to the treatment, meaning it will work better. This powerfully delicious and low-sugar fruit also reduces the abnormal cell growth that fuels cancer development. And it just gets better: blueberries naturally kill breast cancer stem cells, stop DNA damage, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, and increase apoptosis (cancer cell death).
Go big on blueberries! To add lavish decadence to your day, try my Blueberry Bark and Blueberry Macaroons. See? Eating to heal can be absolutely scrumptious!
Ginger.
It does it all! Ginger strengthens your immune system, reduces inflammation, improves blood sugar levels, helps with digestion, stops nausea, provides potent antioxidants, and contains a phytonutrient called 6-shogaol that can specifically target cancer stem cells. Lavishly add ginger to your cooking and juicing. However, if the taste doesn’t agree with you, just get ginger via a supplement.
Curcumin.
It powerfully inhibits the growth of cancer stem cells while reducing inflammation (a major cause of most cancers). Please take a minute to learn more about the power of curcumin here. You can also order the supplement if the taste isn’t for you.
My Go-To Juice Recipes For Breast Cancer Healing
I always support you in getting creative and finding recipes that work best for you, but if you want a little kick start and support in making your first juice, please try my top two recipes:
Lastly, if juicing doesn’t work for you, start with “blending.” Get a cheap NutriBullet or similar appliance and make smoothies with cancer-fighting goodness, such as flaxseeds, blueberries, and coconut milk!
More Breast Cancer Healing Beverages
Healing is about creating a big, beautiful, and vibrantly healthy life—and that includes your foods and beverages. Below are a few more comforting, flavorful, and delightful beverages to enjoy on your healing journey.
- Teas: Put on your cozy clothes, turn on the kettle, and find a quiet spot to pour healing into your body with my favorite teas. Please read this blog post to brew up my top teas.
- Matcha Gingeraide: The perfect light and refreshing afternoon pick-me-up. It gently gives you a boost of energy while supercharging your body with EGCGs, appropriately coined “Tumor Terminators.” Rejuvenate with my simple recipe.
- Functional Mushroom Coffee. You honestly do not taste the mushrooms at all, and the benefits are over-the-top worth it! They reduce chemo side effects, slow the growth of cancer cells, lower stress, boost the immune system, improve brain health, and are little powerhouses of cancer-protective phytonutrients. I drink Four Sigmatic because it’s organic and fair-trade, and it gives you all the perks of coffee without the acid, jitters, and crashes. Use this link and code: BCC10 for 10% off.
What you drink can either feed or starve the cancer, so cheers to intentionally choosing delightful and delicious healing elixirs! Bottoms up!
Author: Dr. Veronique Desaulniers, better known as Dr. V, is a Doctor of Chiropractic & has 44 years of experience in the wellness industry. For personalized support, please partner with a trained Breast Cancer Conqueror Coach.