Author avisha Categories Blog, Cancer Coaching, Recipes Posted on 0 Comments

Gazpacho

I had a few people ask me for my gazpacho recipe so I thought that I would post it for you.

The weather has been so hot that simple recipes like this one requiring no cooking and little prep are a blessing.

For me it actually wasn’t the heat that I got the inspiration from rather it came from the extra tomatoes I had in the garden. I don’t have a lot of space to grow veggies but the few plants that I do have are doing well.

As mentioned gazpacho is not cooked. I veered a bit from the traditional Spanish inspired recipe and substituted the vinegar with my homemade Kombucha. I never pass up a chance to add gut friendly fermented food to meals that I am preparing. And the fact that it is a small amount ensured that the flavour would not be over whelming.

Now down to the serious business. The ingredients in the soup contain phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that aid in cancer prevention.

To highlight a few:

Lycopene from the tomatoes is a carotenoid and gives tomatoes their red colour. Studies have shown that it may be beneficial as a chemo protective agent.

Bell peppers also contain carotenoids such as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin and are high in vitamin C and folate.   As with the garlic and onions in the recipe, bell peppers have sulfur containing compounds used for detoxification.

Kombucha is a fermented drink containing B vitamins, enzymes and probiotics promoting gut health and cancer prevention.

Gazpacho soup
Gazpacho

Gazpacho

(This recipe yields about 1 litre or 4 cup)

4-5 large ripe tomatoes

1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into small chunks

1 English Cucumber, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 red onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic

1 Jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

1-2 tsp unflavoured Kombucha

Directions

In a blender or with a hand held blender combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, red onion, garlic and jalapeno until smooth. With blender running slowly add olive oil. (Depending upon your blender, you may need to strain liquid to remove any solids. Do this before adding olive oil.)

Stir in salt and kombucha.

Chill and serve.

Enjoy!

supporting casts
Author avisha Categories Blog, Cancer Coaching, Lifestyle, Recipes Posted on 0 Comments

Supporting Casts in Meal Preparation

Eating for cancer prevention does not have to be an onerous task.  It may sound off coming from a nutritionist but I really do my best to avoid recipes that have a laundry list of ingredients.  Whole foods prepared simply is my mantra. And often I feel we miss the boat with our focus.  We concern ourselves with the main dish and leave the fixings as an after thought.  But here is the thing.  The supporting casts in meal preparation can offer some of the greatest health benefits.  Case in point.   Take a look at this lunch.

fermented foods

Now I love my avocado toast.  Avocados offer a host of health benefits such as healthy fats, fiber and potassium.  But what I want you to focus on in this exercise are the add ons to the dish and how including such things on your plate really ups the anti cancer properties of a meal.

 

Fermented carrots and celery

Fermented vegetables are stars for gut health and nutrient absorption, both essential for cancer prevention.  These fermented carrots and celery serve as both pre and probiotic foods.  By adding fermented foods to your meal you are not only adding gut friendly foods you also are adding foods that actually help with the digestion of the rest of your meal.

 

sideeffects-free-ebook

Click Here to Download

 

Onions

Onions are another gut friendly food falling in to the prebiotic category.  They are also amazing for liver support.  Rich in allicin they aid your liver in its detoxification process.

Ground Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are rich in lignans which are fiber-related polyphenols.   They contain Omega 3 fatty acids and they are a great source of antioxidants.  Although we do naturally produce some antioxidants,  our bodies rely a great deal upon dietary sources and antioxidants are a vital component of cancer prevention.

Himalayan Salt

Himalayan salt offers trace minerals, helps in detoxification and may lower blood pressure.  If you are a salt person definitely switching from table salt to this lovely pink gem is important.

So there you have it!  In life we try not to sweat the small stuff.  But in plating it could make the world of difference.

sausage and pepper bake
Author avisha Categories Blog, Recipes Posted on 0 Comments

Sausage and Pepper Bake

The combination of sausage and pepper is a classic.  Sometimes it is the simplest ingredients, melded together, that are just the tastiest.  This is one of them.  And I love dinners that are served in one big baking dish.  For some reason I just feel very accomplished bringing it out of the oven and placing it in the middle of the table.

Although it contains meat, chicken sausage to be exact, this recipe is chalked full of vegetables which is very handy for larger families like mine.  Some of us will eat the meat and some will stick to the veggies.

This makes a pretty healthy sized dish.  Add a green salad (you have to eat your greens!) and you are good to go!

And let me tell you the leftovers the next day are even better!

Sausage and pepper bake

Sausage and Pepper Bake

(serves 4-6)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs chicken sausage cut in to bite sized pieces

4 large potatoes, sliced in to medium sized pieces

3 large red peppers, chopped

2 red onions, cut in to chunks

¼ olive oil

½ cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

5 hot pickled pepperoncini, chopped + 1 TBSP of the vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 TBSP dried parsley

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 TBSP dried basil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 400 F/ 200 C

  1. Add 1 TBSP oil to gently heated pan.  Add sausage and let them brown.  Move from pan to large baking dish.
  2. Add more oil to pan and add potato slices.  Salt and pepper them.  Let them brown.  Move to baking dish with sausage.
  3. Add more oil to pan and sauté  red peppers and onions until tender.  Remove from pan and add to baking dish with sausage and potatoes.
  4. Turn heat for pan to low.  Add white wine and gently scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the resulting mix to the baking dish with the other ingredients.
  5. Add remaining ingredients and mix all together.
  6. Bake in oven approximately 20-30 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!

signature

 

Author avisha Categories Blog, Cancer Coaching, Food & Nutrition Posted on 0 Comments

Eat A Rainbow of Colours

Making a commitment to eating a rainbow of colours when it comes to fruits and vegetables is important not only for your palate but also for your gut.  Your gut houses the majority of your microbiome, your community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms, and eating your fruits and veggies helps to maintain a healthy balance of these organisms. Fruits and vegetables also offer vast health benefits from a variety of over 6000 flavonoids, a class of phytonutrients, that provide pigment to plants and are commonly noted for their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits.  But as research is uncovering, many flavonoids possess other health benefits including anti-cancer properties.  And it is here that we come full circle.  We need a healthy gut microbiome to convert flavonoids to their health promoting metabolites.

Apigenin is a type of flavonoid that has been studied extensively for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Apigenin has been shown to possess anti-carcinogenic properties on a variety of cancers including pancreatic, colorectal and breast cancer and is also being examined for its effects when combined with chemotherapy agents.

Apigenin is found in a variety of foods and herbs such as apples, broccoli, basil, onions, artichoke, oregano, chamomile and cilantro.  But it is most prominently concentrated in parsley and celery, two of the most commonly used staples in our kitchen.

Celery is labeled as the go to for making soups and broths and as the key to a successful calorie restriction plan as it is full of water (95% of it is in fact H2O) and fiber, the perfect combination for the war against weight.  Now you can add celery’s cancer fighting properties to its list of healthy benefits. And Mother Nature has made it so convenient to consume and the perfect vehicle for dips and nut butters.

 

apigenin

Parsley is the most widely used herb in kitchens. And for good reason:

  • It comes in many varieties.
  • It’s available all year round.
  • It’s easy to grow.
  • It freshens your breath.
  • It has a very pleasant taste in a wide variety of dishes.

As well as the noted Apigenin flavonoid, parsley is high in Vitamin K and Vitamin C and is a good source of Vitamin A.

Chemoprotective foods such as celery and parsley can be easily incorporated in to our daily diet and they are just two examples of how nature provides us with powerful weapons in our cancer prevention and cancer fighting arsenals.

 

allergies
Author avisha Categories Blog, Food & Nutrition, Lifestyle Posted on 0 Comments

Seasonal Allergies. Tips for surviving the Spring.

The coming of spring brings new flowers, bright colours, warmer weather and for many people the aggravation of seasonal allergies.

Allergies are an over reaction by our immune system to an otherwise harmless substance called an allergen. In the case of spring time allergies, the allergen is pollen. Pollen initiates an immune response causing the release of chemicals in our body such as histamine and resulting in various symptoms including sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes and post nasal drip. This can surely take the joy out of spring.

So let’s take a look at some things that we can do to survive the Spring season.

First and foremost we must pay heed to our gut as the bulk of our immune system resides there and its tolerance is strongly influenced by our gut bacteria and intestinal function.  So we must:

  • Eat a whole foods diet
  • Get adequate fibre
  • Eat fermented foods
  • Avoid sugar and processed foods
  • Chew our food well

When it comes to diet:

  • Increase consumption of foods such as garlic, parsley, apples, broccoli and green & black tea. These are all high in the bioflavonoid quercetin. Quercetin can help prevent the release of histamine
  • Increase foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids. They can help quell the inflammation caused by allergic reactions. Such foods include wild caught salmon, ground flax seeds & chia seeds
  • Increase intake of foods high in Vitamin C such as red peppers, kiwi, broccoli, green leafy vegetable and strawberries. Vitamin C can help to reduce histamine release
  • Have a cup of Nettle tea. It is a natural antihistamine
  • Eat foods high in antioxidants such as blueberries, sweet potatoes and leafy green vegetables as they can help to modulate the body’s inflammatory response
  • Keep hydrated to help the body flush toxins

Supplements to consider in support of the diet recommendations include:

  • Probiotics
  • Vitamin C
  • Fish Oil

On the lifestyle front:

  • Stay indoors first thing in the morning and on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is after a rain
  • Stay away from cut grass and hand over the gardening chores for the spring
  • Get at least 7-8 hours of good quality sleep
  • Use a Neti Pot for nasal irrigation
  • Try acupuncture to relieve your respiratory distress

Take the time now to prepare your body for the spring time so that you too can enjoy the riches of the season!

signature

 

 

1 … 60 61 62 63 64 … 66