A lot of us in the SurvivorNet community could use some new recipes as various stages of quarantine drag on. Alex Trebek’s son Matthew owns two restaurants in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, and Trebek’s wife, Jean, says her son has been “staying with us during this isolation time.” It’s clear Matthew has been lending a hand in the Trebek kitchen. Although Alex Trebek “is a serious meat and potato man,” Jean reveals in her Insidewink post, Matthew may be having an influence on the family menus these days.
Read MoreAnd what did the beloved “Jeopardy!” host think of his son’s plant-based burgers? “He really enjoyed them, too!” says Jean.
Anti-inflammatory foods reduce disease-risk, says Krista Maruschak, a registered dietician at the Cleveland Clinic.
The Power of Plants
Plant-based proteins, like beans and whole grains, also help reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s.
While inflammation helps the immune system fight off invaders — like a bee sting — damaged cells start releasing chemicals like histamines that sound an alarm. White blood cells respond by rushing toward the damaged cells to help rid them of toxins.
But chronic inflammation — when the body remains in this heightened state — is linked to several diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's, according to Krista Maruschak, a registered dietician at the Cleveland Clinic.
The encouraging news here is that you can reduce inflammation by reducing your intake of foods that cause inflammation. “Pro-inflammatory" foods include white breads, pastas, pastries, sodas, red meats and processed meats.
Maruschak recommends choosing “anti-inflammatory” foods, instead:
- Incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as you can throughout the day.
- Replace refined carbohydrates with whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice.
- Replace high-fat red meats with lean meats like chicken, turkey and fish.
- Incorporate more plant-based proteins, like beans and lentils,
- Add spices to your diet that have various anti-inflammatory properties, like cinnamon and turmeric.
Is There a 'Cancer Prevention' Diet?
We've posed this question to physicians and dietitians across the country and gotten the same answer there is no prevention diet, and there is no one food you can incorporate into your routine that is going to absolutely prevent cancer.
There is, however, a diet pattern that can be adopted that may help to prevent certain forms of cancer. The goal is to limit foods that we know are problematic for overall health, like processed foods, sugary drinks, and red meats and to incorporate more healthy whole foods.
"The American Institute for Cancer Research came up with a way to set-up your plate at your meals to really optimize the amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that you have in meals," registered dietician Krista Maruschak, who works with clients at the Cleveland Clinic, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation. "So, that's going to look like two-thirds of your plate being plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, things like that and the other third of your plate will be made up of lean protein sources such as chicken, fish or eggs."
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