Diana's Menus and RecipesDiana's Menus and Recipes
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| Additional Weekly Intake | |
| Average Daily Intake vs. RDA | |
| Quick Meal Ideas | |
| Menus | |
| Recipes | |
| New Products to Try | |
| Food Websites | |
The optimal diet to prevent cancer recurrence is not clearly defined yet. My diet is based on my best interpretation of the scientific information available at this time. I hope that much more research will be done soon to define food that will help cancer survivors maximize their odds for long-term survival.
After my most recent breast cancer in 1995, I had to admit to myself that even a dietitian could make her diet healthier!! I changed my diet to be a low-fat (~20%) plant-based diet with small amounts of animal products added for both variety and nutrient intake. Wherever I go to speak, everyone wants to know what I "really" eat! They also continually ask me for recipes that are healthy and easy to prepare. So I spent three months writing down everything I ate, and the recipes I create on a daily basis.
As you look through the menus, you will see that I eat quite simply, most meals are easy and quick to prepare, and you will also see some patterns in my food consumption. It consists of the following food groups.
| 1-3 servings of whole soy foods | ||
| (no pills or powders) | ||
| 1 serving low-fat dairy products | ||
| (pasteurized, organic if available) | ||
| 1 serving dried beans and legumes | ||
| 4-6 starch/grain products | ||
| (minimum of 3 whole grain foods - breads, rice, pasta, or other grains) | ||
| 9+ servings fruits and veggies | ||
| to include a minimum of the following: | ||
| 1 serving cruciferous | ||
| (examples - broccoli, broccoli sprouts, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower) | ||
| 1 serving lycopene-rich | ||
| (examples - tomato, red grapefruit, watermelon, guava) | ||
| 1 serving deep orange for carotenoids | ||
| (examples - winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots) | ||
| 1 serving citrus | ||
| (examples - orange, grapefruit, tomato) | ||
| 1 serving berries | ||
| (examples -strawberries, raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry) | ||
| 1 serving dark green leafy vegetable | ||
| (example - romaine, spinach, kale, collards, other dark lettuce) | ||
| 1 Tablespoon wheat bran | ||
| 1-2 Tablespoons flax seeds - ground | ||
| 1-2 Tablespoons wheat germ | ||
| Beverages: | ||
| 4-6 cups green tea - both hot and iced | ||
| 4-6 cups water | ||
| 8-16 oz. fish highest in omega-3 fatty acids | |
| (Alaskan salmon, *light* tuna,
ocean trout, sardines, mackerel) - please also read my Q&A's on fish |
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| 1 small package of fresh Shiitake mushrooms | |
| (for lentinan, a polysaccharide with anti-cancer activity) | |
| 1 fresh artichoke or 1can water-packed artichoke hearts | |
| (for silymarin content similar to Milk Thistle to support optimal liver function) | |
| 1-2 Brazil nuts | |
| (for selenium content) | |
I have developed 14 days of menus consisting of foods that I actually eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks that follow these guidelines. Although my family does not eat as "strictly" as I do, they benefit from the fact that regular attention to my intake and cooking has taken our family off of the "Fast Food R Us" track. They now eat healthier without knowing it! All of these recipes included on my web page have been "family-tested"; meaning my family both ate and enjoyed most of these items. (My 17-year old son is still a little "fussy".) I loved them all, however, or I would not have included them on this web site. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I enjoyed developing them for you.
These menus have been analyzed using the computer program Nutritionist IV. I have included (for general information purposes) the average from the 14 days of menus of a few important nutrients. (I do not fuss over daily variations.) You are likely to have a different nutrient requirements than I do; for example, if you are older or younger, heavier or lighter, male, more or less active than I am, or most importantly, if your medical needs require specific dietary modifications. Please discuss significant dietary changes you wish to make with your health care provider, which hopefully will include a Registered Dietitian at your cancer center.
| Average Daily Intake | RDA | |||
| Calories | 1880 kcal | 1800-2000 (35 kcal/kg) | ||
| Protein | 95 grams | 44-55 (0.8-1 gm/kg) | ||
| Carbohydrate | 280 grams | |||
| Fat | 48 grams (23%) my goal - 20 - 25% | |||
| Fiber | 44 grams | 35-40 grams | ||
| Vitamin A | 4194 RE | 800 RE | ||
| Beta-carotene | 3 mg | no RDA | ||
| Vitamin E | 21 mg | 8 mg | ||
| Folate | 436 mcg | 180 RDA, 400 recommended | ||
| Vitamin C | 361 mg | 60 mg | ||
| Iron | 21 mg | 10 mg for post-menopause | ||
| Calcium | 1394 mg | 1500 mg post-menopause | ||
| Zinc | 11 mg | 12 mg | ||
| Magnesium | 469 mg | 280 mg | ||
| Selenium | 111 | 55 mcg | ||
| Sodium mg | 3010 mg, goal - 2400 mg | |||
When viewing these numbers, it is very important to realize that they are underestimates of all of the micronutrients because the nutrient information on all of the food products in the database and the food items added to the database is incomplete.
Everyone wants to know what to serve for supper that is healthy and QUICK! The following web site "Cook it Quick" developed by Alice Henneman, MS, RD and Extension Educator, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County, has lots of helpful hints for getting organized in your kitchen to do just that - cook QUICK and healthy meals - "Cook it Quick."
The following three cookbooks also help you get quick and healthy meals on the table:
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Avocados - recipes and information about a fruit that is a powerhouse of healthful nutrients! |
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Beans and Legumes |
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California Ripe Olives |
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California Walnuts |
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Cleaning the Kitchen Cupboard: Toss, Save, Repackage or "Revive"? |
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Grapes - a great source of many cancer-fighting phytochemicals |
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Greens – CutNClean Greens – a great web site for recipes to use a variety of greens |
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Kiwifruit |
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Mushroom Council |
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Monthly Food Theme Links |
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Organic green tea, which is also a fair-trade product, by Equal Exchange – I found this in my regular grocery store. More info at the company's web site www.equalexchange.com. |
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Slow Food support cooking and your local food growers |
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Soy Food Recipes
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Trail
Blaze Bake-at-Home Oatmeal Energy Bars by Matisse & Jack's – My
favorite flavor of an "energy bar" that contained both soy and
flaxseed was discontinued, so I have been on the hunt to find another one
containing these healthy food ingredients that is not too sweet for my
tastes. I am in the process of developing a recipe for a bar to make at
home, but in the meantime, I have found this very good mix that is delicious
and healthy. More info at the company's web site http://www.MatisseandJacks.com. |
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United States Potato Board |
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Watercress a great recipes for a food packed with cancer fighting molecules |
I am collecting recipes to include in a future edition of my book as well as to be
featured on "Menus & Recipes". I have asked readers to send me any recipes
that they have found to be great-tasting and easy to prepare, and that emphasize the
nutritional guidelines which are outlined in my book. I will also consider taking
people's favorite "normal" recipes and posting versions which are modified for
maximal cancer prevention.
If you have a recipe you wish to submit for possible inclusion in either my book or on this web page, please send it to me. If the recipe is from a cookbook or other printed source, please include the name, author, and publisher of the source so that I can ask for permission to reprint the recipe. If it is a recipe you created, or a family favorite, please indicate that, also.
Send recipes to me at:
| Contact Information: |
| Phone/Fax: 734/996-9260 |
P.O. Box 130221, Ann Arbor, MI 48113 |
