We’ve had a number of threads debating whether or not people should change their diets. I thought it might be nice to have a thread where people could exchange some information such as where to buy different food items, recipes etc. I switched to a non-dairy, no red meat, low sugar diet and I’m not on here to evangelise about that but to swap non-dairy recipes, different products etc.
For example it took me ages to find out how to use soya milk. I’ve spent a lot of time looking up recipes, searching for products etc so thought it would be good to share.
I don’t have any affiliations to any companies, this is purely my personal opinion on companies I’ve used and I’d find it useful to share info from others.
I’ve switched to using agave nectar as a sweetener as it has a much lower GI index (better than honey too). I’ve found a lovely one which I order online which comes in a light or dark version. The dark one is particularly good. The company is called Detox your world. They have lots of products and recipes which may be of interest to people wishing to reduce sugar and going for more raw foods: detoxyourworld.com/
Hi Elinda, I agree with Lynn, it’s a good idea. I spent ages researching exactly the type of diet you are talking about and it takes forever!!
I have taken to making more meals using pulses etc. Wasn’t too sure how to do them initially, but have found some good recipes which I’ll share on here later.
I’m still not too great re soya or tofu! Not too much of a problem though as I eat mainly fish or chicken now.
A couple of recipe books I use are, “The Italian Diet” by Gino D’ACampo and “You are What you Eat” The meal planner book by Carina Norris, which is an official tie in to the programme.
I borrowed lots of recipe /Anti Cancer food books from the library and bought any I liked or just copied bits from others.
Penny Brohn also provide some good info.
I’ll still have lamb, beef,meagre spread of butter or milk once in a blue moon as I don’t think it’ll kill me!Funnily enough things don’t taste as great as I remember them doing.
I still find the lack of sweet things difficult as I have a very sweet tooth…I still succumb to the odd digestive!!!
I’m going to look at the link you sent Elinda, thanks.
I’ll post any info / recipes as I remember them.
Sandra x
I now order a large size box of organic veg from Abel & Co and make it my mission to eat it in a week. Their website has loads of recipies. It is great to be supplied with veg that I would not normally buy so it broadens my variety of veg in my diet.
Will post some recipies when I have a bit more time.
Make your usual sauce. I use chicken mince or tuna rather than beef but you could also make this totally vegan with a vegetable sauce.
For the white sauce prepare the soya milk or ordinary milk in advance (tip from Delia). Put a carrot, celery (if poss) and a couple of bay leaves into the pan, add the milk, boil and then leave for about half an hour. Strain or take out the veg and herbs. I then grate in loads of nutmeg and add some salt and pepper.
To keep this lower fat use ‘sauce flour’ (I use Sainsbury own brand) which you add to the milk. There is no need to add butter or anything else.
Layer the lasagna as usual. If you’re doing the dairy free version, finish with a layer of white sauce. Drizzle over olive oil and bake as normal.
I have also made big changes to my diet since March - it seems to make sense to be healthier whatever the for/against evidence. It takes time and effort but once I (gradually) changed my shopping lists and started to make delicious meals I have found it is actually enjoyable. Lots of experimenting, too! It’s all a learning curve but then everything else in life changes when you’re diagnosed…
Rice and oat milks and olive oil butter are good substitutes for dairy (and avoid too much soya) and I have found a non-dairy cheese product called Cheezly (not a good name but…) that works okay for cheese sauces - though have found soya milk best with this.
I’ve been amazed how quickly the desire for sweet things has faded, too! Also using agave syrup and manuka honey in cooking now. And have grown lettuce in pots from seed for the first time which has been brilliant for making tasty salads with added mixed seeds and seaweed. Going to try sprouting beans next.
There’s a spelt grain lasagne that’s good and kamut which can be used like rice. Lots of vegetable curries using things like beetroot, sweet potato and lentils, turmeric and coconut milk.
Still experimenting but certainly feeling the benefits now and hopefully will keep weight in check, too!
I have totally changed my diet too and am feeling the benefit. Have cut out dairy, soya and most meat. Having some organic chicken and fish. Although i reckon if i eat 90 % healthy i am going to have a few treats like the odd glass of red wine or whatever i fancy.
I have been having oat milk and it’s not bad. Have made bread with it (slightly heated, below 40 degrees) substituting the sugar with agave nectar and the sunflower oil with olive, its really tasty. Have been cooking loads of curries, spinach and chickpea is lovely with spinach chapatis they are so quick to make. Also a lot of bean and pulse dishes. I went to a nutritionist and she suggested a couple of books, will check what they are called.
Re healthy cakes, i.e. no added sugar, I’ve been making banana bread (440g ripe bananas, 50g brazil nuts, 100ml oil,100g raisins,75g rolled oats, 140g wholemeal flour, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence, pinch salt - cook 190 celsius, gas5, 50-60 mins) - its quite nice and is sweet enough to be a pudding-y type thing. My other favourites are carrot cake & date slice but they have added sugar.
Great thread here. I’ve been working hard on diet all year - have realised have probably compensated too much with fruit so am watching that a bit.
Good luck with it all ladies! So relieved to know I am not alone in avoiding dairy etc etc.
J - how do you make the spinach chapatis? Sounds good. I agree - the odd lapse and glass of red wine is totally OK, too! Have given up red meat and dairy and cut down on sugar.
Thanks for the banana bread recipe, Maggy - I’ll try that.
Have also sought out ‘healthy restaurants’ for treats out and to get more ideas.
Made a great layered pie last week:
A layer of pastry made with spelt flour and olive oil spread (with A handful of mixed seeds) and part-baked
Add a layer of softened red onion and garlic
Add a layer of cooked chunks of butternut squash
Add a layer of spinach, a layer of cooked aubergine
Top with a layer of non-dairy cheese sauce (made with olive oil spread, spelt flour, soya milk and Cheezly)
Bake in oven for 30 minutes and serve with chopped steamed kale and broccoli tossed with sesame seeds.
You can add or substitute layers of your own choice, too.
I do the chapatis with granary or wholemeal floor and water just enough to make a dough. I always add a little olive oil (about a tbls) and sometimes a pinch of salt. Chop up the spinach and add into the mix. You can add anything into these, seeds or other veg i would think. I leave them to the side for about 30 mins then roll them out to thin round circles. Heat a frying pan to hot and dry cook until done on each side. Hope you like them, makes a change from rice.
I’ve made these chicken burgers a few times and we really like them, great for the days a burger in a bun is fancied!
375g minced organic chicken breast (I mince this myself)
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp pesto
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley,tarragon,thyme,basil
2 sundried toms, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
Mix together all the ingredients, except the oil. Divide mixture into four and form into burgers. Cover & chill for 30 mins. Brush burgers with oil and cook under grill. Serve in wholemeal bun,with tomato salsa, or with a salad.
NB, mixture appears quite “sloppy”, but as soon as cooking starts they firm up.
My mouth is watering just reading these fantastic recipes. This is great! I’ve got a load of ripe bananas so I’m going to make the banana bread later but also want to try the layered pie, chapatis and burgers.
I have a very sweet tooth so here are some healthier things I’ve found:
Scones made with agave nectar:
8 oz self raising flour
2 oz of butter or spread (I find soya gives the best consistency)
A handful of sultanas
3 dessert spoons of agave nectar
Approx 100 ml Soya milk (may work with other milks but haven’t tried)
Mix with fingers until consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add in the sultanas and then mix in the agave nectar. After that slowly add in the soya milk to give it the consistency of a dough. it should be soft but not sticky. If too dry add more slowly. Bring it all together and it should leave the side of the bowl clean. Roll out on board not less than inch thick or they’ll be flat, cut out and bake for about 10 - 20 minutes depending on oven (around 170 - 200 C). You want them lightly golden and well risen.
Raw chocolate truffles:
You can really experiment with these and find what you like best in terms of ingredients and what consistency. I found it’s easier to use a blender to do all this. I’m sorry I can’t give exact amounts as I always play this by ear. Basically you need:
Pecans, almonds, coconut or peanuts and ground almonds (optional)
sultanas or soft dates (can soften by soaking in a little hot water)
Agave nectar and/or date syrup
Cocoa nibs (which give a great crunch) and/or cocoa power
Cocoa butter (optional)
(the cocoa butter and nibs I get from the site at the top Detox your world. Cocoa butter is in solid lumps which you melt).
Put the nuts in the blender to crush also the dried fruit and then add the other ingredients. If using the cocoa butter melt this first - you don’t need much of this.
Roll into balls and then you can roll in cocoa powder if you wish. Put them in the fridge to chill. They are rich and filling and really help with sweet cravings.
I have too have ordered a friut & veg box form able and Cole, and my mission is the same as Gretchens, to eat it before the next one arrives:). It really does make you think more about food, and the recipes I have tried from the site have been good.
I have been juicing almost daily, and it’s as if I can feel them doing me good. Carrot, orange and ginger to relieve sickness, beetroot, carrot and apple, & celery apple and garlic (for the blood) are my three current favourites.
I haven’t however, considered giving up dairy, in fact as I have a low BMI have been advised to step up with the cream and the sauces.
Are dairy products meant to be bad for cancer patients? (sorry will have to do more research, this whole period since diagnosis has been one big learning curve…)
Great thread though.
Meggy - I made your banana cake recipe yesterday and it was delicious. Your recipe didn’t have an egg in it but I added one by mistake and it still came out really well. My husband loved it. Was thinking you could also do this with walnuts and dates instead of the brazil nuts and raisins for a change.
I’ve seen cheezly in the shops but have steered away from it. I’m going to give it a try this week as I want to make the layer pie.
Any more recipes to share? I’d welcome some more savoury ones as it’s hard to keep thinking of meals to make!
Elinda
I’ve never been a huge fish fan, but decided I needed to eat more fish, especially the oily varieties. I’m always looking for ways of cooking fish that aren’t just grilling…too fishy for me!!
I really like this mackerel recipe. I usually use whole gutted fish instead of the fillets, but must admit they are a bit boney…OH says they have a better flavour! Hope you like, Sandra x
Serves 4
4 lg mackerel fillets (I often use cleaned gutted whole fish)
2 lg ripe toms, chopped
50g capers in salt, rinsed
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
300g pots, peeled & cut into 1cm cubes
1 red & 1 yellow pepper,cut into 1cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
200ml veg stock
4 tbsp white wine_____________________________________
Heat a frying pan untill warm, add oil, pots, peppers,garlic,stock & wine. Bring to the boil and simmer gently stirring occasionally, for 10 - 15 mins or until pots are cooked through.
_________________
Mix together the toms & capers.
Slash skin sides of mackerel fillets, season & cook under high grill for approx 4 mins, skin should be lightly blistered.Place in a serving dish, spoon over the tom & caper mixture, squeeze over the lemon juice…keep warm.
Serve mackerel with the potato mixture and green veg.
Another fish dish, probably not quite as healthy, but really nice…
HERBY FISH FINGERS Serves 4
600g skinless white fish
juice of 1 lemon
50g plain wholemeal flour
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
15g flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
__________________________
Slice fish into approx 20 fingers, pour lemon juice into a bowl, add the fish & toss to coat.
Mix flour & cayenne pepper in a bowl, mix breadcrumbs & parsley in a bowl, beat eggs in third bowl.
Roll fish in, 1st the flour, next the egg, lastly the breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and shallow fry the fish fingers for 1-2 mins each side till golden.
Serve with assorted home-made sweet potato & potato wedges.
Glad the banana bread recipe worked Elinda. I guess an egg (if you are not vegan) would lighten it abit as it does tend to be quite dense! I have tried swapping all sorts of fruit/nuts in the recipe according to what I’ve got at the time, although I’ve been happy to keep the brazil nuts as a source of selenium, instead of taking a supplement. Most substitutions work but I have noticed that if you are reducing the sweeter fruits in favour of tarter ones (i.e. apple or berries), increasing vanilla essence often seems to give a good result.
On the savory side I’ve been making a lot of cheese-free pizzas this summer. I use a bread machine (all the time) and use the pizza setting to get dough in 45 mins. During that time I’ve made a tomato sauce with lots of onion & garlic. Then I pile veg on top (mushrooms, slivers of courgette, olives, red pepper, sweetcorn, rocket/spinach etc) that has been tossed in olive oil, and then finish off with pine nuts, or walnuts or pecans (for a bit of protein & crunch). I get a bit annoyed when all the dairy eaters in my household ignore their cheesy pizza & eat mine instead.
Its raining here today - good excuse to start cooking.
Take care all
Maggyx