Rebecca Katz - The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery

E very day in my practice, Im asked if food can really make a difference in the fight against cancer. The quick answer is yes, but, since youve picked up Rebeccas Katzs latest book, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, I think you deserve a little more than a simple affirmative. So, heres the backstory: Until very recently, most cancer research has focused on cancer cells, rather than the environment in the human body in which these cells function and sometimes flourish. The impact of this research omission has played a significant role in our often failing efforts to beat cancer.

For nearly three decades at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, my research staff and I have studied the biological environment these cells reside in. This soup is a biochemical milieu that, when optimized through things patients can do for themselvessuch as diet and lifestyle changescan help inhibit malignant growth, mitigate treatment toxicity, improve quality of life, and provide a survivors edge.

For example, breast cancer patients who keep their insulin levels under controla factor most often associated with diet and lifestylecut their risk of cancer recurrence in half and decrease cancer mortality by two-thirds. Its also well known that decreasing inflammation can help reduce cancer growth, boost treatment efficacy, and diminish side effects. We know that refined flours and sugars, most fast food and soda pop, increase the enzymes that promote inflammatory cascades. This is why I encourage patients to avoid these pro-inflammatory foods and increase ingredients that have anti-inflammatory properties. Rebecca understands this and her book includes countless spices, herbs, and foods that can optimize the environment necessary for battling cancer and reducing treatment toxicity. But, importantly, Rebecca presents delicious, enticing recipes that will keep you coming back for more. This is vital, as patients who are well-fed during treatment enhance their quality of life, and improve their chances for recovery.

The fact is, everything you eat and drink changes the chemistry of your blood. Our cell membranes are lined with fats that are comprised primarily of those weve eaten in the last 90 days. If youve been making unhealthy choices, which include the typical American diet, theres a price to pay.

Eating a plant-based diet is fundamental to a successful fight. The conundrum is that no one likes to feel like theyre going on a diet, especially when theyre ill. As you read this, you might be thinking, Am I going to have to live on food resembling a pot of brown, cardboard-textured hippie chow in order to prevent or help treat cancer?

The answer is a resounding no, absolutely not! And here lies the value of The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. Patients need a variety of colorful, delicious, savory dishes that satisfy their palates while helping set the stage to more effectively battle cancerand to inspire living, as well. Rebecca Katzs book does just this in a way that takes the negativity and fear out of changing ones food choices. I can attest to the pleasure of eating her nutrient-rich meals, having enjoyed her cooking many times over the years.

When it comes to chefs with the unique skill set and creative talent for preparing health-promoting foods that taste more like an indulgence then the healing therapy they are, Rebecca is a true culinary artist.

Keith I. Block, MD, author of Life Over Cancer, medical director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, and director of integrative medical education at University of Illinois College of Medicine

T his book would never have come to pass without the following people. Im awed by their generosity of spirit and time, as well as their heartfelt desire to make this book all that it could be. My heartfelt thanks to Keith I. Block, MD, and Penny B. Block, PhD, of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, for their commitment to state-of-the-art integrative cancer care and their understanding of the critical role nutrition and nourishment play in healing; and thanks to Leni Kass for facilitating communications with professionalism and grace.

I bow to the master, Jeremy Katz, my agent and friend, for sitting me down and, in no uncertain terms, saying that this was the book I needed to write. A heaping amount of praise and thanks to Mat Edelson, a brilliant and gifted writer, for transforming copious amounts of dense information into easy digestible and delectable words. Thanks to Wendy Remer, dear friend and baker supreme; Christine Kaddaras, my assistant, whose hard work, good cheer, and positive attitude are essential ingredients in this book; Catherine McConkie, amazing person and recipe tester along with her intern, Drake Cameron. Katherine Wilson for her love of the Vita Mix; Emily Marciniak for her organizational charts; and Wendy Hess, for her expert nutritional analysis that accompanies each recipe. A big 16-quart hug to Julie Burford, my soup sister, and a special kiss on the head to both her husband, Stan, and Josie, pooch supreme, for their moral support.

Humble appreciation to Phil Wood, Lorena Jones, and Jo Ann Deck, who saw the possibilities for my first book, One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends. Kudos to the amazing talented team at Ten Speed Press under the leadership of Aaron Wehner for their steadfast belief in this project: my awesome editor and master juggler, Melissa Moore, for her deft skills in shaping this manuscript and her keen editorial eye; Chloe Rawlins for the absolutely beautiful design; Nancy Austin for her sensitive art direction; Jasmine Star for her excellent copyediting; proofreader Linda Bouchard; Veronica and Victoria Randall for their inspirational stories; and Patricia Kelly, Michele Crim, Debra Matsumoto, and Kara Van De Water for their sales, marketing, and publicity expertise. Blessings to photographer Leo Gong and his wife and studio manager, Harumi Shimizu, and stylists Jen Straus and Alexa Hyman for the beautiful images.