Why good food is the best tonic for chemotherapy patients

Penny Ericson has written two cookbooks specifically designed with people undergoing cancer treatment in mind. Here she tells us what motivates her, and how good food can fight cancer.

Inspired by Simon 

I was delighted when pharmaceutical company Eisai, a world leader in the research and development of life-saving cancer drugs, asked me to write a new cookery book, Around the Kitchen Table, with special consideration for breast cancer patients.

I was inspired to write a previous cookery book, Chemo Cookery Club, when I met my husband Simon. He was recovering from his first operation for colon cancer, and on his first tour of chemotherapy. He looked a mess but had a great sense of humour.

He proudly told me that the iron in Guinness was good for fighting anemia; that it took 47 minutes to poach an egg; and that baked beans and Cornish pasties constituted a ‘balanced diet’. It was clear that he needed taking in hand, and I can’t resist anyone who needs feeding.

Nourishing and preventative

We were soon caught in the tricky cycle of keeping Simon motivated and strong during treatment. Like most people, I assumed there would be a plethora of well-researched cookery books available with accurate nutritional information about simple things, such as alternatives to Guinness as a source of iron. But instead all I found was a lot of confusing and often contradictory (but well-intended) opinions, including ingredients that weren’t a typical part of a family larder. So I decided to write something myself.

Around the Kitchen Table and Chemo Cookery Club are about preparing everyday meals using everyday ingredients, tools and methods, with special consideration given to enhancing flavours that combat symptoms such as ‘metal or plastic mouth’.

The books also highlight foods known to be helpful and, in some cases, preventative, as set out in the global research and policies of the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Each recipe includes a specially designed ‘thumbs-up’ nutritional analysis, which illustrates the nutritional value of the dish at a glance, designed by Barbara Parry MSc RD, a specialist breast cancer dietician for nearly 20 years.

Get it for free

In the UK, Eisai has distributed Around the Kitchen Table to Maggie’s Centres so they in turn can offer them to their visitors. The book’s title was inspired by Maggie’s central ethos of cancer patients, their carers and families meeting together around a table for support, guidance and in many instances much needed comfort. I’m thrilled to have written a book that is going directly into the hands of the people that need it, and hope it lifts the spirits and tingles the tastebuds of many.

If you don’t have a Maggie’s near you and are interested in Around the Kitchen Table, you can go to www.chemocookeryclub.com to download the eBook for free, or request that we send you a copy in the post. My first book, Chemo Cookery Club, is available to purchase on Amazon, or at good booksellers.

Here’s a favourite recipe for one of the comfort dishes I created to get enriched nutrition into Simon when he was feeling his worst. It’s called Simon’s Pie (sort of a posh shepherd’s pie really) and it's pictured in the main image at the top of this feature - and to the left is its corresponding 'thumbs up' nutritional guide. It freezes easily and can be served in small portions. I recommend it with a Greek salad. 

Simon's Pie recipe

Each portion provides 77g protein and 1080kcals

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