Eating During Cancer Treatment

I have known a number of people over the years who have suffered from the horrible disease cancer. It is always heart wrenching to see someone go through treament and all the side effects that come with it. Recently my friend and popular tv host Paula Sands of Paula Sands Live! was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer and I felt compelled in some way to try to offer her some kind of help or support. Since what I do for a living is cook I figured if nothing else, I could do some research and offer her some suggestions on what she should eat during her treatment.

Here are some of the basics I have learned combining both medical and homeopathic advice.

1) Eliminate refined sugars from your diet. Natural sweeteners like honey or agave nectar are much better sources for sweetening and locally sourced honey has the added benefit of building immunity particularly toward respiratory type ailments.

2) Elimate as many processed or pre-packaged foods from your diet. This is always a good rule of thumb. The more you can make from scratch, the less likely you are to consume potential carcinogens.

3) Drink plenty of water. This helps both with keeping you hydrated but also with flushing toxins from your system.

4) Get plenty of protein, fiber and calories. Weight loss is a very big concern with cancer treatment, which can actually result in a weakened immune system so this is not the time to go on a crash diet. Great sources of protein are greek yogurt, organic cage free eggs and whey protein which can be added to almost anything. I am also a firm believer in increasing your omega 3 fatty acids and chia seeds are an amazing source of this essential nutrient. Flax seed is a mega dose of fiber.

5) Eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for cancer patients. It is the time your most likely to not feel nauseated and therefore more likely to be able to get down a substantial nutrient dense meal.

6) Incorporate spices into your diet that are digestive aids. Cumin, ginger and cinnamon are well known for their digestive properties. One teaspoon of cumin mixed with water can be just as effective as Pepto Bismol in soothing an upset stomach. And in countries like Morocco, Ginger tea and ginger cakes are often served at the end of a meal to help the digestion process.

Here are a couple of breakfast recipes to try:

Super Shake
Yields: Approx. 2 Servings

1 Banana
1 Mango, Peeled
½ Avocado
2 tsps Agave Nectar or to taste
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup organic whole milk
2 tsps Chia Seed
1 Tbl Whey Protein

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, puree using an immersion blender or place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup cooked Quinoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps local honey or to taste
2 tsps chia seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbls Pistachios
2 Tbls Raisins
2 Tbls Dried Cranberries

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add vanilla, honey, chia seed, ginger, cinnamon to quinoa and stir to combine. Adjust sweetness to taste. Top with pistachios, raisins and dried cranberries or whatever fruit you like.

Are Gluten Free Food Manufacturers Doing a Disservice to those with Gluten Intolerances?

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo in Chicago. It was an eye opening experience on multiple fronts. When my mother in law was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 1997, knowledge about gluten intolerances was little and gluten free foods or labeling scarce. She and I learned what she could and couldn't eat sometimes the hard way. Much of this has changed particularly over the last 4 or 5 years. Gluten Free labeling has improved quite a bit. It isn't perfect, but it is better than it used to be. AND, perhaps more importantly, gluten free foods have started popping up in even the most mundane of grocery stores like Walmart. No longer do you have to travel to a big city where there is a Whole Paycheck or a Trader Joes to find gluten free products.

BUT, and here is the big but, are all these gluten free foods really helping those with gluten intolerances or actually hurting them? In my humble opinion, they are in fact hurting them. If you read the labels on these mostly processed and packaged foods, you will notice a lot of other ingredients besides wheat and wheat derivatives. The ones that particularly concern me are sugar, fat and salt. I was mortified upon reading many of the labels on these products how many of them were absolutely loaded with refined sugars, unhealthy fats and tons of salt. Sure you won't have an allergic reaction to these foods, but in the long run, will eating them be even worse for you than the wheat reaction would have been to begin with. I maintain in many ways yes.

Just because tons of cakes, cookies, pies, crackers, sauces, gravies, cereals, sweets, etc. are available to you that are gluten free doesn't make them any healthier. I feel like some individuals take a little license to indulge thinking that because they are gluten free they MUST be healthier alternatives to their non-gluten free counterparts. Many of the individuals I saw there were indeed on the plump side and probably needed to be cautious in particular about fat intake as well as glycemic index. What was even more disturbing to me was the almost obsessive nature with which people flocked to demos about these tasty treats using pre-packaged mixes that had things in them that they most certainly should be wary of.

I appreciate the fact that awareness of Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance has increased and I think it is wonderful, but I think that manufacturers see an opportunity to exploit people who are already vulnerable just to make a buck without thinking of the consequences in the long run. Creating a group of individuals who are not only unable to eat certain foods but are now suffering from other medical complications that are directly attributable to what they can and are eating is unacceptable.

We as advocates for those with food allergies in general have to also be advocates for health in general. People need to be made aware of the dangers of these foods and to read labels hyper sensitively. They also need to be made aware of the cash cow that the gluten and allergen free industry is to many manufacturers. Be suspect of all pre-packaged or processed foods. I understand convenience and believe me I am not such a huge food snob as to think that people are going to cook and bake from scratch every day. I get that. But helping people come up with ways to feed themselves quickly yet healthily is imperative if we are to see a decline in diet related illnesses. That's what I was trying more than anything to do in my own gluten free cookbook. Stop obsessing on desserts and those foods that are not necessarily the best choices for you to eat daily and focus on those things that are tasty, healthy and fulfilling. I think this is the direction for the future of gluten and allergen free lifestyles.

Mistakes can be blessings in disguise

So I'm sure all of us can attest to having made boo boos in the kitchen. My latest one involved a traditional Spanish dessert called Creme Catalana. I've made creme brulee a million times and so I wasn't worried about tackling this particular dessert. How hard could it be right?? Wrong. The dessert is basically a recipe for a vanilla custard that, like creme brulee, sets and then the top is bruleed with sugar to create a contrast between creamy and cruncy. Delicious. Well, I did the recipe by the book, tempering the egg yolks properly, straining out any cooked bits of milk and egg and then chilling overnight. Well, next morning I went to look at them to see if they were set and ready to go and what do you know, they were just as liquidy as when I first stuck them in the fridge.

Needless to say, I didn't have time to try it again so I racked my brains to figure out how I could fix them. Only thing I could think of was to stick them in the freezer and see if that would solve the problem. So I transferred them to the freezer and a couple of hours later, sure enough, they were set. I put them back into the fridge and then went on with my day of cooking and cleaning. At about 3pm, 3 hours before dinner, I happened to look in the fridge and noticed that not only had they thawed, but were right back to being liquidy again. Shoot. Now what??

Soooo, I put them right back in the freezer and let them set up again. Now I had to come up with a second alternative plan. My solution was to sell it as a new concept, frozen creme brulee. I wasn't 100% sure this would fly but at this point I had to try. Went forward with the meal. Started off with Goat Cheese and Tapenade Stuffed Tomatoes, Mixed Greens with a Chopped Vegetable and Olive Salad, Paella and the grand finale, the special Cinnamon, Vanilla and Orange Blossom Frozen Creme Brulee. Sounded fancy huh?? I pulled the frozen custards out, which by this point were like ice cream, and let them sit at room temperature for like 10 minutes just to take the chill off a bit. Then I sprinkled the tops with sugar and caramelized the sugar with my blow torch, just like I always do with creme brulee.

Then I thought to myself, "Well, here goes nothing." Off we went, presented the specialty gourmet dessert to our guests and then I went and hid in the kitchen, awaiting the response. The response was a bunch of empty ramekins and a lot of "that was the most unique dessert I have ever eaten." Phew, disaster averted and possibly new menu item added to existing repertoire. Now, question is if I can recreate the disaster cum blessing in disguise. Point is, think quick. Be creative. You never know why things happen the way they do, but I'm a firm believer in karma and also in the concept that sometimes the best things in life come out of what at the time can be perceived of as something awful. I always say to my students, what's the worst thing that can happen in the kitchen? You don't like something and you try again. Big deal. But if you never tried to begin with, you'll never know the pleasure of the experience of both making and eating good food.

Eating Mindfully

I know this is going to sound controversial but hear me out. I was having a conversation with someone the other day and they were telling me they loved to eat and that I could probably tell. Now this person is petite, probably 5'2" and maybe 120 lbs soaking wet. However, I do know they like to eat out and dine on gourmet cuisine. I made a comment to her that I have a theory that people who are foodies, who genuinely appreciate good food and the social aspects of dining, tend to be fit. I'm not saying skinny, but fit. They tend to focus on what they put into their bodies and that seems to extend to their whole well being, not just food.

I think this is directly a result of mindfulness. Being mindful of splurging once in a while but doing so consciously, not just simply for the sake of eating to fill some kind of void or because you are bored. They also tend to be midnful of their bodies in terms of working out and taking time to choose their foods wisely. There also seems to be a correlation between those who appreciate good food eating a more diverse diet, rich in not just some of the things we think are bad for us, like butter and cheese, but lots of fruits and vegetables, assembled and prepared delicately and cleverly at the height of their freshness.

Follow the logic here. We always talk about why French people, for example, aren't generally speaking heavy even though they eat what seems to be a very rich diet, drink lots of wine and eat very late at night, which are all "no-no's" according to most of our westernized diet plans. Yet, the diet doesn't seem to reflect the people. Why?? Well, I believe it is about this mindfulness. They are mindful of what they are eating, paying close attention to the flavors and appreciating them. They are mindful of whom they are eating with, usually spending hours over a meal, slowly enjoying what generally ends up being smaller portions than what we consume on a regular basis of richer, more flavorful foods. And they are mindful of the fact that food is both a necessity and a luxury in life. Yes, we all have to eat, but what we choose to eat isn't always a matter of necessity.

Often we choose things that don't nourish us in any way and really don't taste very good. We choose them because they are cheap, abundant and en vogue. I know that commercials and media inundate us with mixed signals about food. While fast food restaurants are pushing the super sized cheap meals, shows like "Biggest Loser" and "Celebrity Fit Club" have marketed every possible kind of supplement to assist us with offsetting the super sized world we live in. It's a dichotomy that is really kind of tragic and really signals a national eating disorder of a huge magnitude.

So, with that said, I challenge you all for the next month to eat mindfully. Pay attention to the choices you make. Decide if you are eating something simply because you saw an ad for it on tv, are bored or are genuinely going to spend the time to appreciate and enjoy the flavors of it. Take time to eat socially, appreciating the communion you can experience by sharing in food and drink. The whole concept of "breaking bread" isn't a new one, but one that may be getting lost in an increasingly busy world. Let your mind and your belly be full of love, passion and good food.