Recipe Ideas

Understanding your nutritional needs is an important element of living with Pancreatic Cancer. Weight loss is often an issue that many patients are faced with; having trouble maintaining or gaining back lost weight. Ensuring that you have the support of a nutritionist will assist you with important nutritional information.

PANCAN is also a valuable resource, although American it has many suggestions for patients and families and nutritional needs. You can use the following link for there suggestions on diet.

www.pancan.org

Diet Tips

Beverages: Milk, if tolerated. Lactose-reduced milk such as Lactaid. Coffee or tea. Sugar-free carbonated beverages, if tolerated. Unsweetened iced tea and fruit drinks. AVOID: Chocolate milk, condensed milk, milk shakes. Carbonated beverages containing sugar. Alcohol.

Breads: Whole grain or enriched breads, bagels, rolls, English muffins and crackers. AVOID: Breads made with dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Pastries, doughnuts and muffins.

Cereals: Unsweetened dry or cooked cereals. AVOID: Sugar-coated cereals. Hot cereals with added brown sugar or syrup. Coarse cereals (e.g. bran).

Desserts: Sugar-free frozen yogurt, puddings, custards, if tolerated. Plain cakes and cookies. Sugar-free gelatin (jello or jelly) between meals only. AVOID: All desserts made with chocolate, nuts or dried fruit. Sweetened gelatin. Ice cream, ice milk, regular frozen yogurt.

Eggs: Boiled, poached or scrambled. AVOID: Fried eggs.

Fats: Margarine, butter, vegetable oils. Salad dressings, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese. Have all fats in moderation. AVOID: none.

Fruits: Fresh or unsweetened canned fruits and fruit juices. Fruit juice between meals only, and limited to half/cup a serving. AVOID: Sweetened fresh, canned and frozen fruits; dried fruits. Sweetened fruit juices.

Meat, Fish, Poultry, Cheese, Nuts, Dry Beans and peas: Lean tender meats, poultry, fish and shellfish, Eggs. Peanut butter. Cooked dry beans and peas. Mild cheeses, if tolerated. Plain or sugar-free yogurt, if tolerated. AVOID: Fried or highly seasoned meat, poultry, fish. Glazed ham. Those with sweet toppings and sauces, such as sweet and sour sauce. Sugar-sweetened yogurt. Nuts.

Potatoes, rice, barley, pasta. AVOID: Candied yams. Those with sweet toppings or sauces.

Soups: Any made from allowed foods. Spicy soups as tolerated. Between meals only. AVOID: Sweetened fruit soups. Soups made with heavy cream or high-fat ingredients.

Sweets: Sugar substitutes and items prepared with them in place of sugar. Sugar-free jam, jelly and syrup. AVOID: Honey, sugar, syrup, jams and jellies.

Vegetables: Cooked (fresh, frozen, canned) vegetables. Raw veg as tolerated. Vegetable juices between meals only. AVOID: Those prepared with added sugar or sweet toppings or sauces.

Protein Drinks: Scandishake (ScandiCal 1- 800 - 472-2634) This is a calorie rich shake mix that many patients have recommended. It is designed to assist patients in gaining back or maintaining weight. It comes in vanilla, strawberry or chocolate flavors and you can order free samples by calling the above number, or click on www.axcan.com Prosure is another shake that is specially formulated for cancer patients. www.prosure.com

Miscellaneous: Salt in moderation. Mildly flavored sauces and gravies. Strongly flavored seasonings, spices and condiments as tolerated. AVOID: Sweet sauces and toppings. To identify sugar, look for anything ending in 'ose.'

Smoothie Making Made Easy

1. If your mouth is sore, skip the fruit that contains small seeds, such as berries. These tiny seeds can irritate a sore mouth. Instead add in another fruit such as a banana, peach, nectarine, or pear. Also, skip the flax seeds if your mouth is sore.

2. NEVER use raw eggs in a smoothie.

3. Thoroughly wash all raw fruits and vegetables before using them in a smoothie. If your white blood cell count is low (you are immune-compromised), be sure to check with your medical care team that it is OK to eat raw fruits and vegetables.

4. Prepare ingredients and place in the blender.

5. Blend ingredients together to desired consistency, adding additional liquid if needed. Depending on the 'strength' of your blender, you may need more or less liquid to make the mixture blend.

6. You can use frozen fruit instead of fresh. This will make a thicker smoothie.

7. For tofu, try a brand such as Mori-Nu. This type of tofu, which is sealed in rectangular, 12-ounce boxes, does not need to be refrigerated until it is opened. Look for it on the regular store shelf, possibly in the 'health food' aisle of your grocery store. Do refrigerate any left over portion of tofu after you open it at home.

8. If you can't finish your smoothie, store unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer. Re-blend later that same day to enjoy the rest of your smoothie (Do not store in the refrigerator for more than a day).

9. In any of these recipes, use whichever liquid you like. Try soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, other grain milk, or regular non-fat milk. Vigor Aid and Balance are two fortified soy based 'milks' to try. Liquid supplements such as Ensure or Boost prosure (vanilla) can be used as well.

Note: Calorie and protein values are approximate and vary slightly, depending on which liquid base you use.

Banana Oatie 1/3 to 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, chilled 1 banana (frozen if thicker smoothie is desired) 1 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) 1 tablespoon wheat germ 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (425 calories; 16g protein; 4g fat)

Raspberry Smoothie Delight 1/2 cup cooked, cooled white or brown rice 1 ripe banana 1 cup frozen raspberries 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1/2 cup plain low fat organic yogurt or soy yogurt 1/2 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) (669 calories; 18g protein; 8g fat)

Bursting Blueberries 1/2 package tofu (see #7. above, under 'Smoothie Making Made Easy'; this is about 6 oz of tofu) 1 banana 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 1 tablespoon canola, almond, or avocado oil 1 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) (470 calories; 23g protein; 22g fat)

Pineapple Power Shake 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup lowfat organic cottage cheese 1/2 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) (306 calories; 20g protein; 2g fat)

Berry Blast Shake 1/2 cup uncooked oats 1 banana 8 strawberries (fresh or frozen) 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 cup frozen mixed berries (any type) 1 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) (649 calories; 21g protein; 13g fat)

Super Smoothie 1 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) 1/2 cup lowfat plain organic yogurt or soy yogurt 2 tablespoons protein powder (any type) 1 tablespoon almond butter 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 tablespoon canola, almond, or avocado oil 1 banana (684 calories; 33g protein; 29g fat)

'Pina Colada' Power Smoothie 1 cup coconut/pineapple nectar 1 cup milk, soy milk or ensure 1 banana 1/4 cup frozen strawberries 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 tablespoon protein powder (any type) (419 calories; 19g protein; 6g fat)

Cinna-Peach Smoothie 1 cup diced peaches (fresh or frozen) 1/2 cup lowfat plain organic yogurt 1/2 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) 1 tablespoon honey, pinch of cinnamon (260 calories, 12g protein; 2g fat)

Tasty Tropical Delight 2 ripe bananas 1/2 cup diced peaches (fresh or frozen) 1 cup mango, guava, or papaya nectar 1/2 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) 4 ice cubes (485 calories; 9g protein; 3g fat)

Banana-Apple Shake 1 banana 1/2 cup lowfat plain organic yogurt 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup liquid base (milk, soy milk, Ensure, etc.) 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon oat bran 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (424 calories; 16g protein; 7g fat)

For variety from the typical fruity smoothie, try this high protein jello and these two thicker, 'puddings'. You can whip them up in a hurry!

High Protein Jello 3 ounce package of gelatin (any flavor) 2 cups of water (as per package directions) 1/3 cup dried egg whites

Follow the directions on the package for making jello. Add dried egg whites to warm gelatin mixture. Just Whites is one brand of powdered egg whites found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. Stir gently for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. A whisk works well for stirring. Place in fridge to gel. Makes four 1/2 cup servings. (109 calories; 9 g protein; 0.5 grams fat)

Pumpkin Pie Pudding 1 cup cooked pumpkin (canned is easy & convenient) 2 tsp canola, almond, or avocado oil 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp lemon juice 1 cup apricot nectar (270 calories; 3g protein; 9g fat)

Sweet Potato Power 1 medium sized baked, then cooled sweet potato 1 1/2 cups apricot nectar 1/2 package tofu (see #7. above, under 'Smoothie Making Made Easy'; this is about 6 oz of tofu) pure maple syrup or honey to taste (450 calories; 9g protein; 4g fat)

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