If you or someone close to you is undergoing cancer treatment, you may be feeling anxious and somewhat helpless. Wanting to play an active role in your own or a loved one’s recovery is understandable. That’s where Novant Health Cancer Institute’s Healing Kitchens comes in.
Healing Kitchens is a nutrition program available to patients of Novant Health Cancer Institute, as well as their friends and family. The program includes The Culinary Rx Kit — a booklet packed with information and recipes — and a self-paced online course developed by Rebecca Katz, professional chef and author of the award-winning book, “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen.”
“Healing Kitchens is all about eating to support your health, to provide all the nourishment you need from whole foods, herbs and spices,” said Michelle Mintz Newell, registered dietitian and manager of Cancer Wellness and Nutrition at the Novant Health Cancer Institute.
“The program teaches the basics of healthy cooking, to empower people who are less confident in the kitchen to prepare beautiful and nourishing meals.”
Cancer-Fighting Kitchen online course
“The online course opens with several modules in which we talk about the hot topics in cancer and nutrition,” Newell said. “Then, in the main portion of the course, Rebecca Katz covers everything you need to know in the kitchen.”
Modules in the Cancer-Fighting Kitchen course include:
- Stocking a cancer-fighting pantry.
- Shopping for produce and animal proteins.
- Staying organized for efficient cooking.
- Preparing delicious anti-inflammatory recipes.
- Dealing with taste changes that often occur as a result of cancer treatments.
The Culinary Rx Kit
Healing Kitchens also includes The Culinary Rx Kit — a spiral-bound booklet delivering easy-to-understand information about the dietary needs of people fighting cancer and those with treatment-related side-effects (dehydration, altered taste, lack of appetite, etc.).
Designed with cancer survivors and their caregivers in mind, the Culinary Rx Kit is also useful for people who want to help friends, colleagues, neighbors and others going through cancer treatment by delivering meals.
“So often, people mean to be helpful, but instead of healthy foods they bring less nutritious ‘comfort foods’ — pot pies, casseroles and rich desserts — that people undergoing treatment may not even be able to eat,” Newell said. “But, with a copy of this booklet, they can make truly nourishing soups, entrees and snacks that support healing — which would be a huge help!”
Targeting cancer survivors’ unique needs
In addition to delivering optimal nutrition, Healing Kitchens was also designed to help cancer patients manage treatment-related side effects (nausea, fatigue, altered taste, etc.) associated with cancer treatments. The online course and Culinary Rx booklet includes many strategies to address these issues, including:
- Kitchen choreography: By streamlining the shopping and cooking process, kitchen choreography makes meal prep easier and faster — a plus for anyone feeling unwell or fatigued.
- Customized menu plans — The program includes a variety of menu plans to support individual appetites and needs, from bare minimum and vegetarian plans to a hydrating menu. “Patients undergoing chemotherapy are easily dehydrated, and water may taste horrible or make them nauseous,” Newell said. “So we included different, delicious ways to stay hydrated.”
- Plentiful protein — Cancer treatments kill good cells as well as bad, according to Newell. “The primary nutrient necessary for building new cells and healthy tissues is protein,” she said. “That’s why we really focused on protein, including a list of high-protein options for people who feel better eating more frequent, smaller meals.”
Another popular section focuses on adjusting how foods taste to offset the taste alterations common among people who undergo chemo- or radiation therapy. Known as the FASS method (for Fat, Acid, Salt and Sweet) this tool empowers cancer survivors by giving them control over how their meals taste.
“With just a squirt of lemon juice, they can cut sweetness back a few notches to make a dish palatable,” she said. “And other ingredients, like olive oil, salt or honey, can turn a food that tastes bitter or bland into something delicious.”
The FASS method can also be useful in restaurants, whose kitchens are always stocked with these simple ingredients, making it easy to adjust flavors right at the table.
Sharing good health
Since it was launched in 2019 — supported by a grant from the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and SherryStrong.org — the Healing Kitchens program has shared more than 5,000 Culinary Rx Kits, and enrolled approximately 900 people in the online course.
And the benefits extend well beyond cancer survivors to the families and friends who also relish the program’s flavorful menus. Excited to try some delicious Healing Kitchens dishes? Below you’ll find three of the program’s most popular recipes.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up