Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the widow of the late former governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has shared insights into the foods she had to cut down after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu stated that although she defeated breast cancer 27 years ago, she lost her husband to prostate cancer in December 2023.

Betty explained that to survive cancer, she eliminated starchy foods from her diet because the disease’s growth is fueled by starchy foods and sugar.

On the list of foods she stopped eating include bread, eba, amala, akpu, and pounded yam. These changes helped her determination to stay alive and raise her young children.

She also revealed that she added exercise, specifically jogging, to her routine.

To mark World Cancer Day, Betty wrote on social media, "My experience with cancer is a mixed grill, of triumph and lately of grief. Having defeated breast cancer 27 years ago, and just over a year ago, on December 26, 2023, I lost my husband, Aketi, to prostate cancer.

"For this conversation, I will tell my story to inform, inspire and empower the public to take action against cancer as an individual or as a community.

"To begin with, the major thing that saved me from untimely death at the age of 44 was my mindset or belief. I didn't believe that my cancer was caused by anybody, let alone by a spiritual attack. So I didn't go to church or a spiritualist, I went to University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.

"My educational status also enabled me to figure out that cancer is a medical issue, nothing more. I was right! Doctors at UCH handled my case and if I may add, I presented early at stage 1 of the disease. No lymph node was affected, and I got to know the implications as I began to read voraciously some medical publications on breast cancer, such as Cochrane publications etc.

"As I read more and attended international conferences, I understood that my longevity after a cancer diagnosis depended on my lifestyle.

"Looking at my children then and how young they were, I was determined to do everything in my power to live to raise them. If stopping drinking coke and other minerals, swallowing eba, pounded yam, amala, and akpu would prolong my life knowing that starchy foods and sugar fuel the growth of cancer, so be it.

"That was exactly what I did. I stopped drinking minerals, no "swallow" and no bread since 2000! My food includes the following: veggies, smoothies, green tea, lemon and ginger tea, beans, moimoi, fish, chicken, snails, occasional rice, and zobo drinks.

"Today, I'm proudly a 27-year breast cancer survivor, thriving and still counting!" she concluded her post.