Cathy Wolz
Preventing breast cancer and its recurrence means eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight, researchers advise. But that doesn’t mean you have to live on celery. Our Health-e-Recipe for Cheesy Eggplant Casserole is a satisfying yet low-calorie version of an Italian favorite.
Eggplants and mushrooms both have a texture that is dense enough to substitute well for meat. In this dish, they are combined with scallions and onions, bell pepper, garlic and tomatoes—the healthy ingredients of many delicious Italian dishes.
All of these vegetables contain phytochemicals and the tomatoes contribute vitamin C and antioxidant lycopene. This phytochemical may protect against prostate cancer and is now being studied for possible breast cancer protection as well.
The best part, however, is that the many protective compounds we get from eating a mix of different vegetables reinforce each other’s anti-cancer benefits, according to AICR/WCRF’s report and its updates.
Cheese supplies protein and calcium in this dish. Since the vegetables have so few calories, it’s possible to use moderate amounts of low-fat versions of cottage cheese and mozzarella. Enjoy this hearty, delicious dish as part of a cancer-fighting diet during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Find more cancer-preventive recipes at the AICR Test Kitchen. Subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipes.
