@HolliB-I agree with you 100%. Protein is so important during chemo. Chemo kills all the fast growing cells in our body, including the cancer cells. You need much more protein for your body to withstand all the toxins you'll be getting during chemo and to rebuild your body's cells. Also...keep in mind that the American Heart Association recommends that all women need to limit their added sugar intake to 6 teaspoons or 100 calories a day. Yes, it's hard to kick the sugar habit, but now's your chance to start eating healthier. However to answer the question at hand, there are no conclusive studies that show a link to sugar and cancer, HOWEVER if you eat too much sugar it will metabolize as fat. If this fat is central fat, the central fat produces a hormone call Adipokines. Adipokines are linked with inflammatory diseases, metabolic diseases, diabetes, and YES cancer. The ways I cut out added sugar in my diet, to be healthier, is to buy fresh organic fruits, veggies, and grass fed meats. I make my own protein smoothies using an egg white powder, fruits, and veggies. This is way healthier than Ensure since you know exactly what you're putting into your body. Sorry, if I went on too long. I've had BC twice and do all that is possible to keep from getting it a third time. If you'd like a few smoothie recipes, I'd be happy to share.

Sorry gals, but I agree with dpspins. Jello and ensure are not real food. Your body really needs real food, not highly processed food to heal and be healthy. I took 2 nutrition classes (and many Anatomy & Physiology courses) to understand how the body works and what it needs to work properly. Yes, ensure and jello are easy and quick, but your body does not recognize them as high density nutrition sources. Getting off my soap box, but really folks, this is the key time to clean up our poor habits.

Now here is my story, a lot different then most of the others. The nutrionist told me how to eat healthy and eat among other things lots of nuts. During Chemo I ate practically nothing. Had zero appetite. I love pepsi but my taste buds went crazy and even the soda and almost everything else tasted so bad. I ate some ramen nodles, ice cream, milkshakes and cold shrimp with lots of cocktail sauce. That was just about my diet during 15 chemo treatments of AC and Taxol. The nausea was so over whelming that I was just about off all foods. I was a big M&M freak eating almost a bag a day but chocolate made me even more nauseaus. Before treatments I weighed 154 lbs. and wh
en I was done I weighed 97 lbs. That's right--I lost 57 lbs. The doctor never seemed too concerned--though I was getting weaker and weaker. When all was said and done I started on my weight gaining program--eventually reached 134 lbs and maintaining. I feel great now. But my point is that you should just eat what you can and if you can't eat healthy just eat something. I envy those patients who did not have such a difficult time as I did. Good luck and happy thoughts to everyone going through this dreaded disease.

I agree with Steph in seattle. low carbs/sugars. no crap like soda, especially diet! eat real. spend alot on food, better than spending alot on medicine. jello? what is jello, is it even a food? come on, you had/have cancer, use this as a chance to really kick it up. you will be happier and healthier.

Just thought I'd add what my ONC told me. I was told that while I do need to "diet" in the weight loss sense of the word, during chemo is not the time. I have instead worked on the quality of the food I am taking into my body. If I want to go onto some sort of responsible diet plan after my treatment is done, it is completely with their blessings. But during chemo, they frown on someone trying to "diet" in the traditional sense of the world. Now, regarding sugar, I understand this is a hot button. But I saw 3 ONC's before I made my choice and 1 cancer nutritionist and since it was such a major diet issue, I asked all 4 of them. They all told me the same answer in different ways. That is: all cells grow using sugar. Cancer cells consume more which is why they do show up stronger in the administering of tests. But if you deprive your body entirely of white refined sugar, if the cancer is aggressive, it will simply steal the sugar it need from the "good" cells in your body. I think we all know white sugar is very bad for your body and your health. But I just wanted to add this to this information as I'd hate to think there's someone out there kicking themselves thinking they "fed" their cancer and deserved metastasis due to eating a candy bar once a week. It's just not that simple.