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Contact:
Tammy Stratton
The Bawmann Group (For CTCA at WRMC)
303-320-7790, [email protected]
GET YOUR GRILL ON
Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Offers Healthy Grilling Tips and Summer Recipes
DENVER – August 2013 – The sultry days of summer are in full swing here in Colorado. Hot days, warm nights,
shorts, dresses, flip-flops – and of course it wouldn’t be summer without barbeques and cookouts. To make your
summer barbeques and cookouts more healthy, Executive Chef Frank Caputo from Cancer Treatment Centers of
America® (CTCA) at Western Regional Medical Center (Western) is here to provide healthy grilling tips and some
great summer recipes to try out this month – just in time for Labor Day parties and festivities.
CTCA® is located in Arizona and is honored to serve patients throughout the state of Colorado and the Rocky
Mountain region. The number of patients from Colorado who traveled to CTCA for their cancer treatment has
doubled from 2009 to 2012.
“Nutrition and healthy eating habits should be an important focus for all of us, and it is especially vital for those
who are battling cancer or are cancer survivors,” said Caputo. “Here at CTCA, we have information and resources
available to help you focus on and succeed with your healthy eating goals. For cancer patients and survivors,
specifically, our goal is to help you stay strong and nourished.”
Here are a few tips that can help make food vibrant and exciting. The techniques below, provided by Caputo, are
the same ones we follow here at CTCA Western, in our professional environment and are easy to implement at
home. “Incorporating these simple principles will bring great value to you and your loved ones as you assemble
delicious nutritious food for everyone to eat,” said Caputo.
Select quality ingredients.
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Design your menu to include more robust variety of ingredients.
Darker and brighter fruits and vegetables offer more nutrient value, so always chose a rainbow of colors.
Use fresh, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. In-Season Produce:
Winter: oranges, grapefruit, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, cabbage, greens.
Spring: asparagus, spinach, sweet peas, rhubarb.
Summer: berries, peaches, melons, cherries, green beans, zucchini.
Fall: apples, pears, acorn, butternut squash, cauliflower.
Seasoning foods with quality herbs can give food a whole new flavor. Adding herbs and spices to your
dishes is a great way to add extra flavor as well as phytochemicals that prevent damage to healthy cells.
Experiment with cilantro, dill, lemon balm, oregano, mint, rosemary, summer savory, tarragon, thyme,
sweet basil, tumeric (contains curcumin) and cinnamon.
Look at the nutritional information, found on foods, and evaluate the ingredients to ensure the maximum
health benefits for you and your family.
Store and prepare all foods with aim of preserving their best possible flavor, texture, color and overall
nutritional value.
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Fully control temperatures, in receiving, storage, preparation and service.
It is best to aim for a four-ounce portion size of proteins.
Limit red meat consumption to no more than four meals per week.
Using certain spices when cooking food on the grill can decrease cancer-causing compounds. One
example is cumin.
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Marinating meats, fish and poultry in a citrus that is rich in vitamin C can help properly cook the protein
and decrease the formation of cancer-causing substances.
Avoid cooking meats at a high temperature on the grill. Safe temperatures to cook food at include:
- Ground beef and pork: 160 degree F
- Whole poultry and thighs: 180 degrees F
- Poultry breast: 170 degrees F
- Seafood and fish: 145 degrees F
Incorporate a variety of plant rich dishes.
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Shift emphasis toward a more plant rich diet of grains, vegetables and fruits.
Grilling vegetables such as asparagus, eggplant and corn can be healthy alternatives to proteins.
Grill vegetables away from the open flame to avoid burning.
Brush vegetables with olive oil, season with salt and pepper for cooking on the grill.
Consider the Mediterranean diet as a model.
Manage the amount of fat and sodium.
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Trim as much fat off of proteins in order to reduce flare ups. Grill flare-ups from fat drippings produce
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Lean red meats include four-ounce sirloin, flank, tenderloin, veal
and ground round.
Cutting things such as flank steak and flat iron steak across the grain can help tenderize the meat.
Fun Summer Ideas to Test Out On the Grill
Try the following salad idea that can pack an anti-cancer punch. It is high in fiber, antioxidants and omega 3.
Tossed fresh herb salad with blueberries, grilled (pan roasted) walnuts, grilled leek, grilled Jerusalem
artichoke, fresh carrot juice and lime.
Also consider using a cast iron skillet while cooking on the grill. This can add more variety to your grilling
technique. Using a cast iron skillet, directly over the heat, can also keep moisture in your vegetables and meats.
Skillets can also help reduce flare ups on the grill. Here are a couple of cast iron skillet recipe ideas to try out.
Cast iron roasted cauliflower with turmeric, pecan and blistered cherry tomato
* Studies have shown that turmeric can slow the rate of growth in cancer cells.
Basil crusted salmon fillet, roasted eggplant, pine nut and potato scales
* Salmon is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and eggplant, like most rich purple vegetables, tends to be rich in
antioxidants.
Looking for a drink to pair with your food? Check this idea out.
Spearmint and manuka honey with cinnamon stick and fresh orange slice or mango over ice or blended for
a frozen beverage (Remember to remove cinnamon stick and substitute with ground)
* Cinnamon helps to manage blood sugars. Manuka honey is a raw honey with antibacterial qualities
which ultimately helps gut flora and can help to improve immune function.
About Cancer Treatment Centers of America
CTCA is a national network of hospitals focusing on complex and advanced stage cancer. CTCA offers a comprehensive,
fully integrated approach to cancer treatment and serves patients from all 50 states at facilities located in Atlanta,
Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tulsa. Known for delivering the Mother Standard® of care and Patient
Empowerment Medicine®, CTCA provides patients with information about cancer and their treatment options so they
can control their treatment decisions. For more information about CTCA, go to www.cancercenter.com.
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