A Dietitian's Cancer Story Newsletter: Summer 2004 Summer Greetings from Diana Dyer, MS, RD, author of A Dietitian's Cancer Story. As summer and our Michigan growing season winds down, I want to share this beautiful and inspirational quote by William Shakespeare with you. "Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners." Thus, we can really garden all year long as we choose those hundreds of baby steps each day called "lifestyle choices" that can optimize our physical and mental health. A recently published research study highlighted that these choices really can make a big difference in cancer prevention. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic studied health behaviors in the post-menopausal women being evaluated in the long-term Iowa Women's Health Study. Those women who followed only one or none of the recommendations had a 35% increase in cancer diagnosis and a 42% increased risk of dying from cancer when compared to women who followed 6 or more nutrition and lifestyle recommendations from the American Institute for Cancer Research (guidelines listed below)!! Yes, your own daily choices can make a huge difference in your health! One of the pleasures of my summer is daily weeding of my gardens, just 10-15 minutes each day. In reality, not only am I weeding each day, I am nurturing my garden and my health each and every day with multiple choices about what I eat, physical activity, stress reduction, and spirituality. This important research study is good news for older women, because it shows that following easy to manage, healthy lifestyle choices later in life is not too late to reap large benefits. So pick up that trowel, walking shoes, or new healthy food. Tap into your will and enjoy year-round gardening (and nurturing your health) no matter where you live, each and every day! Diana Dyer, MS, RD Newsletter Contents: ******************************** I. American Institute for Cancer Research Diet and Lifestyle Guidelines (http://www.aicr.org) The nine diet and lifestyle recommendations studied included in the above cited article: ******************************** II. Research Updates (abstracts for these articles and press releases can be found by searching on PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi) or even Google (http://www.google.com). A. Adherence to the AICR cancer prevention recommendations and subsequent morbidity and mortality in the Iowa Women's Health Study cohort. Cerhan JR, et. al., Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2004; 13(7): 1114-1120. Summarized in my opening paragraph and the above listed AICR guidelines. B. Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection. MJ Brown, et. al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 2, 396-403, August 2004. This study validates the recommendation I make in my book, in which I note that I always eat some food containing a bit of fat at the same time that I eat my fruit and veggies, especially as a snack between meals. Many phytochemicals are fat soluble, which means their absorption into our body will be increased by simultaneously eating foods that also contain some fat. Please note that this is not a recommendation to consume as much fat as possible. Emphasize healthy fats in amounts that will help you keep your weight under control. (i.e., a small handful of almonds eaten with some tomato juice is likely adequate, rather than eating the entire 1# bag!). ******************************** III. New Books to Suggest I love finding new cookbooks that promote ultra-healthy eating. All of these books are available from bookstores or from Amazon.com, with direct links available on my web site's page of suggested books (http://cancerrd.com/booksug.htm) (1) Cancer Lifelife Cookbook by Kimberly Mathai, MS, RD w/Ginny Smith - a terrific new cookbook written for people diagnosed with cancer. Contains all ultra-healthy ingredients for foods that are easy and delicious. This is a beautiful book with recipes that I would eat myself without needing to alter! (2) The Amazing Flax Cookbook, Jane Reinhardt-Martin, RD, LD - Do you want to know what to do with flaxseeds in addition to putting them in my soy shake recipes? This cookbook will show you how to incorporate ground flaxseeds into nearly anything you can think of, from sausage to pesto sauce (recipe below). You'll be buying and eating many more flaxseeds after purchasing this book! (3) Café Max & Rosie's: Vegetarian Cooking with Health and Spirit, Max & Rosie Beeby, 10 Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 2000. Not new, but new to me! A terrific all vegetarian cookbook of recipes from the famous café in Asheville, NC. A great emphasis on whole grains, beans, juices, and some of the restaurant's top secret recipes, including Rosie's World-Famous Tangy Tofu Salad Dressing. (I hope to receive permission to post this recipe on my web site in the future.) ******************************** IV. Recipe Flaxseed Pesto 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1. Place all ingredients except basil in blender, food processor, or small chopper/grinder. Makes ~8 Tbsp. ******************************** V. New Foods To Try (A) Brown Basmati Rice by Lundberg - found in my regular grocery store. Yes, this takes 50 minutes to cook, but I always make extra to use later in the week or freeze, and the house smells absolutely wonderful during that entire time. It is worth it! (www.lundberg.com) (B) Rapini (Broccoli rabe) - fresh in the produce section. A slightly bitter green leafy vegetable with an edible, tender stem. I try to eat some dark green leafy veggie every single day. Although it is a cruciferous vegetable, it is actually more related to a turnip than the broccoli plant. I washed it, cut off the end one inch, then steamed it for 2 minutes, cooled it, and then added it to a curry stir-fry. Yum, yum! Dozens of great recipes can be found at the following web site: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/BroccoliRaab.htm (C) Found at Trader Joe's: (2) Pita Chips (Multigrain, Parmesan, Garlic, and Herb seasoning, other flavors, too) - these have significantly less fat than potato chip, are tasty, sturdy, contain no trans-fats, are relatively low in salt, and contain fiber! Be careful not to eat the entire bag in one sitting :-) (3) Frozen avocado halves - so easy to have on hand to make guacamole or thaw and mix with tofu for a tasty sandwich mix (see recipe on my web site at http://www.cancerrd.com/recipes/tofuavocadosand1.htm) (4) Whole Wheat Pizza Dough - a ready-to-use dough found in the refrigerated section. Finally, a real whole grain pizza dough is available that tastes great and is only 89¢. ******************************** VI. New Website (A) Male Cancers - www.malecare.com ******************************** VII - Book Ordering Information Both editions of A Dietitian's Cancer Story, the updated and revised edition Discounts for orders of 10 or more copies are available for both editions by Bookstores and libraries may order directly from the book wholesalers Ingram or Baker & Taylor. ******************************** VIII - Removal from future Email updates from Diana Dyer I know that life changes with time. Thus, if you are not interested in receiving future updates and announcements from me via Email or have other subscription requests, please Email that information to Newsletter1@CancerRD.com. (Special Note - Please use this Email address only for subscription information. I do not check it regularly, and thus any personal messages to me may not be read or answered in a timely manner.) For those of you who choose to remain on this list, be assured that I will never share or sell your name or Email address to anyone. I send my best wishes to all of you for health, healing, and hope! Diana Dyer, MS, RD ******************************** Diana Grant Dyer, MS, RD - Author "Information and Inspiration for Cancer Survivors" Proceeds donated to the Diana Dyer Cancer Survivors' |