Cooking an anti-cancer meal at home

For this article, I have asked my wife, Dr. Liza Ong, to help in the preparation of a healthy recipe. It’s her own recipe of a unique vegetable mix of the top foods proven to have anti-cancer properties.

These top anti-cancer foods were gathered from Dr. David Servan-Schreiber’s bestselling book Anticancer: A New Way of Life. I then asked Dr. Liza to come up with a nutritious and delectable recipe for the family.

Here are the four main ingredients for our broccoli-mushroom recipe:

1. Garlic, onion, and leeks. When tested in the laboratory, garlic and leeks were the top inhibitors of cancer cells. Garlic and leeks contain allyl sulfides, which promote cell death in colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancers, as well as leukemia. To best release its anti-cancer ingredients, the garlic clove should be crushed and gently fried with a little oil. Garlic can also be eaten raw, and added to salads.

2. Shiitake mushroom. Of all the mushrooms, shiitake is touted to have the most anti-cancer properties. It contains polysaccharides and lentinian, which increase the activity of our immune cells. These protective cells kill off any cancer cell that wants to replicate and invade the body’s organs. The stronger your immune system, the lesser your chances of getting sick. In Japan, cancer patients are encouraged to eat mushrooms to complement the effects of chemotherapy.

3. Carrot. We know that carrots, like other yellow-orange colored fruits and vegetables, contain vitamin A and lycopene. These components can help prevent cancer. In a six-year study of breast cancer patients, researchers found that those patients who ate more foods rich in carotenoids lived longer compared to those who ate less of these foods.

4. Broccoli or cauliflower.  These nutritious vegetables belong to the cabbage (Brassica) family of vegetables. Broccoli and cauliflower contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols, which are potent anti-cancer substances. These molecules can prevent precancerous cells from turning into real cancer cells. To prepare cabbage, steam briefly or stir-fry quickly with a little olive oil. Don’t boil it or you’ll destroy its anti-cancer properties.

Procedure:

Heat the frying pan and put a little cooking oil (olive oil or corn oil). Saute the minced garlic and chopped onions. Don’t overcook them. After 2 minutes, place a cup of sliced shiitake mushrooms. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of low-salt oyster sauce mixed with water for taste. This makes the sauce yummier. After around 3 minutes, add a cup of chopped carrots. We prefer the baby carrots variety, which is softer and easier to bite. Add water from time to time (up to around half a glass) to have a saucy broth to cook the vegetables. Next, add 2 cups of chopped broccoli or cauliflower, depending on your preference. Broccoli vegetables have more scientific studies to back them up, but they are more expensive. Cover the frying pan and let the vegetables cook for another 2 minutes until they are soft enough to eat.

 Tips for cooking

vegetables:

• Cook the vegetables just right, not undercooked or overcooked. Overcooking will destroy their anti-cancer properties.

• Don’t put too much sauce on your vegetables because some of the vitamins will go into the sauce.

• If possible, don’t add meat or fat to your vegetable mix. Reminder: Fats have been scientifically proven to increase various cancers, including breast cancer and colon cancer.

Are there side effects to this meal? Not really, except that eating broccoli (or asparagus for that matter) will give a different smell to your urine. It’s really because of the anti-cancer substances in broccoli. There’s no harm in this. Just continue to drink your eight to 10 glasses of water a day so that you will be hydrated and your kidneys will be able to function well. Personally, Dr. Liza serves this broccoli-mushroom meal three times a week.

As an added information, Dr. Servan-Schreiber lists other anti-cancer foods, including 1) green tea, 2) curry and turmeric, 3) ginger, 4) tomatoes and tomato sauce, 5) soy products like tofu and miso soup, 6) oily fish with omega-3 like sardines, salmon, and mackerel, 7) probiotics and yogurt, and 8) berries like strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries.

Try eating more of these healthy foods to prevent cancer and stay healthy. Bon appétit!