FOOD AS MEDICINE LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT NUTRITION FOR MEN WITH PROSTATE CANCER LYCOPENE-RICH TOMATO SOUP Serves 4. Ready in 40 minutes. Recipe credit: www.ellicsrkitchen.ca Nutrition Facts Serving Size (445 g) Amount Calories 110 Fat 4 g Saturated 0.5 g + Trans 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 390 mg Carbohydrate 19 g Fibre 5 g Sugars 10 g Protein 3 g Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Iron % DV % 3% 1% % 20% 90% 0% % 8% INGREDIENTS INSTRUCTIONS 12 fresh plum tomatoes, cut in half (or 2-28 oz cans/jars of whole tomatoes) 1. Add oil to a large pot over medium high heat. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and onion and sauté for 3 minutes. 2. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil. 3. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. 4. Blend until smooth, either with a hand blender or by carefully transferring to a stand blender 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced 1/2 cup celery, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large onion, finely diced 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried Basil 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
FOOD AS MEDICINE A diagnosis of prostate cancer commonly raises many questions. For some men, these might include Did my diet cause my cancer? or Can diet help as part of my cancer treatment? In addition, many men are looking for more natural ways to stay healthy, gain back some control in their lives and/or help cope with cancer.
Win-win: Foods to Fight Prostate Cancer New evidence on diet and prostate cancer is emerging every day. Research shows that the same foods that promote overall health may help lower the progression of prostate cancer, making choosing these foods a win-win situation. Diets or foods that may help lower Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) as a marker for cancer progression or recurrence: Comprehensive lifestyle programs. These programs most often include a lower fat vegan or plant-based diet along with exercise and stress management. Just like in other chronic diseases, these lifestyle changes have shown benefits in men with prostate cancer. In some cases the lifestyle programs have had other important health benefits including weight loss and reducing cholesterol levels. Another win-win. Tomato-based foods that are rich in lycopene. This includes tomato juice, sauce or soup and ingredients like tomato paste. Cooked tomatoes are a richer source of lycopene than raw tomatoes. Raw tomatoes and other red-coloured foods such as watermelon and pink grapefruit provide some lycopene and are packed with other nutrients.
Soybeans (cooked or roasted, or as edamame) and soy-based foods such as soy beverages and tofu. Check the ingredient list for whole soybeans to get the full nutritional benefits. Ground flaxseed. You can grind your own (in a coffee grinder or food processor) or buy it readyto-eat. Flaxseed oil is a healthy choice (rich in omega-3 fats) but is missing the full nutritional value including all of the fibre. Foods rich in selenium. Many foods contain selenium but Brazil nuts pack in the greatest quantity. Just 1 Brazil nut provides all of the selenium most men need in a day. You may be surprised that the above list does not include other popular health foods or supplements. In most cases the effect of these other foods on prostate cancer has not been tested. And even when studies are available, more research may be needed to make a recommendation. Other nutrients such as vitamin D are commonly used as supplements but at this time, evidence does not suggest a benefit in reducing risk of prostate cancer progression. In other words, in limited studies where men with prostate cancer took vitamin D supplements it had no effect on their rate of cancer progression. Vitamin D however is still important to health, and in particular bone health.
The Sum is Greater than its Parts The sum total of all the food you eat, over time, is what matters most. This means there is no individual food or nutrient that acts like a magic bullet to prevent or reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression or recurrence. Staying focused on the main lifestyle factors is what is important. This is true of lifestyle factors in general, and the more healthy habits you have the healthier you will be. Evolving research studies on nutrition and prostate cancer Research is a work in progress and not all aspects of diet have been studied in men with prostate cancer. Most of the studies to date have evaluated more than one nutrient in a single study, and because of this, it is often not possible to determine if any one nutrient is beneficial on its own. Also, PSA is an imperfect marker of disease. Even if PSA is lowered in response to eating certain foods or diets, or taking a supplement, it does not guarantee that the risk of cancer recurrence is lowered. Only by measuring cancer recurrence can we accurately determine if cancer recurrence is reduced and these studies have not yet been conducted.
Dietary Supplements Dietary supplements containing soy, lycopene or flax, or other food extracts or nutrients such as vitamin E or selenium are often marketed to men for prostate health. Despite this there is a lack of evidence that they provide any benefit in men diagnosed with prostate cancer. In addition, they typically provide only a fraction of the range of nutrients that foods do, at a higher cost, and with some risk. Some supplements may contain naturally-occurring compounds that have hormone-like functions or be contaminated with hormones which may stimulate prostate cancer growth. There is also the possibility that supplements contain undisclosed pharmaceutical agents and have health risks. See Session 10 on Dietary Supplements. Avoid supplements with hormones, or hormone-like properties natural is not the same as safe.
Ask the Dietitian Are there any benefits to antioxidants supplements? Are they safe, and what about during cancer treatment? Foods are rich in a wide array of naturally-occurring antioxidants that are important to cancer prevention and overall health. These are safe and recommended as part of the daily diet. Supplements containing antioxidants generally contain one nutrient in large doses. In theory, antioxidant supplements may interact with cancer treatments and potentially make them less effective. While unproven, this is still a considerable risk to take for an unknown benefit. I am concerned about pesticides. Should I be eating organic foods? Organic food is growing in popularity and currently enjoys a bit of a halo effect with consumers. That is, many people automatically assume organic foods are the healthier or superior option. But a singular claim that a food is organic (and has not been exposed to synthetic pesticides) does not necessarily mean it measures up as a nutritious food, or is more nutritious than conventionally grown produce. Organic and conventional foods are about equal in nutritional value and you may need to weight other factors such as accessibility and affordability in making your choice. For processed foods (cereals, breads, yogurt, snack foods etc.) it s best to examine the Nutrition Facts Table and ingredient list to see if the product contains predominately whole food ingredients and not excess fat, salt or sugars rather than focus on whether it is organic.
Does sugar feed cancer? No, not exactly. Sugar is found in moderate amounts in a wide range of foods from fruits and vegetables and some grains and milk products to many processed foods where it is often used in larger quantities as a preservative or to enhance flavour. Being overweight makes it more difficult for your body to cope with sugar in the diet and is the real issue when it comes to linking sugar with cancer or other health concerns. Being overweight or obese (particularly when there is excess weight around the waistline) can produce higher levels of insulin and other metabolic changes that can lead to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease as well as cancer or its recurrence. The bottom line - keep your weight in a healthy range and enjoy moderate amounts of sugar, mostly from healthy foods.