Every time I open a meal from Ceres, I realize I would not be eating at all if it were not for your help.

Dear Friends,

In just over five years, and with the help of hundreds of volunteers, donors and community partners, Ceres Community Project has served more than 110,000 nourishing, delicious, free meals to clients and their families.  Hundreds of teens have learned to grow, cook and enjoy healthy foods, and experienced their power to make a difference in their community.  

Thanks to our new kitchen, Ceres is expanding and currently has room for more clients. Our goal for 2012 is to grow from serving 50 client families each week to serving 70, with delivery of at least 40,000 meals.

You can help. Please spread the word to people who are dealing with a serious illness that Ceres is a resource meant for them. Our clients tell us that it's hard to receive and many of them resisted contacting Ceres thinking "someone else needs this more than I do" or "I can get through this on my own."

Please remind them that the support of community is healing and that by becoming a client at Ceres, they also give our young people a chance to learn, to grow, and to discover their capacity to contribute.

It's estimated that 80% of cancer patients end up malnourished due to the effects of treatment on appetite. Being malnourished increases side effects, reduces treatment effectiveness and makes recovery longer. Having the kind of wholesome, delicious and nutrient rich prepared meals that Ceres delivers can make a huge difference.

Each week I receive some of the most beautiful and healthy food. I call this sustenance for the soul.

It's easy to get started. Potential clients can call Ceres Community Project at 829-5833 ext. 201 or email clients@ceresproject.org. Our Client Manager will be in touch within 24 hours.

I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter. As always, we welcome your feedback.  

Thank you for being a part of the Ceres Community.

Our teens are an amazingly talented and dedicated group. Mikaela Dibble-Kahn and Sonya Dexter recently shared with us a video they made about Ceres. 

When asked about their motivation, Sonya shared:

Mikaela and I are taking a film class at Analy. Our last assignment of the year was to create a commercial. While we were brainstorming ideas, we thought that instead of doing a normal commercial, why don't we create a type of public service announcement for the Ceres Project. Ceres means so much to us and we thought it might be a good way to give back. With our video we really wanted to show the process of the raw produce coming into the kitchen and then the delicious meals coming out. We also really wanted to capture the sense of community that is a part of the project.  

Kudos to Sonya and Mikaela on a job well done!

Click here to watch their terrific video. 

Food is the foundation of health, hence the collaboration between West County Health Services (WCHS) and Ceres Community Project's Education Program is natural. Last summer WCHS physician Gary Pace and Ceres' Nutrition Director JoEllen DeNicola explored the possibility of bringing Ceres' Healing Foods Cooking Courses to the new Forestville Wellness Center in order to provide WCHS' low-income patients with nutritional strategies for eating a whole food diet that supports health.

A successful pilot program began in the fall of 2011. This year the Nutrition for Wellness classes are offered biweekly and are taught by Ceres' volunteer team of Nutrition Educators and Consultants: Julie Halpin, NC; Irema Sivcevic, NE; Jaque Lefler, NE; Kathy Emmer, NC; Mary Sheila Gonella, NC; and Tess Danaher NE. Participants learn basic, practical nutrition and cooking skills, and also attend more targeted classes as appropriate on range of subjects such as eating to manage blood sugar, and incorporating  anti-inflammatory foods and herbs into their diet. 

Dr. Pace noted that some patients have really turned their health around after understanding how to manage their diet. Everyone at WCHS is thrilled to offer this new resource to their patients who are interested in making nutritional changes but don't necessarily have many resources. Dr. Pace reports that those patients taking classes have a sense that they can help themselves and that the community is there to support them in making health-affirming changes.

Enrolling in the courses is free and simple. If you are a patient at WCHS and want to take one of the Nutrition for Wellness classes, please ask your personal physician to enroll you.

JoEllen DeNicola, NE and Deanne Luzaich, NC

        Phytonutrients are potent plant compounds that aid and support human health. They are found in fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes. The USDA does not categorize them as essential nutrients, however phytonutrients can promote physical health and are known to effect diseases like heart disease and cancer.

         Some of Ceres Project's favorite sources of phytonutrients are cruciferous vegetables. The cruciferous family, also called Brassicas, is made up of arugula, broccoli, broccolini, broccoflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, radishes, rutabaga, mustard and turnip greens, and turnips.

         Kale, one of the most nutritious vegetables, contains lutein, which has anticancer benefits and helps prevent age-related macular degeneration. It's also a good source of Zeaxanthin, which is beneficial to eye health, and beta-carotene, an important provitamin antioxidant compound (Murray 211). Another phytonutrient, indole-3-carbinol, may protect against colon cancer (Wood 185).

         Broccoli is a good source of sulphoraphane and indole-3-carbinol, which help us excrete the form of estrogen linked to breast cancer. Broccoli sprouts contain 30-50 times more of these beneficial compounds than the vegetable itself. Indole-3-carbinol is protective for both breast and prostate cancers, aids liver detoxification, and decreases Human Papillomavirus growth. Eat your broccoli!

         Cabbage contains the amino acid glutamine, which is very beneficial for growth and regeneration of gastrointestinal tract cells. Fresh cabbage juice has been used to successfully treat ulcers and was once known as "Vitamin U". Cabbage is excellent in soups and salads, and as raw sauerkraut it adds beneficial probiotics to the diet.

        When these vegetables are abundant in the diet, many phytonutrients that lower rates of colon, breast, prostate and lung cancers are provided (Murray 177). Those with thyroid concerns should note that eating raw cruciferous vegetables can interfere with thyroid function if there is also an iodine deficiency. Iodine is found in kelp and seaweeds, seafood, iodized salt and supplements (Murray 179, 183).

       The protective value of phytonutrients reinforces the need for us to increase our consumption of plant-based foods to compose at least two-thirds of our meals. Enjoy each bite as you realize you are eating for health.

References: 

 Murray, Michael. Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

Wood, Rebecca. The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia

Click here for this month's recipe.  

Mentor Chefs have production cooking experience and should enjoy working with teens. Read on for more information about volunteering at Ceres.