Recipe for Recovery
As a tea or soup base, this nutrient-rich broth offers healing benefits for cancer survivors.
"Chemotherapy saps your strength through dehydration, pulling vital nutrients out of your system," writes author Rebecca Katz in One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends (Celestial Arts, 2004). One of her most versatile recipes is for Magic Mineral Broth, which can be served as a sipping tea or used as a base for soups and stews. Rich in magnesium, potassium, and sodium, it's meant to replenish the body, "getting you back in shape for the days to come," says Katz.
Cut the following four ingredients into large chunks:
6 unpeeled carrots
2 unpeeled medium yellow onions
1 leek, both white and green parts
1 bunch celery, including the heart
4 unpeeled garlic cloves, halved
½ bunch flat leaf Italian parsley
4 medium red potatoes, quartered with skins on
2 Japanese yams or 2 sweet potatoes, quartered with skins on
1 garnet yam, quartered with skin on
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 (6-inch-by-1-inch) strip of kombu
2 bay leaves
12 peppercorns
4 whole allspice or juniper berries
Magic Mineral Broth from One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends (Celestial Arts, 2004) by Rebecca Katz, used with permission by the author.
Ingredients
Cut the following four ingredients into large chunks:
6 unpeeled carrots
2 unpeeled medium yellow onions
1 leek, both white and green parts
1 bunch celery, including the heart
4 unpeeled garlic cloves, halved
½ bunch flat leaf Italian parsley
4 medium red potatoes, quartered with skins on
2 Japanese yams or 2 sweet potatoes, quartered with skins on
1 garnet yam, quartered with skin on
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 (6-inch-by-1-inch) strip of kombu
2 bay leaves
12 peppercorns
4 whole allspice or juniper berries
In a 12-quart stockpot, combine all ingredients. Fill pot to two inches below the rim with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Remove lid, decrease heat to low, and simmer a minimum of two hours. As the stock simmers, some water will evaporate; add more if vegetables begin to peek out. Simmer until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted. Strain stock using a large-mesh strainer (place a heat-resistant container underneath). Bring to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
For more on breast health and ways support a friend or family member undergoing cancer treatment, see the October 2007 issue of Natural Health.
Also be sure to check out our sister publication's website, shape.com for more information on breast cancer.
Read more Healthy Eating articles.
