4 Proteins That FIGHT CANCER (No One Tells You THIS!)

Cancer survivors often get protein completely wrong, and it's actually working against you. Hey, Dr. Amy here, and as a 10-year cancer survivor, I know how confusing food after cancer can really be. So in this video, I'm showing you four proteins that are linked to the best research. Plus, here's exactly how you should include them in your meals. So whether you're newly diagnosed, in treatment, So whether you're newly diagnosed, or even years past your diagnosis, this video is for you. The right protein helps repair your body. It keeps your strength up. It supports your immune system. But the wrong choices, it can actually leave you tired, losing muscle, and you could be missing a really simple way to lower your risk of a cancer recurrence. Okay, so let's start with number one. Fatty fish. Now I'm talking about salmon, trout, sardines, even mackerel or herring. Most people think fish is really like a heart healthy food and it is, but it's also one of the most protective foods against cancer. And here's why. Fatty fish is actually packed with omega-3s known as EPA and DHA. These fats help calm inflammation in the body. And chronic, low-grade inflammation, well, that is what's going to help cancer grow and spread. Now, this is important for cancer thrivers. One study followed over 3,000 women. They had all finished their breast cancer treatment. The women who ate the most omega-3s from their food, they had about a 25% lower risk. of their breast cancer coming back or a new breast cancer developing? 25% risk reduction just from that. Now, you actually get a lot of protein from a small portion here. Even like a palm-sized piece of salmon, that can have about 25 grams of protein. So here's what I try to do. Aim for fatty fish about... Twice a week. Canned salmon or sardines, that counts too. Okay, but before we go on to number two, I need to explain why protein matters so much. This is something I see all the time. Women finish their cancer treatment, they know they should be eating more protein, but they're really just living off of toast and crackers and maybe soup. There's barely any protein around. They know they should eat more, but... They don't fully understand why. And because they don't know why, they don't do it. But chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, they all cause you to lose muscle mass. And honestly, research suggests that people after cancer Need more protein. You're going to need more protein than just the average person your age. Now, many experts recommend somewhere between one to one and a half grams per kilogram of body weight and to get this every day. But most women that I work with are actually getting far less. And look, losing muscle doesn't just make you weaker. It's actually linked to higher levels of fatigue or exhaustion. More side effects and a slower cancer recovery. And honestly, I know this one personally. When I was diagnosed with stage three cancer, I was exhausted. Not tired, exhausted. Even with a doctorate in cancer care and years of working in oncology, I didn't realize Just how much my nutrition truly played a part. But today I'm actually stronger and I'm fitter than I ever was before cancer. And building my meals around the right protein is a big part of how I got here. Hey Dr. Amy here interrupting this video to let you know about the 30-day anti-cancer plan. Now the contents of this video it's amazing but you're going to need a little bit more support if you truly want to do everything in your power to stay cancer free. And that's where I want to help. The 30-day anti-cancer plan maps out exactly what you should eat, how you should exercise, and your mindset strategy for the next 30 days. I'm going to put the link below in the description, so go click now and get your copy. Okay, so that brings me to number two, and this one most people get wrong. Soy. Now, if you've had breast cancer, especially like an estrogen positive breast cancer, you've probably been told to avoid soy. The idea is that soy acts like estrogen. Therefore, it could actually feed your cancer. But here's why I love research. And here's what the research actually shows. Soy contains a natural compound. They're sometimes called plant estrogens, but they're actually much weaker than the estrogen your body naturally makes. And in your breast tissue, Those phytoestrogens. can actually block estrogen from having an effect. One of the largest studies of this actually followed about 5,000 breast cancer survivors in China. The women who ate the most soy actually had a 32% lower risk of breast cancer recurrence. Plus, they had a 29% lower risk of... Dying. That benefit was seen in women with estrogen positive breast cancer and estrogen negative breast cancer. And it was seen with women who were taking tamoxifen. The key here is whole soy foods. I'm talking tofu, tempeh, edamame beans, unsweetened soy milk, not like a soy concentrated supplement. Those are a totally different story. And honestly, a cup of shelled edamame beans, they have about 17 grams of protein, half Half a block of firm tofu Okay, but moving on, and this is one of the most underrated items on this list, lentils and beans. This includes chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and even split peas. They're one of the foods that give you protein and fiber at the same time. And that fiber really matters. When you eat fiber, the bacteria in your gut... It ferments it. This is going to make compounds known as short-chain fatty acids. This is one of the compounds that's going to keep the cells lining your digestive tract healthy and well. Plus, it's going to help lower inflammation. Now the World Cancer Research Fund has very strong evidence that eating higher amounts of fiber actually lowers your risk of cancer. Research suggests that for every 10 grams of fiber you add per day, it drops your risk of cancer by about 10%. But here's the problem. Most people only get about half of their recommended amount. One cup of cooked lentils gives you 18 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber. The easiest way to start eating more is to add beans or lentils to what you already eat. Toss chickpeas on a salad, add lentils to a soup or a chili, or swap out half the ground meat in a recipe for lentils. Okay, but moving on to this next food, and this one actually has a bad reputation. Plain Greek yogurt. Now there's a lot of fear around dairy after cancer, but when you look at large research reviews, dairy is not the villain it's made out to be. The World Cancer Research Fund actually found that dairy lowers the risk of colorectal cancer. Plus, Greek yogurt has two extra benefits. First, it's fermented. Most Greek yogurt contains live cultures. This is going to be beneficial for your gut bacteria. And look, your gut health plays a big role in your recovery. The second is that it's high in protein. Three quarters of a cup of plain Greek yogurt gives you 15 to 18 grams of protein. And look, there's one more reason why I love Greek yogurt for breast cancer thrivers. Chemotherapy, medical menopause, aromatase inhibitors, they all speed up your bone loss. Calcium and protein inside Greek yogurt, that helps. It's going to support your bones through these treatments. But here's where people go wrong. They grab the flavored yogurt. Some flavored yogurts have as much sugar as a dessert. So I want you to choose plain, unsweetened. Then you can add your own berries or cinnamons or whatever you want. A bowl of Greek yogurt in the morning is one of the best ways to start your day. Because look, the protein on your plate, that's one of the most powerful tools you have. The choices that you make every meal, they're going to add up over months and years. And this, this is what shapes your long-term health and your survival. Okay, so now that you understand which proteins help fight cancer, here's what you need to know next. You need to know which foods are actually linked to increasing your risk of cancer. These are the foods to avoid and some of them could be sitting in your fridge right now. So click on this next video here and let's dive into it. Okay, see you in the next video.