''I suspected they were part of some militant animal rights group, but I had a dietician there ,'' said Phil Fusca, cancer care coordinator for Aventura Hospital. ``If someone can get something good from this in terms of survivorship, that's my goal.''

When asked about her group's main focus, Edith Sodolo, a spokeswoman for the Cancer Project, said, ``PCRM does have two focuses, one is nutrition and the other is ethical scientific research. Animal testing is not ethical and not necessary.''

As to the question of whether dairy products are truly linked to cancer -- the American Cancer Society says they aren't, and The Cancer Project says they are -- Sodolo said, ``That's a controversial question, I've gotten that question before. We really require people to maintain communications with their doctors.''

FOLLOWING THROUGH

Educating people on eating a diet that lowers the risk of cancer or recurrence is one thing. Getting them to follow the plan is another, medical experts agree.

After the cooking class Cohen, the butcher's son, said he does not plan to give up red meat entirely, although he has cut down.

And Rhoda Rosenfield, an 87-year-old Pembroke Pines resident who survived breast cancer and is fighting lung cancer, said she would never give up her beloved hot dogs. ''I love hot dogs, more than lobster, more than anything,'' Rosenfield said.

''Diet is very individualized,'' said Dee Sandquist, a dietician in Portland, Maine, and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. ``We look at the total diet approach -- gradually increasing fruits and vegetables, adding in exercise. Everyone is genetically different. We certainly do need more research.''

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