It's true that foods often have medicinal properties.  The problem with using food as medicine is that it is not standardized for the amount of a particular substance present in the food.  For example, grapefruit enhances the effects of certain medications so much that it is dangerous to eat grapefruit with those medications.  So I asked my doctor why people couldn't eat grapefruit and take a lower dose of the medicines.  He said that the effects of the grapefruit were too unpredictable.

If people could ingest enough of an aromatase inhibitor from a food to make a difference in survival rates, they would likely experience the same side effects they get from Arimidex or another drug.  Talk with your doctor about how much risk reduction you get from the Arimidex.  If your risk of recurrence is already low, you might decide that the Arimidex is not worth the effect on your quality of life.  If your risk is high, and if the Arimidex reduces your risk significantly, then it might be worth persisting despite the side effects.