Monday, May 13, 2013

Meatless Monday: Adopting a New Healthy Diet with Cancer



One Step At a Time...
You Can Go Meatless
For All Three Meals

Cancer has always been difficult and scary disease. For those patients who are diagnosed with cancer, it can seem like the end of the world. Aside from the physical pain and fear that a cancer patient may have, someone who was recently diagnosed, who is going through chemotherapy, or who has finished treatment and is in recovery, may feel helpless. However, there is something that they can personally do to help their chances of beating this disease. There are many small changes you can make that will help you to beat your cancer. One of those changes is in your diet. By adopting a vegetarian diet can help you as a cancer patient at any sage of cancer.
If you were just diagnosed with cancer, a vegetarian diet can help you to feel better as well as help you to be healthier in your upcoming fight. A vegetarian diet can help you to lower high blood pressure, promote heart health, and help you to lose weight. This is because plant based diets often contain a great deal less saturated fat, excess protein, and preservatives and additives than a traditional diet of both meats and plants. High blood pressure is extremely unhealthy for the body. Having high blood pressure means that your organs, including your heart, will be forced to strain to function properly. With the stress of being diagnosed with cancer, reducing high blood pressure will greatly help you to feel your best. Obesity is a huge factor in the development of cancer. By losing weight through a healthy plant based diet, you can increase your chances of success in treatment as well as decreasing the likelihood of recurrence. All of these factors will help you to feel your best when receiving treatment.


Healthy Meatless Recipe:
Spicy Spaghetti Squash With Black Beans
(Adapted from Whole Foods)


Ingredients:
  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
For the filling:
  • 2 teaspoons olive or corn oil
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
  • 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained well
  • 1/2 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • All of the reserved cooked squash, about 4 cups
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Roast squash in a 375°F oven for 50 minutes until tender or cut squash in half and place in a microwave dish with 1/2 inch of water, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes on high until tender. Cool.
  • When cool, scoop flesh from squash halves leaving the shell intact for stuffing.

For the filling, heat oil in a large pan and sauté red onion, jalapeño chili and red pepper for 2 minutes.
  • Add beans, corn and chili powder; sauté 1 minute longer.
  • Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1 minute until heated through.

  • Fill squash halves with filling, mounding mixture in the center.
  • Serves 4

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator:
De-Stress Through Diet

While food isn’t a cure-all when it comes to stress, what you consume has the potential to affect your body.

Alcohol, caffeine, and high-sugar foods can contribute to mood changes, excessive stress, and blood sugar disruption.

Foods rich in the vitamin B complex, on the other hand, may help you stabilize your mood and avoid stress, while those rich in antioxidants may help combat the free radicals released when your body’s stressed.
If you feel stressed this week, increase your vitamin B and antioxidant intake by opting for veggies (especially dark leafy greens), whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.


Have a great week everyone and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!
Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,
Lisa

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The spirit cannot endure the body when overfed, but, if underfed, the body cannot endure the spirit.”
~ St. Frances de Sales ~

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