Saturday 1 November 2008

Visit to Penny Brohn Cancer Care centre

On Wednesday I drove to Bristol to the Penny Brohn Cancer Care centre to go on a Nutrition course. The course focused on healthy eating and what they call their Bristol Approach diet plan. The centre supports people living with or caring for someone with cancer. I so wish I had known about it when I first was diagnosed. They do a 2 day and 5 day residential course where they tell you about their approach and introduce you to meditation and complementary therapies and good nutrition and give you time to take stock, rest and gain support and understanding..
In the morning we had a science lesson about how food is taken in by our bodies and used in a supportive way. We had lunch in their lovely restaurant and were able to sample some of the herbal teas and also I tried some vegetable juices. It was good to note that my dairy-free approach to possibly beating a recurrence of cancer is well supported; milk really is a no-no. Add lots of organic fruit and veg, and beans, pulses, nuts, whole-foods, some eggs and if you aren't vegan like me then you can add chicken and fish. Food supplements of a good quality are also recommended. I guess really their approach is very like the Jane Plant diet but they do not advocate very much soya, as she does.

I came away feeling more hopeful that what I am doing is right even though following a wholesome vegan diet is hard work. Need to get a good juicer now!

Visit the Penny Brohn website - courses page.

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