Hints and tips

Hints and Tips

Begin your dietary changes by increasing your intake of fresh organic vegetables and fruit.
Follow this with an increase of the whole grains, pulses and nuts and seeds so that plant foods form the bulk of your diet.

A good way to ensure you are eating a variety of vegetables and fruit is to aim for a ‘rainbow diet’, i.e. a range of richly coloured foods. The bright colours will also makes a meal look particularly appetising.

Gradually reduce dairy intake and replace with alternatives such as rice, nut, oat or soya milk. This does not mean that you have to do without creamy food as nut based products are good for creams and puddings. Contact our Helpline on 0845 123 23 10 for more information on reducing dairy consumption.

Juicing is a great way of getting the goodness and nutrients from a wide variety of vegetables and fruit into your diet. Nutrients in fresh juices are easily absorbed and therefore juicing is useful for those with poor digestion. To avoid high levels of fruit sugars, use mainly vegetables with a little fruit to sweeten. See our ‘Juicing’ fact sheet for more information.

If you are unable to obtain organic vegetables or fruit, use non-organic but make sure you wash them properly. To help remove surface pesticides, soak them for 15 minutes in water mixed with one tablespoon of vinegar before use.

Rather than sticking to mainly wheat-based products, experiment with the more unusual
whole grains such as rice, millet, rye, oats, corn, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat or barley.

Use the following to add flavour to dishes without the use of salt: herbs and spices, lemon and lime, tomato paste, tamari sauce, garlic, ginger, dried mushrooms and dried tomatoes.

If possible, cook in bulk and then freeze individual portions for when you are busy or don’t feel well enough to cook.

Main meals can take a little planning, especially if you are cooking for a family. Ensure that you have a few good healthy-eating cookbooks to inspire you.

If you are not used to eating meals that are free from animal products, start slowly by having one meal of this type a week. Gradually include more of these meals as you build up your repertoire of recipes and your confidence in cooking this way.

Grow your own sprouts from pulses (lentils, peas and beans) and seeds. It is cheap and easy to do, and the sprouts are highly nutritious. They can be eaten raw or lightly steamed or stir-fried. See our ‘Sprouting’ fact sheet for more information.

Meal Planning

Changing the way you eat can feel a little daunting at first. To help you plan your new menu here are a few ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as ideas for snacks.

Breakfast - Fruit smoothies made from soft fruit mixed with non-dairy milk and a few nuts or seeds; fruit salads using fresh or cooked dried fruits; wholegrain toast with sugar-free fruit preserve, nut butters (e.g. almond or hazelnut), scrambled egg, tomatoes or mushrooms; porridge or muesli with fruit and nuts and seeds, made using non-dairy milk.

Lunch - Mixed salad using a variety of fresh raw vegetables and fruit; fresh soups, jacket potato or wholegrain sandwich with beans, hummous, lentil pate, nut butters, sardines; cooked grain salad using barley, millet, bulgar wheat, buckwheat, brown rice or quinoa.

Evening meal - Vegetable casserole; vegetable curry; lentil cottage pie; tofu stir-fry, fish or organic chicken with vegetables.

Snacks - Fruit smoothies; nuts and seeds; fresh or dried fruit; chopped raw vegetables plus hummous or avocado dip; oatcakes, rye crackers, rice cakes or wholegrain toast plus lentil pate or nut and seed butters.

Weight Loss

Weight loss can be a problem for certain people with cancer and some people are concerned that a healthy diet will make the situation worse. At Penny Brohn Cancer Care we do not believe that weight loss should be a reason to eat lots of sugary, fatty foods such as cakes and biscuits, as there are many calorie-dense health foods. These include: avocados, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, oily fish, coconut milk and olive oil. Calorie-dense drinks such as our ‘Build-Up’ drinks are useful as part of a programme to stabilise weight. Contact our Helpline for our ‘Build-Up Recipes’ fact sheet for more information. If weight loss is a particular problem for you please seek the advice of a nutritional therapist.

Treats

Treats make people feel good and they add to the pleasure of life. The Bristol Approach to Healthy Eating does make room for treats but suggests that they are used on an occasional basis (not more than once a week) rather than every day. Different foods are treats for different people but two of the most popular are alcohol and chocolate. Treats sometimes have health benefits for example red wine and dark chocolate are rich in health-promoting antioxidants and homemade cakes and biscuits using dried fruit to sweeten are rich in fibre and minerals.

Helpful Products

For recipes and further tips on nutrition, an excellent range of books are available from our trading company, Shop@PennyBrohn.

These include:

• ‘Healing Foods’ and ‘More Healing Foods’ both by Jane Sen and both priced at £12.99 

Advice: While we make every effort to use up-to-date and reliable sources, we cannot accept liability for errors in the sources that we use and also cannot guarantee to fi nd all the information relevant to your enquiry or request. All responsibility for interpretation of and action upon that information rests with you. This information and advice is offered on the understanding that if you intend to support your treatment with complementary or alternative approaches then you will consult your medical team to ensure that they have a complete understanding of your situation and the complementary or alternative approach that you are considering.

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