BEACON— Next month Beacon resident Paulette Pettorossi will undergo another reconstructive surgery. It was in March of last year that Pettorossi, who has a history of breast cancer in her family, was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. She had her yearly mammogram that past November.

“I believe that cancer and food, there’s a lot of connection with it,” said Pettorossi.

Pettorossi and approximately 25 people were attending the Breast Cancer Options meeting “Nutrition: During and After Breast Cancer Treatment.” The guest speaker was Roufia Payman, the Director of Nutrition Education at Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck.

The hour-and-a-half meeting took place at Wingate at Beacon on Hastings Drive.

“We all still care about nutrition because we are what we eat,” said Mary Ann Bopp, an 11-year cancer survivor. Bopp is the facilitator for the Breast Cancer Options group that meets every month at Wingate at Beacon.

“I truly believe healing begins with good nutrition,” remarked Payman. “You want food to be your medicine. Not medicine your food.”

Payman reiterated to those in attendance that it is extremely important to avoid all processed foods.

“The first most important thing is to become a food detective,” remarked Payman. She stated it is really important to read all of the ingredients when grocery shopping and to make cooking fun.

“You have to plan,” she said. Those with cancer or who are going through treatment for cancer, should plan on the food they are going to eat. It is also important, according to Payman, for people going through treatment or who have cancer to do their food shopping on days they feel healthy.

Eating organic fruits and vegetables is important, explained Payman.

“Alcohol feeds cancer cells. Sugar feeds cancer cells. Again everything in moderation,” the nutritionist stated. She also told those at the meeting to not eat “anything white,” such as white flour and white sugar.

“My recommendation to all of you…the less animal product you eat, the better you are,” she said.

Payman was asked to give an example of food people should eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She said everyone should eat six times a day, which consists of three meals and three snacks.

“Portion [size] is important,” said Payman. “You also want to keep a healthy weight. Any weight gain is not good.”

For breakfast, she suggested, having some protein, such as almond butter, peanut butter or omega-3 eggs, which contain a higher level of the polyunsaturated fatty acid, two to three times a week. Make sure that the carbohydrates eaten in the morning are whole grains, she recommended.

“Tea has the antioxidants that fight cancer,” Payman said. But it also has caffeine, she warned.

Snacks could be nuts, such as almonds or pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or hummus with vegetables. Organic dark chocolate with 75 percent cocoa is also a good snack, just make sure to carefully read the ingredients of the product being purchased, Payman stated.

For lunch, sauté a diced onion and some garlic. Then add cumin, oregano, celery and a diced tomato. Rinse organic beans very well to get rid of the salt. Then add some carrots, along with cilantro or parsley and juice from a lime. Add the mixture to brown rice, said Payman.

She said never eat tuna salad, egg salad or chicken salad out at a restaurant because of all the mayonnaise that is added to the food. In the end, lunch should be a combination of protein and healthy carbs, she said.

Fruits and nuts would be a good afternoon snack, Payman said.

For dinner three to four ounces of hormone free, organic turkey or chicken, Payman stated.

Another suggestion Payman made was to meditate before eating to create mindfulness and calmness.

“They may not be able to incorporate everything but if they make small changes it can make a difference,” said Bopp.

Pettorossi said, “Why take the chance? Eliminate as much as you can.”

She also made this suggestion.

“Make sure you do your monthly breast self-exam, because that is how I found it,” said Pettorossi.

For more information on Breast Cancer Options, please visit www.breastcanceroptions.org or call (845) 339-HOPE.