#465 The Spice Rack - A Simple Way to Support Your Health After Breast Cancer#465 The Spice Rack - A Simple Way to Support Your Health After Breast Cancer
The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach
Laura Lummer talks about using everyday herbs, spices and teas to add easy variety and more plants to meals after breast cancer. She focuses on simple, practical tips that reduce food pressure and bring flavour and enjoyment back to eating.
19:35•5 Jun 2026
From Boring Plates to Bold Flavours: Using Your Spice Rack After Breast Cancer
Episode Overview
- Herbs and spices are plant foods, so using more of them is an easy way to add variety and extra plants to meals you already cook.
- Most people eat the same 20–30 foods repeatedly; changing spices on familiar dishes can create new meals without learning complex recipes.
- Check spice freshness by smell; if there’s little aroma, it’s time to compost them and replace with small, good-quality amounts.
- Store spices in a cool, dark, dry place away from heat and sunlight to preserve flavour and useful compounds.
- Food after breast cancer doesn’t need to be perfect or restrictive; well-seasoned, satisfying meals can support both body and enjoyment.
“"Herbs and spices are not a separate category of food… they're plants."”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? Swap “sobriety” for “life after breast cancer” and you’re right in the heart of this chat with coach and two-time breast cancer survivor, Laura Lummer. Aimed at women living with or after breast cancer who are tired of food rules and guilt, this conversation keeps things light while tackling a big question: "What do I even eat?" Laura zooms in on one simple, often ignored answer: your spice rack.
She points out that most people rotate through the same 20–30 foods, get bored, and then feel pressured to hunt for the perfect anti-cancer diet. Instead, she suggests using herbs and spices as an easy way to add more plants, flavour and colour to familiar meals.
As she reminds you, "Herbs and spices are not a separate category of food… they're plants." A single homemade chilli blend, for example, can quietly pack 15 or more different plant foods into a very ordinary pot of chilli.
You’ll hear practical, no-fuss tips: how to tell if a spice is still worth using ("If you barely smell anything, the spice is done"), why buying tiny jars beats giant bargain tubs, and where to store spices so they actually keep their flavour and helpful compounds. She also suggests “dating” new spices instead of committing to a huge collection and using them in a few meals in the same week to see what sticks.
Throughout, Laura gently pushes back against perfectionism and pressure. Food, she says, should be satisfying, not boring, and "pleasure and nourishment can go together." If you’re after simple ways to support your body after breast cancer without turning eating into a full-time job, this chat might spark some new ideas next time you open that spice cupboard. What forgotten jar are you going to reach for first?
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