Freshly shaken by a cancer diagnosis at the age of 27 and before beginning chemotherapy, Kendall Scott asked her doctor if there were any foods she should seek out or avoid to aid her recovery.

“I was told there was really nothing I could do,” Scott writes in the recently released book “Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen: The Girlfriend’s Cookbook and Guide to Using Real Food to Fight Cancer.”

She continues: “I didn’t know then what I know now, but what I did know was that this doctor was wrong with a capital ‘W.’

Scott, who lives in Durham, co-wrote the approachable and informative book with Annette Ramke of Philadelphia.

They share a similar experience of being young women diagnosed with cancer who found relief, strength and healing by pairing conventional treatments with a diet filled with the most nutrient-dense foods.

“When we were both going through the cancer experience, we were so busy trying to find this information ourselves and find support, it was very overwhelming,” Scott told me last week as the book hit store shelves. “We found there was nothing else out there that was written by someone who’s gone through cancer and has sound nutritional information and recipes.”

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This prompted the pair to write the book they wished they’d had when slogging through cancer treatment themselves.

The first half of the book discusses each woman’s cancer story and then delves into an extensive exploration of health-promoting foods and specific strategies for eating during cancer treatment. The second half of the book offers more than 100 recipes.

These recipes include dishes such as tempeh hash over collards; baby bok choy with shiitakes, pumpkin seeds and gojis; quinoa with pears and maple vinaigrette; walnut meat-less balls; marvelous miso soup; and green tea-mango sorbet.

“We really wanted to keep them simple and easy to make,” Scott said. “We didn’t want people who were going through treatment to feel like they had to prepare a gourmet meal.”

In the book, the pair write that they’ve deliberately avoided a label for the dietary style they advocate in the book.

“But if you must label our approach in this book, you could call it flexitarian, with a focus on plant-based, whole foods,” Scott and Ramke write.

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They go on to say that while the recipes aren’t exclusively vegan (a handful call for eggs or honey), “we do strive toward and encourage the reduction and omission of animal foods.” All the recipes are vegetarian.

“Not everyone is going to have the exact same needs in their diets all the time,” Scott said. “(So) you can be flexible with it. And listen to your diet. Maybe you do need a little bit of animal protein. (When going through chemotherapy) I found when I had a little bit of eggs, chicken or red meat that felt good for me. But if I had too much that wasn’t good.”

Scott and Ramke gained their nutritional know-how at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Both studied there after facing down cancer and now each offers holistic health coaching services.

“Before my cancer diagnosis, I thought I was eating well,” Scott said. “I was eating take-out, pizza and a lot of animal protein. But I thought if I added a salad to this meal that’s eating healthy. But there’s so much more to it. I didn’t get it.”

As she discovered the research linking diet and cancer and began to center her meals around whole foods and plants, Scott realized eating this way shortened her recovery time from chemotherapy sessions and filled her with more energy.

“I felt stronger and had more energy,” Scott said. “Mentally and emotionally I felt lighter and happier and better about myself.”

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Scott and Ramke hope the book will enable many more people making their way through cancer treatment and recovery to feel the same.

BOOK SIGNINGS AND EVENTS WITH KENDALL SCOTT
• Book signing, 7 p.m. Oct. 17, Longfellow Books, 1 Monument Square, Portland
• Smoothie class, 11 a.m. to noon, Nov. 17, Cancer Community Center, 778 Main St., South Portland, free, call 774-2200 to register
• Book signing, noon to 1 p.m. Nov. 17, Cancer Community Center, 778 Main St., South Portland
• Book signing, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dec. 1, Maine Coast Book Shop, 158 Main St., Damariscotta
 

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila

 


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