Cooking With Cancer- Root Vegetables
Since my diagnosis of Metastatic Breast Cancer in August 2020, I have been experimenting with many new recipes- with foods and herbs that are healthy, nourishing and nutritious.
It’s no secret that your diet is very important to your overall health so filling up on healthy foods is important if you are being treated for cancer. Certain foods contain health-promoting compounds that may slow tumor growth and reduce certain side effects of treatment.
Let’s look at Root Vegetables:
- Beetroots
- Parsnips
- Celery
- Turnips
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Yucca
- Radish
- Fennel
- Onions
- Rutabagas
- Butternut Squash
Root Vegetables are especially rich in carotenoids, which have been said to fight the oxidative stress on which cancer cells strive. For this Recipe we’ll use Parsnips, Carrots, Celery and Radishes from the list above.
For those of you not familiar with parsnips- treat them like carrots and can be eaten raw, boiled, mashed or pureed. They are a great substitute for potatoes- and taste like a cross between a carrot, potato and a radish. Just remember to peel them.
I thought I would add some Napa Cabbage- a cruciferous vegetable- into this recipe- and make a Slaw. Cabbage, broccoli, collard greens, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are all cruciferous vegetables. This vegetable family contains powerful phytochemicals, including carotenoids (like Root vegetables), indoles and glycosylates and isothiocyanates, which have been studied and shown to slow the growth of many cancers.
Recipe: Napa Cabbage, Parsnip, Carrot and Radish Slaw
Ingredients:
- Napa Cabbage
- Carrot
- Parsnip
- Radish
- Celery
- Apple
- Meyer Lemon
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt/Pepper
- Lemon Thyme
- Mint
Shred and combine ½ head of Napa Cabbage, 2 large carrots, 1 large parsnip (peeled), 6 radishes, 1 celery stalk and 1 small apple. Mix with the juice of 1 Meyer lemon, 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar. Add Salt and Pepper to taste, and chopped Fresh Lemon Thyme and Mint- from your herb garden!
ENJOY!
