Making The Magic Mineral Broth 

Rebecca Katz's Magic Mineral Broth provides nutrients most recipes for cancer cooking leave out. Most people focus on carbohydrates and protein and leave out minerals. Electrolyte minerals are critical in cancer recovery because they help cells normalize their responses to and uses of glucose. 

Katz's broth recipe isn't so "magical" that it actually kills cancer, but it does provide all the minerals the body needs to function normally, in a form that is easy to prepare, easy to consume, and just tasty enough to be pleasant without creating food associations should side effects of treatment erupt just after it is eaten.

Here's how to make the broth:

• Use thoroughly washed but unpeeled vegetables of all kinds. Much of the mineral content of vegetables is in the peel--but you don't need the mineral content of the soil they grew in.
• Use a variety of vegetables, the more the better. As mentioned earlier in this article, variety increases appetite. Make sure to include some sweet vegetables, such as diced carrots or sweet potatoes. Make sure to include a salty vegetable, such as celery sticks. Include something green, such as parsley or spinach. Don't leave out pungent vegetables, such as leeks, garlic, and onion, all three are fine in the same broth. Use a long (8 inch/20 cm) strip of dried kombu seaweed to provide a meaty flavor without the meat. And season with peppercorns, juniper berries, allspice, and sea salt, sea salt providing more flavor than regular table salt. Just about any vegetable is OK in the mix, but make sure you have all the taste elements included.
• Place all the vegetables and seasonings in a large stockpot, typically 12 quarts (12 liters). Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat so that the veggies and spices simmer for at least two hours.
• Press the thoroughly boiled vegetables through a sieve with a heat-proof container beneath to collect the broth. The broth should be a clear liquid without bits and pieces of vegetables (which could cause mouth irritation) floating in it. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing. Refrigerated broth keeps up to 5 days in an enclosed container. Frozen broth keeps up to two months.

See Also: Cooking For Cancer Treatment: Making Food Taste Good When Everything Tastes Awful

Slowly cooked veggies and herbs release chemicals that form new compounds in hot water, and some of these compounds stimulate the immune system, particularly the neutrophils that "zap" infections.

Rebecca Katz's broth is refreshing and nutritious. It is not a substitute for the carbohydrates, protein, and fat that a cancer fighting diet has to provide, but it is a great pick me up for rough days when eating isn't easy. Everyone who cooks for cancer patients should have a copy of her book, The Cancer Fighting Kitchen, published by Ten Speed Press (2010).