We are what we eat. And for bodies in fight-or-flight mode, the fuel matters even more. We asked the professionals at City of Hope Atlanta for some advice on healthy eating. The City of Hope Georgia cancer care team is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to listen, answer patients' questions, and help them decide on a treatment plan that's right and how to navigate diet and lifestyle.
Meals Matter
When it comes to diet before, during and after treatment, it is important to include five servings of fruit and veggies every day. “A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is important for everyone, especially cancer patients," says Jayla Thurman, RDN, LD, Clinical Oncology Dietician at City of Hope Atlanta. "Fruits and vegetables provide many nutrients—such as fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals—that help fight off radical cells that can cause cancer formation. "Meal planning can be helpful in thoughtfully making diet and lifestyle changes. Our lives are busy and sometimes we don’t have the time to think about what we should be eating, but meal planning can set us up for a better chance of making habits improve. "For cancer patients, this can be particularly helpful as travel, appointments, medications and overall stress is usually a larger part of day-to-day life," says Nathan Schober, MS, RD, CNSC, CET, manager of clinical nutrition at City of Hope Atlanta. "Having a plan can make them more likely to succeed.”
Enjoy this delicious cancer-fighting recipe for fall, recommended by the nutrition pros at City of Hope Atlanta.
Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
1½ tsp. canola oil
1 lb. stew beef, cut into chunks
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (15-oz.) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 (8-oz.) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1½ cup low-sodium beef broth
1½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups cooked whole-wheat couscous
Instructions
Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned. Take the meat out and leave juice from the meat in the pan.
Add onion and cook until soft. Add ginger and garlic. Stir.
Add cooked beef to pan. Add squash, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, cumin and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 30-35 minutes or until beef is tender.
Serve with couscous.
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