Nutrition

At Aratika Cancer Trust, we encourage a whole foods approach - not strictly vegan or plant-based, but centred on foods that nourish and heal.

Empowerment

Support

Wellbeing

Meet our Trustee and Nutrition expert Kaytee Boyd – she is a biomedical integrative nutritionist, wellness coach, speaker, businesswoman and former professional athlete. Kaytee has a double degree in Human Nutrition and Sports Science and an impressive career that has spanned more than 25 years in the health and wellness industry.

An interesting fact about her is that she represented NZ in four different disciplines of cycling and is a cycling World Cup Gold Medalist.She is based in Northland and runs a private online clinic specialising in cancer and wellness.

Eating well doesn’t guarantee a cure, but it lays the foundation for healing. For many people, dietary changes remove barriers to recovery. In fact, Kelly Turner’s research in Radical Remission found that many cases of unexpected recovery were linked to adopting a highly nourishing, whole-food diet.

Many nutrients can help lower the risk of certain cancers – antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, proteins and healthy oils. These are abundant in the traditional foods our ancestors hunted, fished, gathered, or harvested.

See our wholefood guidelines below. Join one of our retreats to hear more from Kaytee on how what you eat really matters.

Whole food guidelines

Eat The Rainbow: Colourful vegetables and fruit provide antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Prioritise Protein: Include fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and ethically raised meats.
Healthy Fats: Olive oil, avocado, coconut, nuts, seeds, oily fish.
Reduce Sugar & Refined Foods: Minimise sweets, soft drinks, white flour products.
Stay Hydrated: Filtered water and herbal teas are your best choices.
Fermented & Fibre-Rich Foods: Support gut health, which is crucial for immunity.
Choose Organic or Spray-Free: This helps reduce toxin exposure.
Reduce Alcohol: Swap with filtered water, soda water, kombucha, herbal teas.

The Metabolic Approach to Cancer Nutrition

We also teach “The Metabolic Approach to Cancer” by Dr. Nasha Winters. This is an excellent metaphor to think about the body as a garden. This approach views cancer as a metabolic disease — meaning cancer cells process energy differently to healthy cells.

Cancer cells rely heavily on glucose (sugar) for energy. By limiting sugar and refined carbohydrates, and instead fuelling the body with healthy fats and ketones, we can create a metabolic environment that supports healthy cells and challenges cancer cells.

Key Strategies

Ketogenic diet — low carb, high fat, moderate protein.
Caloric restriction & intermittent fasting — lowering glucose and insulin signals to starve cancer cells.
Reduce inflammation — whole foods and healthy fats help calm the body.
Support healthy cells — nutrition as a foundation alongside standard treatment.