Cancer-Fighting Foods

Image by joyosity via Flickr

I'm on a journey to learn as much as I can about cancer-fighting foods as well as disease prevention diets. I have two friends right now who have cancer, one with thyroid cancer ("J") and the other with a recurrence of a really aggressive breast cancer ("B"). They have inspired me to start this blog, so I can share what I'm learning as I cook for them during their treatments.

Through food, I hope to provide the best nourishment to help sustain and heal my friends, while comforting them with yummy tastes even when they're not at their best.

This coming week, my friend "J" is going to start her radiation treatment. In preparation, she has to be on an iodine-free diet both before and after the treatment for it to be effective. Since "J" will have to be in isolation for 5 days after she starts the radiation (she is technically "radioactive"), I made a couple of soups for her to stash away. Since the treatment could make her throat sore, I decided to make soups that could be eaten cold as well as warm.  

My favorite cookbook right now is Rebecca Katz's The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery. I made a big pot of her Magic Mineral Broth, using all organic veggies but leaving out the kombu seaweed (it contains iodine), which served as the base for my soups. 

First up was Bella's Carrot, Orange and Fennel Soup, a beautiful orange soup with warm spices like cinnamon and allspice. For extra antioxidant effect, I added some turmeric.  Next I made Summer's Best Zucchini Soup, a light pureed soup, but I omitted the grated zucchini garnish in case "J" has trouble swallowing after her radiation.

Next time, I'm going to try Sweet Artichoke's Zucchini and Lentil Cold Soup, which would be a great one dish meal since lentils are high in protein and fiber.  Even without any salt, these two soups were yummy, and very light tasting. I hope she likes them.

More Cancer-Fighting Recipes:
Healthy Carrot Recipes
Artichoke Tapenade
Napa Cabbage Broccoli Slaw


Anti-Cancer Ingredients:  Carrot, Onion, Leek, Celery, Garlic, Orange, Sweet Potato, Cinnamon