I am a 36-year-old mother, I have been diagnosed as having breast cancer. After an operation, I am undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. What principles must I follow in my diet?

1. Drink plenty of water and liquids to cool the body as it is heated through chemotherapy and radiation. Plain water 2 liters and buttermilk, lemon juice or tender coconut water 1-2 liters.
   

2. Eat sufficient protein to build tissue and keep your muscle tissue from wasting and breakdown. Dhals and pulses to be eaten for both lunch and dinner. Skimmed milk, 2-3 glasses or 500-700ml as milk/ curd. Egg white- 2 per day is a good source of high quality protein. 1-2 pieces of chicken or fish may be eaten at lunchtime by non-vegetarians.
   

3. Eat 2 fresh fruits daily and salads to get a good supply of vitamins B & C. This keeps your immunity up and gives you good resistance to colds, coughs and flues. Eat a cup of salad with lunch and 2 cups with dinner. (Cucumber, carrot, onions, radish etc). Raw vegetables and fruits must be washed thoroughly to protect against diahorrea.
   

4. Cut down on total fat intake and consumption of fatty foods.
   

5. Keep weight down to normal as more fat in the body can allow you to develop the cancer again. Fat tissues is a medium for the cancer cells to grow on.
   

6. Eat plenty of FIBER in the form of whole cereals- atta, ragi, oats, pulses- channa, rajma, moong, salads and fruits. Fiber helps to breakdown fat in the body.
   

7. Moderate but very regular exercise is a must. 20-30 minutes walk daily helps to give you a good blood circulation, builds your resistance to infection and helps to keep fat from accumulating in your body.
   

8. Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages if you drink at all.
   

9. Limit consumption of smoked foods, tandoori items, barbecued items and smoked hams and sausages. All must be eaten as rarely as possible.
   

10. Stop smoking and chewing of tobacco and paan.

All this can be summed up in our MIRACLE FORMULA

Walk - 20-30 minutes, 6-7times/ week
Water - 2-3 liters.
Diet - Healthy Balanced Eating with Plenty of Fiber and controlled intake of Fatty
Foods.

Restrict intake of fatty foods like -

1. Cream of milk, butter, cheese, ghee, paneer.

2. Nuts and coconut chutney.

3. All fried foods - mixture, muruku, chaat, chips, bonda, vada, poori, paratha, pickles and papad

4. Cakes, pastries, cookies and puffs.

5. Ice cream, chocolates, mittai and desserts.

6. Red meats - Mutton, beef and pork