Cancer Dietitian

Buying Sweet Potatoes
When buying sweet potatoes, look for ones that are firm, without cracks, bruises, or soft spots.  Try and avoid refrigerated varieties, since cold temperatures alter the taste and speed decay. Warmer temperatures accelerate sprouting and loss of moisture, therefore resulting in a sweeter taste! 

Storing
Once you get your sweet potatoes picked out, make sure to keep them stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place away from a heat source. Storing them loose (not kept in a bag) is suggested.  They should be able to keep for 6 to 10 months. That's a long time!

Cooking
There is a variety of ways to cook sweet potatoes. In the first sweet potato post, I gave you a recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes with pecans. There are many other ways that you can cook them: think breads, muffins, casseroles, stews, and even puddings and pies! 

The easiest way to cook a sweet potato is to just try one just by itself! If you don't have a lot of time, you can simply poke the potato with a fork and then microwave it until it's soft. It usually takes less than 7 minutes in the microwave.

If it's not sweet enough on it's own, you can add a little olive oil, brown sugar and cinnamon. Many times I find that the good ones don't need extra flavoring! Or you can try my personal favorite...

Sweet Potato Fries!

• Cut the potato into strips (you choose the thickness!).
• Sprinkle with olive oil, pepper, cinnamon, paprika and a little salt.
• Bake in the oven at 350. It can take up to 45 minutes to get them crunchy, but it's well worth it!

Here is yet another interesting option for your orange cancer fighting veggie!

Sweet Potato Dessert Purée

Purée cooked sweet potatoes with bananas, maple syrup and cinnamon. Scoop into a cup or small bowl and top with chopped walnuts. You can alter the amounts of each ingredient to your taste. 

I would love to hear your recipes for sweet potatoes! Comment on the site or send me an email and I'll share them with all the readers!

- Julie  

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

Sweet, Savory, and Healthy....who ever thought that would be a combination!  The sweet potato is something that should not just be eaten during the holidays piled with sugar and marshmallows!

Sweet potatoes come in different varieties. Skin and flesh colors range from cream all the way to a dark pink or purple.  As usual, the darker the color the more nutrients! in this case, the darker varieties have more cancer fighting carotenoids (FYI, there are more than 600 different carotenoids!). 

Don't be confused between sweet potatoes and yams. Yams are a total different type of vegetable and have different nutritional value.  In the American grocery store, the "yam" refers to the soft variety of sweet potato. At an international store, you might find the real yam.

One of the World's Healthiest Foods!

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, a very good source of vitamin C, and a good source of potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), iron, manganese, lutein, zeaxanthin and copper. They are on the Worlds Healthiest Foods list, so make sure they are on your shopping list! 

One of the best things about this vegetable is that for a medium sized potato (5 in. long and 2 in. diameter), it's only about 95 calories, not to mention all the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals it has too.  Don't forget to eat the skin with these, as it has three times the amount of nutrients compared to the flesh.

Here's a recipe to get you started! Put them in the oven and do 45 minutes of exercise, then come back and finish the recipe!


Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
(from http://allrecipes.com )

Serve it with a salad and some chicken or black beans, and you have a healthy dinner!

Ingredients

• 6 medium sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
3. Cut a slit into the top of each potato.  Make sure you protect your fingers; the potatoes will be hot! Carefully scoop out the pulp from the potato, leaving the skins intact; place the potato in a large bowl. Add the margarine and pineapple to the potato and stir together. Stuff the potato mixture back into the reserved potato skins. Sprinkle the pecans over each potato.
4. Return the stuffed potato skins to the oven; bake another 12 minutes.
   

In the next post, you'll find more recipes as well as information on buying and storing these nutrition powerhouses! Thanks to my nutrition intern, Maria for the content on the sweet potato posts. I definitely needed some new inspiration!

- Julie

 

Should I Juice or Not?
Juicing can be a great way to get in fresh vegetables and fruits, especially for people who cannot eat a lot of fiber because of surgery.The only drawback to juicing is that you lose the benefit of the pulp that the juicer removes.

For most of us who have not had bowel surgeries or other GI problems requiring a low residue diet, I recommend blending if possible. However, blending a carrot sometimes doesn't taste so good!

A nice resolution to this problem is to use a juicer, drink the juice and then cook with the pulp!

Cooking With the Pulp

• Carrot and apple pulp muffins are a delicious way in which to use the juicer pulp to create a tasty treat.
  
• Soft fruits often leave a wetter pulp than hard produce such as carrots or apples and so the flavor left in the pulp is often more intense. These soft fruits such as the various forms of berries, grape etc can be easily mixed with a little water and frozen to make a Popsicle.
  
• Soft fruit pulp is also great for adding into your own home made ice creams and sorbets or for using as dessert toppings.
• Freeze the pulp in a container / freezer bag until you are ready to use it.
• You can use vegetable and fruit pulp in 'layered' recipes such as vegetable lasagna.

What Kind of Juicer Should I Get?
Here is a question I recently received: "I'm thinking of buying a juicer but not sure what name I should buy or where?  What features should I look for?"

Here's my disclaimer... I am not a juicer! But it is starting to sound more interesting the more i read! For the most part, you need to make sure that the juicer you buy can juice the type of food you plan to use.

For example, are you going to juice just oranges and other citrus fruits, or do you want to juice vegetables like carrots and spinach as well?

Other than that, you will be choosing based on price. It's like choosing a blender, the more expensive ones will probably be more efficient, but some of the less expensive ones work just fine.

If you have tips on purchasing a juicer, be sure to comment on this post and share with others!

Here are some recipes for those who are interested in starting to juice. I got them from the Dana Farber Cancer Center's nutrition website!

Carrot Tonic
4 carrots
1 beet
1/2 apple
6 leaves of Swiss chard
Put all ingredients through a juicer. Drink and enjoy!
Makes two servings.

[PER 1/4 cup serving: Calories 60; protein 2 g; carbohydrate 14 g; total fat 0 g; cholesterol 0 mg; sodium 153 mg; fiber 4 g.]

Carrot Lemon Breeze
4 medium carrots
1/2 medium lemon
1/4 lime (optional)
1 Asian pear or an apple
1 small 2-inch wedge red cabbage
1-inch round piece fresh ginger
Put all ingredients through a juicer. Drink and enjoy!
Makes two to three servings.

[PER 1/4 cup serving: Calories 60; protein 1 g; carbohydrate 15 g; total fat 0 g; cholesterol 0 mg; sodium 0 mg, fiber 4 g.]

Enjoy!
- Julie

Microwave Exercise

Many people think that exercise doesn't count unless it's 30 minutes at a time. THAT IS NOT TRUE!! Any amount of exercise is good for you no matter how long or short you are doing it.

One of the groups of survivors that I work with recently did a series called "Setting Your Exercise Goals: Making Your Good Intentions a Reality".

One of the things that we identified in the group was what types of exercise you can do in as little as 2 or 3 minutes, or the amount of time you might be waiting for the microwave.

Here are some quick exercise ideas:

• Push-ups (on the wall or counter works just fine!)
• Calf raises (from a standing position, raise up on your tiptoes - try it without holding on to the counter and it's even harder! To make it more intense, squeeze your glutes while you raise your heels off the ground!)
• Take cans in and out of the top shelf of the cupboard. (the heavier the better!)
• Walk the stairs in your house until the microwave beeps
• Jump rope (without the jump-rope!)
• Write the ABC's with your foot. (Note, you cannot write the ABC's with your foot on the ground - try balancing on one foot while doing the ABC's with the other. Or you can do them seated.)
  

Those should get you started! Every 3 minutes will add up. Just find 10 times a day that you can do these and you are doing 30 minutes of exercise! You'll be surprised about how sore you can get in 3 minutes!

I'd love to hear what you do for exercise while the microwave runs!
- Julie

Oftentimes, the biggest barrier to healthy eating is time and lack of planning ahead. Microwaves are great cooking tools that make dinner QUICK! However, many of the traditional "microwave meals" aren't so healthy.

Most commercially sold microwave meals are loaded with sodium, chemicals as preservatives and fat. And rarely do they include fresh and colorful vegetables!

As an alternative, there are many things that you might not realize can function as healthy and convenient microwave meals. Here is one that I used the other day:

• one can of low-sodium vegetable soup
• one can of Eden brand rice and beans (Eden is a low sodium brand)
  
• one sweet potato.
  

I actually microwaved the soup, and ate it while microwaving the rice and beans. Then I added roasted peanuts and a little cheese to the rice and beans and ate that while microwaving a fresh sweet potato.

If it's a good, fresh sweet potato then you don't need to top it with anything. To give a bland one a little flavor, sprinkle it with olive oil and brown sugar. That's it!!

Ideas for healthy microwave meals include:

• minestrone soup, a 100 calorie bag of popcorn and an apple
• a steamfresh bag of veggies (get ones with no added flavorings!) with a can of Eden rice and beans
• Vegetarian chili over a potato

I would be interested to hear what other readers eat for quick and healthy meals cooked in the microwave!

I'll put a plug in here for one of my very favorite cookbooks: Zonya's "Lickety Split Meals for Health Conscious People on the Go!". She has an entire section for "5 Minute Meals" that will give you even more healthy and fresh quick meal ideas!

Stay tuned for the next post: Exercise in 3 Minutes! I can't wait to hear about your microwave ideas!
- Julie

My New Best Friend - The Crockpot!!

I hate coming home from work and having to think about what to have for dinner, prepare for it, make it and then FINALLY get to eat. I just want to come home and eat!

Enter the crockpot!

I have recently become more familiar with the crockpot. I actually have 2 crockpots now. One that is about 4 quarts and one that is 5. I was going to give away the 4 quart crockpot, but I'm rethinking. Just this week I had two going at once!

Time Saving Tips

In order to save time when it comes to cooking, I usually take a few hours once a week to cut up all the ingredients that I have in the fridge. If I know what recipes I'm making for the week, I'll get everything ready for the recipes ahead of time.

For example, I cut several onions up so that they are ready to cook with. I do the same with mincing garlic. You can also buy them this way, but doing it yourself can save some money. It's usually a little fresher if you do it yourself as well.

When it comes to prepping for the crockpot, I usually get everything out the night before, or the morning of so that I can just throw everything in, turn it on and head out. Once I get home, dinner is ready!

The other great thing about the crockpot is that it is typically food that you can freeze easily. The days that I have two crockpot's going, I typically freeze one of them in lunch/dinner size portions.

Here's a recipe to get started with. The good news is that leafy greens are in season right now, so be sure to get some great local leafy greens. Mine come very local... right out of my urban garden!

Savory Bean and Spinach Soup
This recipe came from Fitness magazine last month. Yum!
Makes: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 14 oz. cans vegetable broth
• 1 15 oz can tomato puree
• 1 15-oz can small white beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup uncooked brown rice
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 cups chopped fresh spinach or kale leaves

Directions:
1.    In a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, combine all but the spinach or kale
2.    Cook on low 5-7 hours or high 2 ½ - 3 ½ hours.
3.    Just before serving, stir in spinach or kale.

I found this to be great with a little Tony Chachere's seasoning salt.

ENJOY!!
- Julie

"Why bother eating whole grains anyway? White bread and white rice are so good. Whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole grain pasta can be so bitter and gritty, yuck! "

That is the argument I hear often! Most people really want to eat white grains and still get the benefit of whole grains!

What is a Whole Grain?
The term "whole grain" means that all three parts of the grain (germ, bran and endosperm) are included. Refined, or "white" grains usually have the bran and germ removed, leaving only the starchy endosperm.

Whole-grain foods include wheat breads, rolls, pasta and cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, wild rice, corn tortillas, corn, kasha (roasted buckwheat), couscous and tabouleh (bulghur wheat).

The bottom line on whole grains is that they are downright better for your health! They are better for your colon, your immune system, and reduce your risk for chronic disease.

Studies consistently find that whole grains are more protective than refined grains in the prevention of chronic disease. Evidence also shows that foods containing dietary fiber, like whole grains, can decrease your risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Also, for those interested in losing weight or preventing weight gain, limiting energy dense foods and eating a predominantly plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans can help with weight maintenance and may decrease your risk of developing cancer.

What's in a Whole Grain?

What is in whole grains that are so good for you? Here is a short list of the nutrients that make whole grains so beneficial:

• iron
  
• thiamin
  
• niacin
  
• riboflavin
  
• vitamins
  
• trace minerals
  

They also include a variety of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals protect cells from the types of damage that may lead to cancer. The following are found in whole grains:

• phenolic acids
  
• lignans
  
• phytic acid
• phytoestrogens
• antioxidants
• saponins
  

Grains are also rich sources of oligosaccharides and resistant starch, carbohydrates that function like dietary fiber and enhance the intestinal environment to help improve immune function.

All the reasoning in the world is not going to make a whole grain taste like a white grain though! My advice to you is to slowly add whole grains in. You CAN change your taste buds so that you start to like the whole grains... it just takes time!

Try this recipe as a quick, easy and tasty way to include a whole grain this week!

Whole Grain Recipe: Spinach and Chicken Couscous

This is a one dish meal! I made it last night and we very much enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (I used leftover baked chicken that I had made the night before)
• 5 cups fresh spinach (mine was from the garden!)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup whole wheat couscous (most couscous is white grains, so make sure you find the whole grain)
  
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil

Instructions:

1. Follow directions for cooking couscous.
2. While couscous is cooking, spray a pan with cooking spray and cook chopped nuts in pan for 3-5 minutes until toasted
3. remove nuts from pan, add chicken and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted (3-5 minutes)
4. Add nuts, basil and couscous to chicken and spinach.
   
5. Salt as needed, stir and serve! 

I hope you enjoy it!
- Julie

Blogging Dietitians!

Before I get started on Antioxidants, I want to celebrate Registered Dietitian Day! Today I am part of an RD blogfest to celebrate our profession! Registered Dietitian's are the food and nutrition experts and have the training to provide you with scientific knowledge and evidence-based information about how food and nutrition affects your health!

An RD blogfest means that several blogging dietitians are getting together and sharing their posts. So if you're interested in what other Dietitians' are saying, check out the list of topics at the bottom of this post.

Happy RD Day!!

Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention

You have probably heard a lot of great things that antioxidants are supposed to be able to do for you. There seems to be no shortage of claims that people can make in order to sell you their antioxidant product.

Here are some of the things that companies have claimed about antioxidants:

• prevents cancer
• treats cancer
• prevents aging
• helps with brain function
• strengthens the immune system.

Anyone can make a claim, but do they back up their claim with good science is the question! Here's what we currently know about antioxidants.

Antioxidant Facts

• There are many different types of antioxidants found in nature.
  
• Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from damage of free radicals. It is currently thought that the damage to cells by free radicals may lead to cancer.
  
• There have been many lab studies that indicate antioxidants may slow or prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, when studies have been done in humans the results have been mixed.
• Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and others.
• There have been no studies that prove antioxidants can reverse aging, cell damage or cancer progression.
  

So what's the bottom line? The information is somewhat ambiguous and you get to decide what to do! I think that most of the research indicates there are health benefits from eating antioxidant-rich foods, but not supplements.

Therefore, be sure you are eating a diet that provides you with a variety of antioxidants! Here is a list of foods that you can get those antioxidants:

Food Sources of Antioxidants
For the most part you will find antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Since there are many different types of antioxidants, this lists tells you what foods contain which type of antioxidant.

• Beta-carotene is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, squash, apricots, pumpkin, and mangos, collard greens, spinach, and kale
• Lutein is abundant in green, leafy vegetables such as collard greens, spinach, and kale.
• Lycopene is a potent antioxidant found in tomatoes, watermelon, guava, papaya, apricots, pink grapefruit, blood oranges
• Selenium , although not an antioxidant, can help antioxidants work in the body. In the United States, meats and bread are common sources of dietary selenium. Brazil nuts also contain large quantities of selenium.
• Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, milk, egg yolks and mozzarella cheese.
• Vitamin C can be found in many fruits and vegetables
• Vitamin E is found in almonds and in many oils including wheat germ, safflower, corn and soybean oils. It is also found in mangos, nuts, broccoli and other foods.

It seems that the sweet potato made several different lists of antioxidant foods! My suggestion to you is to eat a variety of the foods listed here to provide your body with as many different antioxidants as possible along with other health promoting nutrients!

- Julie

[For more on this topic, check out the National Cancer Institute's Fact Sheet on Antioxidants.]

RD BLOGFEST TOPICS:
Beyond Prenatals - Food vs. Supplements and Real Advice vs. Fake Advice
Annette Colby - No More Diets! A Registered Dietitian Shares 9 Secrets to Real and Lasting Weight Loss
Ashley Colpaart - Dietitians working in food policy, a new frontier
Diana Dyer - There and Back Again: Celebration of National Dietitian Day 2009
Marjorie Geiser - RD Showcase for National Registered Dietitian Day - What we do
Cheryl Harris - Me, a Gluten Free RD!
Marilyn Jess - National Registered Dietitian Day--RD Blogfest
Julie Lanford - Antioxidants for Cancer Prevention
Renata Mangrum - What I'm doing as I grow up...
Liz Marr - Fruits and Veggies for Registered Dietian Day: Two Poems
Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen - Family Nutrition ... It's our "Beat"
Jill Nussinow - The Registered Dietitian Lens I Look Through
Wendy Jo Petersen - March 11 is our day to shine!
Diane Preves - Registered Dietitians and the White House Forum on Health Reform
Andy Sarjahani - Dr. Seuss Tribute continued: Green Eggs and Ham and a Sustainable Food System
Rebecca Scritchfield - Big Tips from a "Big Loser"
Anthony Sepe - RD Showcase: Registered Dietitian Day, March 11, 2009
Kathy Shattler - RD Showcase for Nutri-Care Consultation
UNL-Extension, Douglas/Sarpy County - Nutrition Know How - Making Your Life Easier
Monika Woolsey - Dietitians--Can't Do PCOS Without Them!
Monika Woolsey - In Honor of National Registered Dietitian Day
Jen Zingaro - My life as a Registered Dietitian

Many times we go through our days without focusing on what our goals are or what we want to accomplish. We might have an idea of what we would like to "be" or "do", but don't necessarily identify the steps needed to get there.

You don't want to be goal driven all the time as that can be stressful! There are times to just relax and allow yourself to enjoy time doing whatever you feel like. The hardest thing is to find a balance between these two!

Goal Setting
Last week I had a wonderful group of survivors and their family who met for an hour for our monthly healthy living group. This month we talked about setting fitness goals and I gave out 5k training plans for walking, walk/run or running. (Here is the website I found the training plans: www.halhigdon.com)

Here are some of the goals that were identified by members:

• Exercise one morning a week
• Eat one vegetable and one fruit per day
• Go to the gym 3 times a week
  

These are great goals because they are specific, easy to measure and most of all ACHIEVABLE!! [For more on setting goals, check out my post on goal setting part I and part II.]

The goals I set include a long run on Saturdays as well as running 1 morning a week. We were supposed to start these goals this week. Well, where I live it snowed 5 inches this week! So, instead of running in the morning, I ran yesterday evening. I do plan to run on Saturday.

I encourage you to think about your fitness or healthy eating goals. What would you like to see yourself improve? If you are interested in doing a 5k, think about joining the Cancer Services team for the NC Triad Komen for the Cure 5K on May 2nd this year.

[To sign up, go to http://race.komennctriad.org and click on 'join an existing team'.  Our team name is 'Ribbons of Hope' and company is 'Cancer Services'].

Healthy Dessert
This is slightly unrelated, but since people like recipes and this is one that I made this week on our snow day, I thought I would share! I like to call this a "Dirt Cup". The dietitians at the hospital I used to work with loved this! Of course, my version is the healthy version:).

The Dietitian's Dirt Cup

This can be made to whatever servings you would like. One small box of pudding mix and 8 oz. of cool whip would provide 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• Chocolate instant pudding mix (you can choose sugar free or regular)
• 1% or skim milk
• 100 calorie packs of oreos
• Cool whip free or other low-fat whipped topping
• Toffee candy (1 medium candy bar or a few snack size ones)

Directions:
1. Make the pudding as directed on the box with milk.
2. Crush toffee candy and mix in with pudding (1/4 crushed candy for 1 small box of pudding)
3. Crush the 100 calorie packs of oreos
4. Layer pudding, cool whip, and oreos in individual dishes (I like to use margarita glasses!). You can make as many layers as you like.
5. Top with extra crushed toffee candy and crushed oreo
6. Add a gummy worm for the dirt cup effect!

Enjoy! I did!!

- Julie

You've probably seen or heard of acai berries. Either in your lotion, shampoo, sold as a supplement or a juice. It's another one of those "superfoods" according to bottles and salespeople.

Acai berries are marketed as preventing a number of ailments and touted claims include lowering cholesterol, fighting cardiovascular disease and preventing allergies. Of course, it is also presented as a powerful cancer fighter. Aren't they all!

If you're like me, you just want to know the facts on acai and whether the berry really prevents cancer, or any other disease. Here are the facts!

Facts:

• Acai berries are purple berries from the Amazon Rainforest.
• Acai is most often processed into a juice, capsule or as an additive in products.
• acai berries have not been proven effective in treating or preventing disease in humans.
• only a handful of human studies have ever been conducted to assess their effects.
• current "evidence" is only based on limited lab studies and anecdotes or personal stories

These facts are not suggesting that acai berries aren't beneficial to your health or immune system. Acai berries are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidant phytochemicals.

Foods with more antioxidant capacity are thought to be better "scavengers" of free radicals. Free radicals are harmful molecules that can damage cells and provide an opportunity for cancer or other chronic disease to develop.

There are currently no established recommendations for the amount or kinds of antioxidants required on a daily basis to best protect us from disease. Eating a variety of plant-based foods each day including plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits, whole grains and beans - is the best way to get a broad range of antioxidants and other protective phytochemicals. No one food can give all of these nutrients.

The Cost:

You may have noticed that acai berry products can be quite pricey! Supplement and food companies need you to believe that their product offers unique health benefits and something you can't get anywhere else.

Most make unfounded claims that their goods can treat or cure disease and most of the time believing these messages of false hope can make a big dent in your wallet!

More research is needed to prove the effectiveness of acai berry in fighting diseases like cancer. In the meantime, you are best advised to avoid dietary supplements containing these plant compounds.

In order to provide your body with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidant phytochemicals that offer protective benefits against disease, be sure to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans - not pills. Enjoy acai berries as part of a well-balanced, plant-based diet, but don't look to any specific product to offer enhanced protection from disease.

Most of this information comes from my favorite source of cancer nutrition information, the American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org). They have great articles, recipes and evidence-based information regarding diet and cancer. Check them out when my information isn't enough!!

- Julie