Seven and a half years ago, in January 2017, I launched my DAM MAD About Breast Cancer blog.  After I finished my active treatment for hormone-driven breast cancer (February 2015), I continued running my private nutrition therapy practice and personal training studio, but I had this knowing that somehow I’d use that breast cancer experience in my work.  What I didn’t know, was what that would look like.  While I was figuring it out, my blog was born.  First, about that title. I WAS damn mad about my breast cancer and realized I needed to turn that corrosive anger into some ..read more

Why does the idea of consuming protein in the form of a powder, meal replacement, bar or pre-mixed shake hold such strong appeal for breast cancer survivors? Not only that, how did selecting a protein powder, meal replacement, bar or pre-mixed shake become so complicated and fraught with angst? Even my head spins at the extensive array of protein powder ingredients, brands, and miraculous things these products are purported to do. If I feel overwhelmed, I can only imagine how you feel!  As a hormone-driven breast cancer survivor, selecting protein-based ANYTHING feels not only confusin ..read more

Some years ago I had a client who shared that his son ate a vegan diet, avoiding even honey. Dad said, “He’s been eating this way for four years. As far as I can tell he looks alright, like he’s getting enough protein. I think he has to combine, right?” I wasn’t sure what dad expected to see as an indicator of “not getting enough protein”.  Sunken cheeks? Pasty pallor? Visible muscle wasting? I also understood his concern. How one could ever get enough protein without eating meat has forever been the subject of debate, the butt of jokes, and a myth that refuses to die. Most of that erron ..read more

“It’s exhausting trying to eat perfectly all the time!” On a recent coaching call, one of my client’s spoke in-depth about how striving for perfection in her eating left her worn out and forever struggling to “do the right thing”.  I hear this often.  Eating “perfectly” is a goal for so many post-treatment survivors for one reason.  Perfect eating = no recurrence. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  A couple of reasons, but before I dive into that, please remember this: no one (including me, a survivor AND dietitian) eats “perfectly” 100% of the time.  First of all ..read more

My mission is to serve as a trusted nutrition resource for the hormone-driven breast cancer community. I consider it my professional and ethical duty to call out potentially harmful nutrition information (miracle nutrition) targeting the vulnerable among us.   Scientific literature confirms the role of nutrition in breast cancer care, healing and survivorship as beneficial and supportive of optimal outcomes, as well as potentially reducing risk of recurrence. (1) What it’s not been shown to do is REPLACE conventional treatment. To “miraculously” allow the body to cure or conquer it ..read more

Your breast cancer diagnosis left you reeling. The emotions and feelings accompanying the words “It is cancer” can’t be explained to anyone who’s not heard them. Breast cancer emotions and feelings are intense. Powerful. Icky. What the hell are you supposed to DO with them? It depends. There are as many ways to deal with emotions and feelings as there are people on the planet. Emotional intelligence (EI) theory teaches us to monitor both our and others’ emotions, sort through and distinguish among them, then use this information to guide our thinking and actions. It also says we’re not in ch ..read more

Every year I get all sorts of giddy when March arrives.  Volatile, unpredictable, raw March Chicago weather notwithstanding, this month ushers in celebrations and observances of a number of things I’m fierce about: Women’s History Month National Nutrition Month National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day (March 1) Read Across America Day (March 2) National Grammar Day (March 4) National Day of Unplugging (March 6) International Women’s Day (March 8) Popcorn Lover’s Day (March 8) My Birthday (March 18) First Day of SPRING! (March 19) National Doctor’s Day ..read more

The work that I do has one purpose; helping food-panicked survivors of hormone-positive breast cancer eat with peace and enjoy their food again after treatment ends.  Sounds like that would be pretty simple, doesn’t it?  Give clients a few handouts, teach them what’s best to eat and avoid, then load them up with plant-based recipes and encourage them to try ‘em out.  Oh my, no. While those are all fine as resources go, and certainly useful, that’s not enough to transform the lives of my clients.  Here’s why. Every woman I work with comes to me with expectations about her d ..read more

After treatment ends, it’s common to want to “do your diet differently”. You feel like your nutrition needs have changed, so why wouldn’t you want to shake things up? The problem is, you’re not sure where to start. That’s challenging enough on its own, but in my opinion, the even bigger challenge is maintaining the changes you DO put into place.  Here’s how it typically goes.  You decide to cut down on some foods or add more of other foods, and in some instances, you just leave the food alone and keep eating the same way. Regardless of how you go about it, you don’t trust yourself t ..read more

There’s a lot to be said for examining the way you “think” about food.  I don’t mean think about food as in, “What will I make for dinner?”, “What SHOULD I eat for dinner?”, or “Is what I ate for dinner okay for me to eat for dinner?” Those are “thoughts” about food, for sure. What I’m talking about is your MINDSET around your food.  In my experience, post-treatment survivors tend to approach food with either a peaceful or panicked mindset.  Here are three ways to tell which mindset you’re in most often: NUMBER ONE A panicked mindset thinks one bite of cookie or one sip of wine ..read more