Carol, a leukemia survivor, recently finished treatment and wanted to live a healthy lifestyle to help prevent recurrence. After watching a news report about the benefits of eating organic foods, Carol decided to give an organic diet a try. However, when she went to her grocery store, Carol realized buying all organic would be out of her price range.
Looking for ways to eat healthy on a budget, Carol called PearlPoint Cancer Support. Our registered dietitian explained the difference between organic and conventional foods and gave Carol tips to identify organic based on food labels. Our dietitian let Carol know that buying organic makes a bigger difference for some foods more than others. She sent Carol a list of foods called “the dirty dozen.” These foods such as apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers have higher amounts of pesticides than other foods. She also sent Carol information about “the clean 15,” a list of foods with lower amounts of pesticides including asparagus, avocadoes, cantaloupe, and more. (See the full dirty dozen and clean 15 list). Our dietitian recommended Carol use these lists to see when it would be worth it to pay extra for organic. Our dietitian also recommended that Carol try shopping for produce at a local farmers markets as a way to eat fresh and save money.
Eating a healthy diet after cancer is an important way to maintain well-being in survivorship. PearlPoint’s registered dietitians provide trusted nutrition guidance before, during, and after cancer treatment, free of charge. If you have questions about what to eat after cancer, visit My PearlPoint or contact PearlPoint Cancer Support today.
