CLASS TIME

At the last class, held in late February, Doyle prepared a quinoa and lentil stew and a salad with fresh beets and various nuts for a group of about 20 students. She lined the front of the demonstration table with important ingredients for both these dishes and everyday use: quinoa, ume plum vinegar, hemp seeds, raw blue agave, goji berries, and brown rice syrup. These aren’t the typical American pantry items right now, but Doyle hopes they soon will be. In fact, she promotes a complete overhaul of what her students know about nutrition, including her “new four food groups” – fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

But what about meat and dairy? Skip ‘em, Doyle tells students, many of whom have never tried a vegetarian diet. She said animal products are among the most dangerous foods in the fight against cancer. In addition to their high fat content and lack of fiber, she pointed to research showing growth hormones in both meat and dairy products that, while usually used to promote healthy cell growth, can also promote cancer cell growth if even a single cancer cell is present inside the body.

THE CANCER DIET CHALLENGE

But following a diet like this is easier said than done, especially for those currently battling cancer. Students like Kharami Sunato, 33, who now eats a mostly raw diet, said he could hardly stomach healthy foods when he was undergoing chemotherapy for bone cancer at age 22. "Just looking at a fruit or vegetable would make me vomit," said Sunato, who opted for pizza and hamburgers instead.

Doyle agrees this challenge is among the toughest she faces. She once cooked for a family with a 10-year-old cancer patient who refused to eat anything but pizza and ice cream. She tried to convince him to eat the food she prepared, but she didn’t to stop him from eating the foods he craved in order to preserve his happiness. "It's really hard for me," she said. "But sometimes your mind is more powerful than your body."

THE DETAILS

Doyle sets up her own classes in the area, but the basic curriculum and funding comes from the Cancer Project, a group of nutritionists and physicians based out of Washington, DC. Started in 1991, the project was under the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, but in 2004, the Cancer Project separated to become an independent non-profit organization. According to Edith Sodolo, the group's spokesperson, the split was an effort in branding to make the group's mission clear. While their parent organization has no qualms speaking out against animal testing and cruelty, the Cancer Project wanted to run a single message campaign: plant-based diets help prevent and cure cancer.

However, abstinence from meat and dairy hardly begins to describe the diet the Cancer Project recommends—their manual and cookbook, which students can borrow for free or purchase for 20 dollars, doesn't include Boca burgers or Tofutti cream cheese. In fact, Doyle doesn't recommend eating soy products at all. "Soy contains estrogen that can act much like the growth hormones found in meat and dairy," she said.

She also advises against eating peanuts, which are susceptible to a known carcinogenic mold—as detailed in T. Colin Campbell's book The China Study (Benbella Books, 2005)—and encourages chewing each bite of food least 50 times, which she says enhances nutrient absorption. Other facts and tips get mixed in throughout the classes: Don't sauté with oil, use water instead; buy Eden Organics beans because they include trace amounts of seaweed to aide digestion; and most importantly, that taste buds take up to three weeks to adjust to a new diet of any kind. "Don't cheat! Even one bite of non-fat organic yoghurt will set you back," she said. "Just give it three weeks or your taste buds will never really adjust."

With Doyle’s endearing and personable demeanor, her extensive experience in holistic and traditional healthcare, and the delicious food provided after each course, her classes have been growing fast. And although the course is designed for cancer survivors and patients, the Cancer Project encourages anyone who is interested in building a healthy lifestyle to attend.

Some ask for a small donation, but most of the classes are free and require registration in advance through www.cancerproject.org. To learn more about Kristin Doyle and her personal chef offerings, visit www.therapeuticchef.com.