With the holidays coming up we know that you want to enjoy your winter season with delicious snacks. For those that have been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment this well-known snack season may not be as fulfilling for their stomachs as they would like. Nausea is one of the biggest side effects to treatment that have patients unable to enjoy many things that the rest of us take for granted.
Nausea can be caused by a variety of different things, from the treatments themselves like chemo or radiation, medicine, the cancer itself or other bodily imbalances. Symptoms that arise from treatment or medication usually stop once treatment is over, however there are some recipes and foods that can combat nausea. A great tip for those that have just started treatment is to keep a variety of small snacks nearby that have been made with these key ingredients to ease any discomfort.
Some items to keep stocked in your kitchen if you or someone you love is undergoing treatment:
Ginger – ginger is one of the oldest treatments for nausea and has been used all over the world for centuries
Lemons – lemons are great and can be ingested a variety of different ways by either using them in foods, eating the lemon by itself or placing them in drinks like teas or water
Chilled foods – nausea is controlled by the central nervous system and studies have proven that food temperature has an effect on nausea
Salty pretzels and crackers – eating these snacks throughout the day can help fight nausea. The tip is to remember to eat them dry.
Below is a recipe for lemon cornmeal cookies that are sure to enchant the whole family this holiday season. They combine a lot of these nausea fighting ingredients to help settle any stomach and are a treat that you can break out for everyone.
Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serving size: 3 dozen
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through ground ginger); stir with a whisk. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Scrape sides of the bowl occasionally. Add egg; beat well. Beat in grated lemon rind. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat at medium-low speed just until blended.
Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons batter 2 inches apart onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned and almost firm. Remove from oven. Cool on pans for 2 minutes or until firm. Remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.