The Prostate Diet Cookbook
By Buffy Sanders
Harbor Press, 278 pages, $23.95
When Ward Sanders was diagnosed with prostate cancer, as 180,000 American men are each year, his wife looked at the research and found some strong connections between diet and her husband’s cancer.
Men with a high-fat diet have a greater chance of developing prostate cancer, but lycopenes, found in high levels in tomatoes, grapefruit and watermelon, along with the mineral selenium seem to lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Buoyed by the prospect of helping her husband through diet, Buffy Sanders came up with 188 low-fat recipes emphasizing whole grains, soy, legumes, fruits and vegetables called “The Prostate Diet Cookbook: Cancer-Fighting Foods for a Healthy Prostate.”
In a way, the title is misleading; the simple-to-prepare recipes are helpful to anyone interested in a healthy diet. They range from some pretty tasty snacks and appetizers-garlic vegetable dip with jalapenos and tomato-caper bruschetta, for example-to hearty soups and salads.
The main courses are heavy on beans and may be too “veggie” for the typical meat eater to swallow, but side dishes are less exotic and just as healthy.
Oven-stuffed baked potato with olives and broccoli, and penne with herbed tomato sauce, use wonderful flavors to make up for the lack of fat.
Desserts include vanilla pudding with berries and even chocolate souffle, though some may want to skip the whipped tofu topping.
Easy-to-read food charts, along with simple, comprehensive explanations on the disease and healthy eating are helpful.
