Prostate Cancer
Cooking for Cancer Renowned Canadian chef, Vikram Vij, stirs up ways to help prostate cancer patients improve their health.
Mediaplanet sat down with culinary kingpin, Vikram Vij, to find out how he combined his love for food with his zest for life to empower prostate cancer patients with the knowledge to make healthier nutritional decisions.
Mediaplanet In May you led a cooking class for prostate cancer patients and their partners. Tell us more about what inspired you to do this.
Vikram Vij My father has recently gone through this journey, and along with the rest of our family, he is a strong advocate for using healthy ingredients to cope with, and in some cases cure, a variety of ailments and diseases. So many spices used in In- dian cooking have healing properties — turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and cumin. Many people think you eat hot spices to deal with a cold or flu, however there are many other ways to treat different conditions with certain spices that have medicinal values.
MP What were you hoping to accomplish by leading these cooking classes?
VV When I was asked to participate I said “yes” because I wanted to help anyone going through this journey to enjoy their life and to enjoy their food — those two things go hand in hand for me. As well as having an opportunity to meet these survivors and share some great information about the healing properties of Indian spices, I wanted them to be able to cook a really delicious meal that we’ve been enjoying for generations in my own family.
MP How has your outlook on life been influenced by prostate cancer?
VV Seeing as my father has recently gone through prostate cancer treatment, it’s been a personal journey. As a man, and now a son of a prostate cancer survivor, I want to ensure my health for as long as I can. For me, that includes living well and eating well.
“I wanted to help anyone going through this journey to enjoy their life and to enjoy their food.”
MP One of the many challenges facing cancer survivors is ensuring they are eating nutritious meals. What are some tips to help encourage healthy eating?
VV I am always an advocate of buying and eating local — it’s what we practise in our restaurants and it’s what we do for our frozen foods as well. If you buy and eat local, then you should be ensuring freshness, and that’s what feeds our cells, our brains, and our lives. You need fresh ingredients to keep every part of your body regenerating and staying healthy and, on top of that, we are supporting our local farmers, store owners, and businesses. As a local business owner myself, I always want to encourage that!
MP What foods do you advocate for when cooking for prostate cancer patients?
VV We discussed alternative ingredients with the class, because some patients can’t manage cream, salt, and dairy — so lowering the amount of salt and using yogourt instead of cream is what we did with the chicken curry recipe that day. Also, Indian cooking is often vegetarian. That’s always an option — instead of adding meat to your masala or sauce, just use zucchini, red peppers, eggplant, mushrooms or really anything that’s in season.