3 cancer-fighting recipes & healthy holiday eating tips

With the holiday season fast approaching, entertaining and gathering for meals with family and friends are on many minds. Yet this time of year can present a special challenge for people trying to maintain their focus on healthy eating, including those affected by cancer.

Endeavor Health oncology/wellness dietitian Doreen Berard, RD, LDN, advises cancer patients to follow the 80/20 rule.

“Fuel your body with the high-octane fuel of high-quality nutritious foods at least 80 percent of the time, but keep in mind that everything in moderation is ok,” said Berard. “We’re human, we have tastebuds, it’s not never when it comes to a special occasion or a holiday treat.”

Here are some more tips for healthy holiday eating:

1. Follow a Mediterranean diet. Berard and colleagues generally recommend that patients follow a Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to be beneficial for disease prevention including cardiovascular, diabetes and cancer. People should consume lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, heart-healthy fats like olive oils, nuts, legumes and lean proteins including fish and chicken. Red meat, highly processed foods, added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages and alcohol consumption should be limited if consumed at all to reap the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
2. Get the facts. Berard also cautions patients to filter information they find online carefully as there are many unreliable sites that promote outdated or wrong statements related to healthy eating. “It’s frustrating to see such outdated information so prevalent and it can be very confusing for patients looking for ways to improve their diet after a cancer diagnosis,” she said. Berard steers people to the American Institute for Cancer Research website which has a tremendous amount of good information, recipes and updated findings.
3. Tweak old family recipes. Recognizing that not everyone has the same time, energy or resources to put toward cooking healthy and nutritious meals, Berard helps guide patients to easy recipes or suggests tweaking old family recipes by swapping out some less healthy ingredients or adding things like frozen vegetables, canned beans or hard-boiled eggs.
4. Practice mindfulness. In addition to preparing healthy meals whenever possible, Berard advises people to enjoy the relationships and conversations around the table, as well as the food. “I’m all about mindfulness. If you are going to have something you don’t usually eat, enjoy it, make sure you really taste it,” she said.

Staying hydrated, limiting alcohol and eating small meals before heading to a large holiday gathering are other good strategies to keep healthy eating on track, she added.

3 cancer-fighting recipes

Two of Berard’s favorite “cancer-fighting cuisine” entrees are chicken cacciatore and spinach lentil stew. Both offer hearty, healthy taste-of-home deliciousness, without hours of chopping and prep work.

Another favorite — cranberry flax pumpkin bread can be a great breakfast, along with some Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs or nuts for protein. “You could even throw in a few mini chocolate chips and make it a healthy dessert,” added Berard.

Chicken Cacciatore
Servings: 4 
Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast (or legs and thighs with skin removed)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz can low sodium tomato sauce
• 14.5 oz can low sodium diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Place onion, mushrooms and pepper on bottom of slow cooker.
2. Lay chicken pieces over vegetables.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour over chicken.
4. Cook in a slow cooker (with cover on) on low for 6-7 hours OR cook in the oven (covered) at 225F for 6-7 hours.
5. Serve over brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Spinach Lentil Stew (Credit: Alice McEachern of Surrey, British Columbia, Taste of Home, 2014)
Servings: 6
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed
• 4 tsp vegetable or chicken bouillon granules
• 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, sauté onion in oil until tender.
2. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
3. Add the water, lentils, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the carrots, tomatoes and spinach; return to a boil.
6. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes longer or until lentils are tender.
7. Stir in vinegar.
8. Discard bay leaf.

Cranberry Flax Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients

• Canola oil spray
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup 100 percent apple juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Lightly coat 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with canola oil spray and set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Whisk in pumpkin, canola oil, applesauce, apple juice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Stir in dried cranberries.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing until all dry ingredients are incorporated into batter. Do not beat or overmix.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
9. Remove bread from pan and continue cooling on rack.