Barbara
Edwards is a cancer survivor who recently discovered a renewed passion for
cooking.
“I’ve
been coming to this class for two years,” Barbara said. “I now cook
two-to-three times a week, share the class’ recipes on Facebook and with my
non-profit group and my family always requests that I make certain dishes.”
Barbara,
who is on her third year of survivorship, said it started with one class at the
Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education and Support Center and she was hooked.
There’s
nothing like this offered anywhere else.
Making
these healthy changes is hard enough, but a cancer diagnosis can make it even
more challenging. Caring for yourself or someone with cancer comes down to
meeting needs, and one of our first needs as humans is nourishment. However,
when ill, food can be the last thing you want because of lethargy or nausea.
So, learning which foods are ideal for specific needs is paramount for a
patient’s and caregiver’s health. And cooking is a great way to walk the
well-being path together.
Cooking as Therapy
“Cooking
(from scratch) is the single most important thing we could do as a family to
improve our health and general well-being,” Michael Pollan wrote in his
best-selling book Cooked.
Taking
that idea to heart, the cooking classes at Baylor Scott & White Health’s
Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education and Support Center began
four years ago and are led by chef Zoe Muller as well as a dietitian. They are
conducted in an interactive environment where participants can freely ask
questions of both experts. Because of this, the class if often attended by
family members. It emphasizes meals with lots of leafy green plants, fruits and
vegetables to promote positive changes on health. But they don’t forget about
taste.
We want
to make it fun for people in a way that they will stick with it for the long
term.
“Our
goal is to educate patients on how to make healthy food that tastes great,”
chef Zoe said.
“Cooking
is a therapy, it can bring families together. We’ll usually have a husband and
wife come to our classes together.”
The
classes focus on balance, too, said Julie Smith, RD, LD, a dietitian on the
staff at Baylor Scott & White Health.
“We
include seasonal ingredients and items that are easily available and
affordable,” Julie said.
The Importance of Nutrition Through Cancer Treatment
Everything
you eat impacts your health, and for cancer patients, nutrition is of upmost
importance.
“Depending
on the type of cancer or treatment regimen, many patients lose weight during
treatment, much of which can come from valuable muscle mass,” Julie said. “It
is important for their overall health and quality of life to rebuild that
muscle, and a balanced diet can help with that.”
And it’s
through a healthy diet that cancer patients and survivors can rebuild their
lives.
Cooking
is a therapy, it can bring families together.
“It can
bring a sense of normalcy back to their lives, while at the same time allowing
them to feel more in control of their future health,” Julie said. “By following
a healthy diet, cancer survivors, for example, can help to manage or reduce
inflammation that may have been caused by their treatments. By incorporating
fruits and vegetables, along with other plant-based foods, they will get
antioxidants that help reduce damage from their treatments and can help protect
future cells from damage that can lead to a cancer recurrence.”
Topical Cooking Classes The Whole Family Can Enjoy
The
cooking classes are offered twice a month.
“For
the future, we will be doing one class a month on general wellness/chronic
disease prevention, and then one class a month on a specific cancer,” Julie
said. “For this second class, we will focus on prevention, as well as recipes
to boost nutrition throughout treatment and dietary modifications that may be
necessary. For example, we might do a farmer’s market fresh class for spring
produce and then a class for national colorectal cancer month.”
One
recent class, for instance, featured two dishes from the MIND diet, which is
known for its benefits in improving brain health.
“We
can’t forget about the health of our bodies above our shoulders,” Julie told
class attendees.
Other
examples of past classes include foods to boost gut health, balancing carbs,
low-sugar recipes, healthy holidays and recipe makeovers.
Three Focus Areas
Cooking
class participants learn three important things during the demonstrations.
1.
Nutrition – “We focus on an
overall healthy, anti-inflammatory, mostly plant-based diet,” Julie said.
“Patients learn the nutrition facts behind the ingredients we use and how this
can impact their health. We teach them how to choose high-quality ingredients,
while at the same time reducing sugar and processed foods. Our goal is to
reduce the risk of all chronic disease as much as we can with diet and
lifestyle changes, so we focus on various disease states for overall wellness,
including heart disease, diabetes, weight management, etc.”
2. Cooking
methods – “Chef Zoe does a wonderful job of teaching cooking
techniques, particularly with regards to food preparation, like slicing,
dicing, chopping, etc.,” Julie said. “She gives tips that can help save time in
the kitchen. She also educates on various substitutions that can be made to
save money, time and to improve the taste of the dish. Patients learn how to be
flexible and creative in the kitchen and how to use what they have on hand.”
3. Modifications
specific to cancer and treatment-related side effects –
“We educate patients on specific foods they should emphasize or avoid based on
their specific cancer or treatment regimen,” Julie said. “We also teach
patients how to modify their recipe to make it higher or lower fiber, to make
it easier to chew or swallow if they have issues with that, how to add flavor
if they are having taste changes, etc.”
Fun and Enjoyment
The
cooking classes aim to bring back the enjoyment of cooking and eating.
“We
want to make it fun for people in a way that they will stick with it for the
long term,” Julie said. “Your diet could be the perfect, optimal diet, but if
it causes you more stress or is not enjoyable, then you are not getting the
full benefit from it.”
Some
cancer patients, too, may experience a range of symptoms that take away the
enjoyment of food.
“They
may have trouble swallowing or chewing, they could have a sore mouth, or they
may have gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or
constipation,” Julie said. “This can impact how they view food or whether they
want to or are able to eat at all. We do our best to provide modifications to
help them to eat and to help food taste good again.”
Finally,
Julie points out, coming to the class itself can be a break or escape from
going to appointments or difficult treatments or procedures.
“Many
of our attendees really enjoy coming to the classes in person because of the
interaction with the other attendees, the dietitian and the chef,” Julie said.
Building Relationships
For
Barbara, the cooking classes have done wonders for her diet and have helped her
build confidence. She looks forward to meeting new people who attend and
furthering the friendships she’s already made.
“We
feel like we’re in this together, we’re all learning to eat healthier without
dieting,” Barbara said. “I’m going to be 61 on my next birthday. I feel good.”
The
Cvetko cooking classes are also unique to the area.
“I was
at another hospital the other day, and I was telling them about the cooking
classes,” Barbara said. “There’s nothing like this offered anywhere else.”
Friends.
Family. And food.
What
else can you ask for?
“It’s
about building beautiful relationships,” chef Zoe said.
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