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Healthy food for chemo patients

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Nutritious, satisfying, delicious, and easy on the mouth

Two common problems that chemotherapy patients often face are inadequate protein intake and low hematocrit scores (blood iron levels). One way to address those problems is to eat hearty beef stock from 100% grass fed beef, free of added hormones. 

A typical side effect of chemotherapy consists of painful sores in and around the mouth making it difficult to chew and swallow. Broth is tasty and satisfying, yet easy to ingest.

An easy way to get the protein and iron you so critically need

Along with many other important nutrients

Thankfully we don't have anyone in our immediate family who has had to undergo cancer treatment, but we've known plenty of people in our circle of association; friends and colleagues, who have undergone difficult cancer treatments, and survived. A common course of treatment for the cancer patient is chemotherapy.

Often the chemo patient develops sores in and around the mouth, making it extremely painful to chew or swallow, and therefore difficult to ingest protein, which can then perpetuate the cycle of depletion and deterioration. One woman I know of said that at one point all she could eat during her chemo treatment was applesauce. A recovering cancer patient, undergoing chemo needs far more nutritional support than just applesauce.

Homemade, high quality soup stock made from 100% grass fed beef bones or roasts offers an easy and wholesome manner in which to obtain protein, iron, and numerous other important nutrients without the need to chew and aggravate chemo-induced mouth sores.

Volumes of research indicate that clean, grass fed and grass finished beef, free of added hormones can play an important role in the prevention and management of debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. More and more doctors are recommending that their patients eat clean, grass fed beef.

Other studies have indicated that good, old-fashioned stock made from bones, cartilage, and connective tissue has many great properties and nutrients, which help heal the core and aid digestive problems, as well as arthritis and joint problems.

Quick and easy beef stock recipe

For chemo patients don't add salt!

Follow the directions below and you can have savory, nutritious grass fed beef bone broth in no time. This recipe is for chemo patients and contains no salt. As the patient heals, a little salt can be added as tolerated, but make sure it's sea salt with all of its many minerals and electrolytes that aren't contained in commercial sodium chloride.
  • Oven-roast 2 - 3 pounds of soup bones from 100% grass fed beef, free of added hormones and antibiotics. Roast bones at 350 degrees F, for approximately one hour, or until meat on bones is mostly done.
  • While bones are roasting, fill 12 quart stock pot 3/4 full, and bring to a full boil.
  • When meat on bones is mostly done, place bones in boiling water. Add the fat and drippings from the pan the bones were cooked in.
  • Add 1/4 Cup Apple cider vinegar to leach the minerals out of the bones and make them available for your bones and joints
  • Add 2 whole, peeled onions. (White, yellow, or red - your preference).
  • Add at least 5 cleaned, whole celery stocks, with leaves on. Add more if desired
  • Add 5 small, whole, peeled garlic cloves
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
  • Let boil at hard boil for about 15 minutes, then turn down to simmer
  • Let Simmer for 2 - 3 hours
  • Remove from heat and strain through a colander or strainer, serve warm to the patient

General instructions

Gradually introduce meat and vegetables that have been run through the blender

In order to make it as easy as possible on the mouth, use a strained broth to start out with. If the patient feels up to it after trying the thin broth, add a little bit of blended meat and cooked vegetable mixture.

With chemo patients, you want to be careful not to use any salt as it causes great discomfort in the mouth. The celery provides some sodium as well as potassium, but salt must be introduced carefully and slowly, with building tolerance.

As the sores heal over, more salt can be tolerated, but be absolutely sure to use clean and pure sea salt such as Celtic Sea Salt or even land-based, ancient, sea-bed salts, such as Redmond Salt from Utah. Not only do they contain sodium and chloride, but many other trace minerals that are so essential to proper functioning, such as Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, S, and others, in far higher concentrations than occurs in common table salt.

As the patient grows stronger, the mouth sores may begin to heal and he or she can begin to tolerate more solid food.

At that time, you can begin to combine cooked meat (roast or hamburger), cooked organic barley, and vegetables with a little broth, then blend them in the blender for easy consumption. Reheat with more broth.

Along with the celery, carrots, onions, and garlic; you can add, cook, and blend any of the following: Kale, cauliflower, broccoli, chard, spinach, cabbage, beet greens, leeks, or any number of vegetables, especially if they are clean and pure, and from a known source.

Beef stock for everyone's meals

Combining the chemo patient's needs with those of the whole family

While you're busy straining beef broth for the chemo patient, you may have a whole number of other family or household members who also need to eat.

With a whole family to feed, you can slow cook a bone-in roast, with water, which cooks into a lovely au jus, or broth that can be used for French dips, gravies, or soup stock

Slow cooked roast recipe:
*Oil bottom of roasting pan with olive oil

*Peel and slice 2 onions and separate onion slices into rings

*Place half of sliced onion rings on bottom of pan

*Pat small amount of pepper onto roast and place roast on onion rings (as the patient progresses you can add sea salt to the rub on the roast as tolerated).

*Place remaining onion rings on top of roast

*Fill roasting pan with water until half-way up to the top of the roast

*Place in 250 degree F oven for 9 - 12 hours

Remove from heat and serve hot with au jus, roasted potatoes, salad, and / or steamed or sautéed vegetables.

Serve the roast and au jus to your family (French dips on a baguette are wonderful), but save some of the broth for the healing chemo patient. And if they're up to it add meat, vegetables, and barley that have been run through the blender.

Other studies have indicated that good old fashioned bone broth has many healing qualities, especially for the joints and bones. You can check out Dr. David Williams' research in his monthly newsletter: Alternatives at the following link.

Dr. David Williams

Alternatives Newsletter

Dr. David Williams writes an alternative health newsletter called Alternatives, which we find very useful and informative. He researches and then writes about alternative and natural cures to the diseases that afflict humanity. We really like this newsletter, and he has great endorsements of grass fed beef.

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The amazing health benefits of soup stocks made with bone, cartilage, tendons, and other tissues

The importance of the amino acid; glycine

Dr. Davd Williams, in an article on bone broth, states that bone broth is a plentiful source of the amino acid glycine, which is important for all different manner of proper bodily function.

In his article "The Best of Broth Worlds", Dr. Williams states: "In fact, glycine is a required component of so many functions of the body that a deficiency can result in a wide and varied range of problems.

In addition to its role in the synthesis of glutathione, glycine is required for the synthesis of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin, digestive bile salts, and glucose. Its importance becomes more apparent when you look at some of today's most common health problems and what doctors a hundred years ago were experiencing with some of their patients."

Dr. Williams continues: "Over a century ago, doctors reported that one of the primary attributes of adding gelatin (made from bone broth) to the diet was an immediate improvement in digestion. Not surprisingly, it was later learned that glycine is one of the few amino acids that actually stimulates the secretion of stomach acids".

Link to source of grass fed beef

Learn more about grass fed beef

Click on the link below to access our Diamond F Brand 100% Grass Fed Beef. There you can find abundant resources to either buy beef or learn more about grass fed beef, as well as our ranch.

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http://www.grassfedandhealthy.com/

Enjoy robust vitality the grass fed way0 points

Chemo patients, if you suffer from protein and iron deficiency as well as debililating mouth sores

Try our grass fed beef stock recipes

If you are a chemotherapy patient who suffers from protein and iron deficiency, as well as debilitating mouth sores that make it next to impossible to chew food, try our bone broth (beef stock) recipe from our 100% grass fed and finished beef.

Throughout this lense, I have endeavored to provide you wtih some solutions to the problems created by your chemotherapy treatments. I hope you will take these suggestions in the spirit in which they were given, from my heart.

I don't have many photos of soup or broth, nor people undergoing chemo, so I settled for mostly ranch photos, so you can see the setting in which our 100% grass fed and finished beef is raised.

Click below to order a beef stock special just for Squidoo readers

Roasts and soup-bones, along with easy recipes

If you are a cancer or chemotherapy patient, we wish you the best in your recovery. In that spirit, we have assembled a special package of grass fed beef roasts and soup-bones, at a low price. Click the link below to read more.

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Grass fed beef: Healthy for you - Healthy for the environment

When you eat grass fed beef not only are you helping to improve your own health - you are helping to improve the health of the environment and the planet!

Some good reading about the health benefits of eating grass fed beef

Knowledge is power!

Learn for yourself the tremendous health benefits of eating grass fed beef
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Has your health or quality of life been improved by eating grass fed beef?

We'd love to hear from you

Are you a chemo patient? Have you improved your comfort level and quality of life from eating healthy wholesome food while you undergo your treatment? Let us know if you've discovered the health benefits of eating grass fed.

  • ancc10 Jan 29, 2012 @ 12:46 am | delete
    I had eight cycles of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. As a cancer patient, eating meat is a not recommended.
  • sinclair89 Dec 29, 2011 @ 2:08 am | delete
    Another good natural supplement to try is tumeric. I have heard people have success with that. Also, to maintain protein try pea protein powder as a great all natural chemical free source.
  • johnboair Dec 1, 2011 @ 12:03 pm | delete
    I don't think eating grass fed beef can improved healthy life. But here is for sure taking Aloe Vera supplement.
  • alisha66 May 10, 2011 @ 12:02 am | delete
    Cancer can only come alive and grow in a body that is lacking oxygen. The average person today, especially someone with the cancer, is walking around with a serious case of insufficient oxygen. In this condition people have to follow a proper diet plan.
    Easy recipes for cancer patients
  • missminny Apr 5, 2011 @ 5:21 am | delete
    Lots of great information here - a wonderful and helpful lens.

    Miss Minny
    http://www.squidoo.com/cancercards
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Sunrise on Christmas morning, 2007 

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My name is Cathy McNeil, and my mission is to help people regain enjoyment and health through their relationship with food. I'm fortunate enough to... more »

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