Cancer Project class gives clues on eating to live
Wednesday, April 12, 2006 7:34 AM PDT
By Cathy Zimmerman
Printable version
E-mail this articleThe equation for eating to prevent or survive cancer is not news: More vegetables and whole grain, less fat, no red meat.
But a Cancer Project cooking class at Wild Oats in Portland does offer fresh research to back up the vegetarian life as the healthiest around. Since many of us are trying to add vegetables and whole grains to our diet, the recipes rate a new look, too.
"This is a great diet for healthy living," said Dr. Wendy Abraham, a Portland naturopathic doctor who leads the class.
Abraham belongs to the Cancer Project, a national consortium of medical doctors and naturopaths urging Americans to redefine the food groups as vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fruit.
Getting rid of dietary fat is a big push of the project.
In a video that opened the class, Neal Barnard, M.D., explained why.
"Food can have remarkable power against cancer," said Barnard, a clinical researcher and author based at Georgetown University who has written dozens of studies and books, including the class workbook, "Survivor's Handbook: Eating Right for Cancer Survival."
According to the workbook, "Fatty foods boost the hormones -- estrogen and testosterone -- that promote cancer."
Barnard urged people who have cancer to "set aside blame."
Don't waste energy on bad habits or what caused the disease, he said, quoting a golf great in the workbook. "As Jack Nicklaus used to say, you can spend all day trying to figure out why you hit your ball into the woods -- or you can just go in and get it out.
"Focus on how to use food as to help you do better, now," he said. "Take the information, and put it to work."
Here's what studies prove.
• People who eat more fat tend to get more cancer.
"Fat actually changed your body chemistry. The more fat a woman eats, the more her body makes estrogen, and the more cancer cells are likely to spread," says Barnard. "Estrogen's job is to make things grow."
If you can reduce fats, "you have a shot at reducing cancers." Women with breast cancer who had the lowest-fat diets "did substantially better" than others with the disease, he says.
• Cancer survivors who do not reduce fat intake are at higher risk.
According to the video and the Survivor handbook, for breast cancer survivors, "the risk of dying at any point in time increased 40 percent for every 1,000 grams of fat the women consumed per month."
Barnard, who was principal investigator on a study about diet's effects on premenstrual and menstrual symptoms and weight loss after menopause, also said women who reduce fat in their diets have fewer cramps, PMS symptoms and problems with menopause.
• Men have their own worries.
PSA levels, the indicators of prostrate cancer risk, are lower in men who follow a vegetarian diet, Barnard and Abraham both said.
Vegetables, beans, potatoes and rice have under 10 percent fat content. "The leanest beef" is 29 percent fat, Barnard said. Even lean chicken is 23 percent fat.
"Asians use meat and fish as a condiment" rather than the centerpiece of a meal, the doctor says, and that is why their cancer rates are so much lower than Americans'. "Even if they get cancer, they're much more likely to survive it."
During the class, Abraham made a healthy dip called hummus in a blender, then served it with wedges of whole wheat pita. Hummus also is a good vegetable dip or sandwich spread.
She stir fried vegetables and sesame-ginger tofu, and served them with brown rice. And she made an easy bean salad, "beautiful, with lots of variety, lots of fiber."
Finally, she whipped up tasty breakfast smoothies with frozen berries.
Here are the recipes, followed by two canned bean recipes from Newsday.
HUMMUS
1 can garbanzo beans
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame butter)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 scallions, chopped (green onions)
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
Drain garbanzo beans, reserving the liquid from the can, and rinse the beans,
Place all ingredients except reserved bean liquid in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add reserved liquid as needed for smoother consistency.
--- PCRM dietitian Jennifer Keller, R.D.
EASY BEAN SALAD
1/2 cup low-fat Italian salad dressing1 can kidney beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
1 can black-eyed peas (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
1 can lima beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Toss all ingredients together. Serve cold or at room temperature. Store in refrigerator, covered, for several days.
Editor's note: Abraham substituted edamame beans for the lima. And the pepper seems like a lot.
EASY STIR-FRY
Serves 4
1 bag frozen assorted vegetables or 1 bag frozen stir-fry vegetables plus 1/4 cup stir-fry sauce
1 packages teriyaki-flavored faux chicken strips or 1 can of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed
Follow directions on package, substituting beans or tofu alternatives for beef, chicken or fish. To reduce sodium, use only 1/2 of the sauce package.
Serve over couscous or brown rice.
Editor's note: Abraham used no oil, simmering the vegetables in water and soy sauce instead. Mixed fresh vegetables would also work.
BREAKFAST SHAKES
Each recipe makes about two cups
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. You'll have to stop the blender and move the fruit to the center with a spatula.
Cream Berry Smoothie
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 cup calcium-fortified vanilla soy milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
2 tablespoons calcium-fortified orange juice from frozen concentrate
If you have no soy milk, use water. The smoothier will be grainier but fine.
Green Goodie
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup calcium fortified vanilla soy milk
10 frozen peach slices
1 banana
1/4 cup pitted cherries or raspberries
2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
1 heaping teaspoon spirulina*
Ice, as needed to chill and thicken
Editor's note: Spirulina is green algae, full of amino acids and protein. It suppresses appetite and increases energy and stamina. Country Village health store on Vandercook Way carries a wide variety and printed information on spirulina.
These recipes from Newsday did not come from the cancer class, but include canned beans an a great source of nutrients. They're also high in fiber and low in fat. Rinse canned beans to wash off some of the sodium, food writer Marge Perry advises.
RED BEANS AND RICE
If you're not vegetarian and want to give this dish a smoky, meaty flavor, add 4 slices of cooked, chopped bacon to the beans at the end. Brown rice would add fiber.
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco (optional)
Cook rice according to package directions, omitting any fat.
Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, celery, onion, bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans and cook until hot, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Serve the beans over the rice and pass hot sauce.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional analysis for each serving: 455 calories, 16 g protein, 79 g carbohydrates, 17 g fiber, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 795 mg sodium
BLACK BEANS AND BURRITOS
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped red onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed and lightly mashed with a fork
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet set over medium high. Add the garlic, onion, green pepper, oregano and cumin, and cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Add the tomatoes, black beans, corn and vinegar, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, until the mixture is thickened.
Heat the tortillas according to package instructions. Working one at a time, spoon 1/4 of the filling down the center of each tortilla, leaving an inch free at the top and bottom. Fold the short ends up toward the middle, then roll the burrito closed. Place each burrito seam-side down and cut in half on the diagonal to serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional analysis for each serving: 401 calories, 13 g protein, 75 g carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 997 mg sodium
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