Amazing Anticancer Foods

The power of food is so exciting to me.  Way back when our mothers made us, but now, what we put into our bodies every day becomes our new cells, our thoughts, our actions.  We have the wonderful benefit daily of having a choice to put food into our bodies that will positively affect how we operate!

In terms of cancer, and cancer prevention, there are some real winning food choices we can make.  As I've discussed in this blog before, all "real" foods have unique properties, so variety is key, but there are some stand-outs.

Ginger is a big one.  There are studies that have shown ovarian cancer cells that come into contact with ginger disappear on contact.  The aloe plant is another.  You can buy big jugs of aloe at Whole Foods and can add them to smoothies.  Lemon and tangerine peels are also powerful cancer-fighters.  A way to eat these is to either juice them, or to throw cut-up whole lemons or tangerines into smoothies.  They can be bitter, but it is an acquired taste, and it's nothing some raw honey can't fix!

Sprouts are also tremendous anti-cancer foods.  All that energy and all those enzymes that are packed into those tiny new shoots of a plant can do wonders in your body.  Toss them into salads or eat them straight with a delicious dressing on top.  You can also throw them into your juicer along with your other vegetables.

I have talked on this blog before about Dr. Joel Fuhrman and his anti-inflammatory foods. He uses the GOMBBS acronym (Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Beans, and Seeds.) There are over 200 studies showing that people with diets high in dark green leafy vegetables have 60% reduced chance of developing cancer. Dark green leafy veggies have also shown to shrink and in some cases even eliminate existing cancers.  Eating mushrooms every day (a variety of them) reduces your rate of developing breast cancer by 70%.  Mushrooms are one of the foods that have proven to be more effective cooked than raw.

This recipe incorporates lots of good cancer-fighting foods.  It's easy to make and keep in the fridge for several days, so that you can add it to your lunch or dinner at a moment's notice!

Most Delicious Massaged Kale Salad

This is a variation on massaged kale salad that I've posted before.  My friend Elin gave me the original recipe for massaged kale.

1. Take a bunch of kale, chop it into strips, sprinkle it with sea salt, drizzle on olive oil, and massage with your hands for 3-4 minutes until the kale is soft and tender. Set aside in a large bowl.
2. Make a honey ginger dressing: Mix together in a blender 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 an inch ginger chopped with skin peeled off, 1/2 Tbsp. raw honey, the juice from 1/2 an orange, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Blend until smooth. Pour over the kale and mix well.
3. Toss in an abundance of slivered almonds, raisins, unsweetened large coconut flakes, chopped apple, and pumpkin seeds.  Mix well.  Savor it!

* Kale is an excellent source of vitamin C, B6, carotenes, manganese, and fiber.  It also contains many minerals including copper, iron and calcium.  It's high phosphorous content has been proven to help prevent osteoporosis, and it has some of the highest anticancer properties of any food.
**Coconut is an excellent source of healthy medium-chain saturated fats.  It contains selenium and zinc, as well as manganese, copper, and even protein.  It increases the healthy HDL cholesterol, and provides the body with lauric acid, which is antiviral and antibacterial.  It protects against heart disease and promotes weight loss.
***Pepitas--or, pumpkin seeds--contain vitamins B1, B2, protein, vitamin A, and also contain healthy minerals like iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, and phosphorous.

What to do when you find out someone you love has cancer.

It is the news you least want to hear: that someone you love has cancer.  Let's admit it, there's nothing good about it.  It is important, however, to remember that every situation is different, every person is different, every cancer is different, and so many things can be done.  People are curing their own cancers through holistic methods.  Doctors are sending millions of cancers into remission via "traditional" methods.  And miracles do happen, even in the most dire of situations.

People have asked me: what should I do when I get this news?  I thought I would share a bit about what might be helpful to do, early on.

1. Take stock of the situation.  Is there going to be surgery involved?  Chemotherapy?  Radiation?  Should you be making adjustments right away to prepare the house if en elderly parent is getting surgery?  You may need to get a lower bed.   Perhaps you can make her bedroom more temporarily "livable," by putting a comfy chair in the bedroom, adding an instant teapot and making a little tea station, or keeping a pitcher of water and a glass on the bedside table.  You may need to move a bed downstairs.  If she is going to have to get chemo, can you work out a schedule to have someone drive her?  There are going to be a series of doctor's appointments.  Can you get a number of them on the calendar early, so that you can get a picture of what the next few months will hold?

2. Make some small nutritional changes right away.  I have written a lot about how making dramatic changes is not effective for most people, because most people have their likes and dislikes and can be set in their ways a bit.  Start off by simply adding more greens.  Think about ways to add greens into every meal.  Add spinach into their rice & beans, introduce green smoothies, think of having 2-3 vegetable & fruit sides with dinner instead of 1.

3. Buy a copy of "One Bite at a Time" by Rebecca Katz.  She has a number of cookbooks directed towards cancer survivors, and they are all great.  They are delicious, accessible, and healthy recipes.  They give you an idea of what foods are cancer fighters, and give you a good place to start nutritionally.

4. Keep a log book.  Have a book handy where you can write EVERYTHING down.   Who came by to check in.  Who offered to help.  What friends delivered food.  What your loved-ones reaction was to a new medication.  What the doctors reported at the hospital.  This log will be invaluable to you.  A lot of things can be a blur when you are helping someone through a crisis.  Your sibling may arrive at the hospital later in the day than you, and can refer to the log book to get the latest info.

5. Make a list of things friends can do to help.  You can keep the list in the log book!  Then when somebody calls and asks what they can do, you can refer to the list and say "His dry cleaning needs to be picked up!" or "We're out of eggs if you can grab some next time you're at the grocery."

6. Ask somebody to coordinate meals.  A prepared meal arriving at the door is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to someone in a cancer crisis.  The last thing they can think about is food, but it is often the most important thing!  In most cases you do not want meals delivered every day, because that can be too much. Having someone coordinate food delivery is really helpful.  They can give people the patients food preferences and allergies, tell them what time/place to deliver the food, let them know how to pick up their dish afterwards.  This takes a huge burden off the patient and his/her caregiver.  There are some great services out there that can help with this.  Meal Train is one.  Sign up Genius is another.  If people are really thoughtful, they will occasionally include the primary caregiver in the food delivery, too.  The caregiver is not thinking about feeding her immediate family, and arriving home to an empty refrigerator can be the cause of lots of tears and frustration.   Making a meal for someone who is helping somebody through cancer is a deeply wonderful thing!

7. Look into alternatives & holistic treatments.  See what is available in your area.  Be open to them.  If you are interested/willing in trying alternative treatments, it doesn't mean you have to abandon the traditional methods (in #1) right away.  Some can be done in conjunction with one another.  Many are nutritional and can make a tremendous difference whether or not you choose to do chemotherapy.

8. Have hope.  Countless studies have shown that having hope is an incredibly powerful thing.  A positive attitude will make you heal faster.  Your mind asks your body to stand up and start walking, why can't it ask your cancer to start disappearing?  Try to create a positive environment that is happy, low stress, and hopeful.  It will make a difference.

Mushroom White Bean Sauté

Ample amount of olive oil

1 package sliced mushrooms

½ a red onion

Sea salt

1 can white beans (or 1 cup of soaked and cooked white beans)

1 clove garlic, minced

Serve over cooked quinoa, or salad greens.

1 cup cooked quinoa (optional) or salad greens (optional)

Dressing for the salad or quinoa 

1.     Liberally pour olive oil in a frying pan and sauté one package of sliced mushrooms, along with half a diced red onion. Salt well.  Once they are soft and browned (after maybe 10 min.) add your beans, followed by the minced clove of garlic. Stir until fragrant and flavors have melded (about 2 min.)  Add more olive oil and salt, until seasoned to your liking.

2.     Pour over salad greens with dressing (or quinoa seasoned with a dressing) and enjoy!