Hot off the Presses: Research & Reports
Lots of big reports have been coming across our screens lately, and here are several that might interest you:
- Integrative Medicine in America: How Integrative Medicine Is Being Practiced in Clinical Centers Across the United States
Sponsored by The Bravewell Collaborative, the report ”…provides current data on the patient populations and health conditions most commonly treated with integrative strategies.
In a survey of 29 U.S. integrative medicine centers, 75 percent reported success using integrative practices to treat chronic pain and more than half reported positive results for gastrointestinal conditions, depression and anxiety, cancer and chronic stress.
Mind-Body Bookshelf: Enjoy Every Sandwich
Every man dies– not every man really lives.
– William Ross Wallace
Several thoughts struck me after completing Lee Lipsenthal’s Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day As If It Were Your Last. One- this is one of those very precious books like Randy Pauch’s The Last Lecture that are sublime in their honesty, vitality, and sheer joie de vivre. And two- I wish I had met Lee. We emailed several times as publication approached. I hoped he would be able to do an author talk for the Center, sharing some of his wisdom and unique personality– but he passed away before that could happen.
Alum Entrepreneur: Whole Foods Feeding Tube Formula
Ask any Food As Medicine graduate what their favorite thing about the program is and for sure their difficulty will be in choosing between the food and the people. It’s a given that the education is superlative– science-based, heart-centered, practical and inspiring. FAM 2011 will make it an even dozen times we’ve presented it, and we have gotten very good at it, indeed. Rebecca Katz is designing the food, so again, prepare to be both nourished and dazzled. The people? Robin Gentry McGee is a perfect example of our amazing attendees.
Our Wonderful Alums: Mary-Beth in the Drip Room
Right after Food As Medicine in June 2010, we received the following email from a participant:
Thank you and the staff for an incredible experience.
It is still very alive for me. I came home and right away started
weekly food demonstrations at the oncology clinic
where I work. Patients are loving it!
Peace & blessings,
Mary-Beth Charno, RN, BSN, HNB-BC, OCN
Linchitz Medical Wellness,Glen Cove, NY
This kind of email goes in my electronic folder labeled Cloud Nine. Seriously– what would you like to hear if you managed a nutrition training program for healthcare professionals? The paycheck is not why we work late. So I contacted Mary-Beth for details, and she was kind enough to share photos and recipes.
Make Magic Mineral Broth!
A reminder for those of you who know about it, and an epiphany for those of you who don’t: Magic Mineral Broth!
Food As Medicine Executive Chef & faculty member Rebecca Katz, MA, first published the recipe for this potent potion in her cookbook One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends– and has since generously offered it on her website rebeccakatz.com. She calls it her “Rosetta stone of soup”.
This time of year, with colds and flu swirling about, I feel naked without it. And that’s a simple problem to fix– a trip to the farm market or grocery store for a sack full of everything on the list, a few minutes to wash and chop, and several hours of cozy reading time while the broth simmers and the kitchen fills with a healthy, rich aroma– and you’re good to go. One recipe makes quite a lot of broth– see photo of results in the slide show– most of which I freeze for those moments when you need a mineral-rich broth to pick you right up. My kind of health insurance 
Thank you, Rebecca!
By Popular Demand: Shredded Carrot & Beet Salad
This was one of the most popular dishes at Food As Medicine 2010– perhaps because it’s such a glorious eye-full?
In her book The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, from whence this recipe cometh, Rebecca Katz says, “…I set out to create the most colorful salad I could, using purple beets, orange carrots, and fresh mint. If I’d had a vegetable crisper instead of a box of crayons as a kid, this salad would have been the result.”
And not only beautiful, but brimming with antioxidants. We all know we’re supposed to be tracking those down and including them in our diets like crazy, right? Turns out, as Rebecca says, “Generally speaking, the right way to go is to cast a wide net instead of focusing on a single antioxidant.”
This is one stunning combo. As you see, the Capital Hilton kitchen did the colors side-by-side, and they are equally gorgeous tossed, with the green flecks of mint dancing amidst the shredded orange and burgundy. A great choice if you are looking for that wow factor for a healthy lunch or dinner dish. And beets and carrots are in season, in local farm markets (at least in the mid-Atlantic region), right now.
Photographs of Food As Medicine 2010 by Erin Goldstein
Shredded Carrot and Beet Salad
Serves 4
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup peeled and shredded carrot
1 cup peeled and shredded red beet
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, ginger, and salt together
until thoroughly combined. Put the carrots in a mixing bowl, drizzle
with half of the dressing, and toss until evenly coated. Place the carrots
on one side of a shallow serving bowl. Put the beets in the mixing
bowl, drizzle with the remaining dressing, and toss until evenly
coated. Place the beets in the serving bowl next to the carrots for a
beautiful contrast of red and orange. Top with the chopped mint before
serving.
From Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, Celestial Arts, 2009.
Rebecca is a core faculty member and our Executive Chef for Food As Medicine, and designs all our food for the program. OMG. Eating like this for 4 days is SUCH a treat!
Thank you for sharing, Rebecca!
Fascinating Talks: William Li, “Can we eat to starve cancer?”
This remarkable talk has been flying around the internet, but in case you missed it as I had, take 20 minutes and get a new perspective on cancer prevention and treatment in William Li’s recent TED talk.
Meet Our Faculty: Rebecca Katz & The Cancer Fighting Kitchen
Our Food As Medicine Executive Chef and core faculty member Rebecca Katz, MS, has just come out with her second book dedicated to helping cancer survivors and their families with tasty, healthy, science-based recipes and food information. Called The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery, it’s full of practical and delicious information. And who knew a book about cancer could be cozy and funny? That’s Rebecca. Reading her books is like sitting and talking with an old friend, in this case one of our nation’s most astute experts on supporting health during cancer treatment, what she calls ‘culinary Rx’.
She’s also the Queen of Yum. If you’ve been to our Food As Medicine trainings, you know, because Rebecca designs all the lunches. That’s the experiential part of the training: healthy food CAN be gorgeous and delicious. My colleague Alex ran down the street to our local bookstore and bought a copy of CFK the minute it came out, and has been cooking from it ever since, reporting back on her boyfriend’s verdicts (‘Fabulous!’ ‘So delicious!’). We’re teasing Alex that it’s like Julie & Julia — Alex & Rebecca. Rebecca doesn’t know it yet, but she’s got us all mesmerized! Visit www.rebecccakatz.com for lots of recipes and great info.
