University Times

Cancer-fighting biscotti and brownies? Pitt epidemiologist Julia Greer says so. Chalk it up to the catechins, calcium and selenium the tasty treats contain.

Likewise, stuffed peppers, blueberry muffins and roasted vegetable panini contain nutrients that research links to reduced cancer risk.

Greer includes recipes for these and other healthful dishes in “The Anti-Cancer Cookbook: How to Cut Your Risk With the Most Powerful, Cancer-Fighting Foods.”

Greer, a food enthusiast who conducts pancreatic cancer research in the School of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, created some of the book’s 200-plus recipes and adapted others from recipes collected over the years from friends, magazines and other sources. Among the contributors were two of Greer’s Pitt colleagues, Patricia Eagon and Elaine Devlin.

Recipes are short, simple and include both nutritional information and a brief description of the nutrients they contain and the specific cancers those nutrients may help prevent, based on medical research.

The book project took a year and a half to finish, with Greer’s family, neighbors and friends sampling the recipes. “My goal was to make sure everything really tasted good,” she said, noting that while the recipes typically are low in fat and calories, hers is not intended to be a weight-loss book.

When it came to making the final recipe selections, Greer discarded any that were complicated, time-consuming or contained hard-to-find ingredients. The ones that remain require no fancy kitchen tools — Greer said she personally doesn’t even use a food processor, preferring the physical effort of stirring and mixing, dicing and chopping. In addition, the recipes typically are flexible, allowing cooks creativity in omitting or substituting ingredients.

Being an ad-lib style cook rather than a recipe-follower herself, Greer said that in writing the book she actually had to measure what goes into her recipes, then calculate each dish’s nutritional information herself.

Among her favorites that found their way into the book are balsamic chicken with pears; a lentil chili that’s loaded with zucchini, carrots, eggplant and onions in addition to the tomatoes and peppers; pumpkin-cranberry bread, and banana bread.

Greer said she always has enjoyed eating a healthful diet, preferring vegetables to chocolate from a young age — to the point where a boyfriend once goaded her into eating a candy bar just because he’d never seen her have one. “Gross,” she said.

Likewise, she never realized her grocery shopping habits — which include purchasing plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables — were out of the mainstream until another boyfriend’s reaction in the grocery store made her realize that not all shoppers spend most of their time in the produce aisle.

As for prepackaged or junk food, “I’d rather eat the cellophane,” she said, admitting that she still enjoys rich meals on occasion.

Lifestyle choices, genetics and other factors all impact cancer risk, making it difficult to pinpoint any single thing that will prevent cancer.

Although exercise and diet are important, in the book’s introduction, she states, “There is no one single nutrient that will make you healthy and no single food or beverage that will keep you from getting cancer.”

Statistics show that half of American men and one-third of American women will develop cancer at some point in their lives and that perhaps one-third of those cancers can be linked to diet or excess weight.

Smoking may cause some 20 percent of cancers and viruses could be responsible for another 15 percent, she said. Given that multiple factors, some of which are beyond an individual’s control, impact cancer risk, “it’s important to eat as well as you can,” Greer said.

“There’s nothing bad about eating a healthy diet,” she said. “I personally believe you can eat healthily at every meal. You can put berries on your cereal, or use whole grain bread instead of white, or eat fatty fish,” she said. Steamed vegetables, salads with quinoa or rice easily can be incorporated into daily meals, she said.

Citing negative trends that include more fat and prepackaged foods in the American diet, meals eaten in the car and rising childhood obesity levels, Greer said that knowledge of exactly what comprises a healthful diet isn’t always a given.

In the cookbook, she explains antioxidants and what they do, the differences between various types of fats, ingredients to seek out or to avoid, tips for healthier food preparation and advice on how to make wise choices when eating out.

She also provides a brief synopsis of various types of cancer studies and, citing research, lists nutrients and foods associated with a lower risk of cancer.

Greer also provides a cross reference for readers interested in cutting their risk for a specific type of cancer. For instance, to decrease the risk of kidney cancer, Greer advises drinking red wine for its resveratrol and catechins and eating fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, trout, bluefish and sardines as well as other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, lignans, vitamins A and D and calcium.

Greer said she has spoken about her book to a variety of local audiences who are hungry not only for the samples she often brings, but for basic information.

“There are a lot of food fears,” she said. “It’s hard to know what’s right or not right. And it’s hard to get the correct information.”

—Kimberly K. Barlow