Thriving After Breast Cancer with Tamar Rothenberg | #60

Click here to access a written transcript of this episode.

Tamar Rothenberg is a registered dietitian who specializes in nutrition for individuals who have had breast cancer. She helps people make sense of the mixed messages they receive about caring for themselves after breast cancer so they can take back their power and thrive once again. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's had breast cancer as well as anyone who loves someone who's had breast cancer.

We discussed:

• Why Tamar decided to become an RD who specializes in breast cancer.
• The importance of getting your power back after breast cancer treatment.
• The reality that breast cancer is caused by many different factors and no one is to blame for causing it.
• How “ob*sity” has never been proven to be a cause of breast cancer.
• Racial disparities in cancer treatment.
• The lack of breast cancer research on non-binary individuals and trans men.
• The role of different factors, such as nutrition and stress, in cancer reccurrence.
• How eating “perfectly” after breast cancer isn't a requirement.
• Why Tamar uses the term “thriver” instead of “survivor.”
• The need to eliminate discussions about prevention because prevention isn't possible.
• How diet culture makes people think that gaining weight as a side effect of medication is a worse outcome than lowering cancer risk.
• “Immune-boosting foods” vs “immune-supporting foods.”
• How there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to thriving post-cancer, and there's no one magic bullet for cancer-proofing your body.
• The importance of knowing your family history of cancer and getting genetic testing if recommended.
• The myth that foods like soy and sugar cause breast cancer.
• One final piece of advice from Tamar to breast cancer thrivers.
• How Tamar defines health and wellness for herself at this moment in her life.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Weight Inclusive Cancer Care with Tamar Rothenberg on The Mindful Dietitian podcast
• The BRCA mutation
• Disparate cancer treatment for Black women and white women
• Black Women Rising – The Untold Cancer Stories Podcast hosted by Leanne Pero
• Breast cancer risk in transgender people

Featured in This Episode

Tamar Rothenberg, MS, RDN, (she/her) specializes in nutrition for breast cancer thrivers in her private practice in Los Angeles, and she has a Certificate of Training in Vegetarian Nutrition. Tamar cuts through confusing nutrition information and uses intuitive eating, body trust, and plant foods to get your power back. She’s an adjunct professor of nutrition at Touro College and University. Most recently, she co-authored the study, Coping with Cancer in the Kitchen. You can find Tamar on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Did you benefit from this episode? You can show your appreciation by supporting a cause that's important to Tamar. To do so, donate to Cancer Support Community of Los Angeles.