Food for Life: Cancer Project

In this one-time class, we will sample PCRM (pcrm.org)'s Cancer Project (cancerproject.org) and consider the relationship that food has with cancer. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and the Cancer Project shares resources for cancer prevention and survival.

The more naturally colorful your diet is, the more likely it is to have an abundance of cancer-fighting compounds. The pigments that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors—like beta-carotene in sweet potatoes or lycopene in tomatoes—help you fight cancer.

Plant foods also contain fiber, which helps remove excess hormones that could lead to breast and prostate cancer. Fiber also quickly removes waste from the digestive system, which helps prevent colorectal cancer.

Avoiding meat and dairy products allows you to sidestep potential risks. Grilling meat—including chicken and fish—produces carcinogens. Red and processed meats—like bacon and hot dogs—contain harmful substances that lead to colorectal cancer. Dairy products have been linked to prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers.

In this class we will learn some evidence-based nutrition related to cancer and then move to the kitchen. There your instructor, Dilip Barman, will prepare several healthy cancer-fighting / cancer-preventing whole food plant-based vegan dishes. You will get to sample each of them and go home with recipes and other resources.

The Sancar Center is easy to find at 1609 E. Franklin Street very close to Whole Foods Market on the opposite side of the street. If coming from route 40 via 15/501 South, go less than 2 miles then bear right to get on E. Franklin Street. In about a half mile you will come to S. Elliott Road and Whole Foods on your left; the Sancar Center is just ahead on the right about 1/10 of a mile. From UNC, take E. Franklin Street about 2 1/2 miles. After passing Estes Drive and then the Siena Hotel on your left, you will see the Sancar Center just ahead on your left.