Rachel J. Wong, RD, CSO, LD.

Though COVID-19 pandemic-related grocery shortages and other restrictions are slowly easing in some parts of the country, nutrition and safety are still of the utmost importance for many patients with cancer and survivors.

That’s why we’re sharing this healthy, flavorful Mexican Bean Salad recipe, made with shelf-stable ingredients. Full of protein and fiber, this salad - courtesy of Rachel J. Wong, RD, CSO, LD., an oncology dietician from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center - can be eaten alone, in a taco, or even added to a salad for an extra boost.

After starting with a variety of beans, simply add some chopped bell pepper, corn (fresh or frozen), red onion, olive oil and seasoning, and let the salad rest for an hour for the flavors to absorb.

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can of sweet corn kernels, drained and rinsed

1) In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, corn, and red onion.

2) Prepare the dressing. Separately, In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.

3) Pour dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Articles

Oncology dietician Rachel J. Wong, RD, CSO, LD, has a shelf-stable healthy recipe for you to help you make an easy meal when it's hard to get to the grocery store during the pandemic. 

Stuck At Home Recipes: Mexican Bean Salad Recipe

With stay-at-home orders currently stretching through multiple months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with cancer and survivors may find themselves searching for food options that can stay on shelves longer to help reduce the number of trips to the grocery store.

, Rachel Wong, RD, CSO, LD., an oncology dietician from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, shared her tips on what shelf-stable pantry staples that patients and survivors can turn to for versatile options that can help break up the food routine and provide some health benefits as well.

: What are some of your favorite versatile like pantry staples that people can stock up on and not really have to worry about expiration dates?

Wong: I love dried legumes, but they can come in canned products can as well. Legumes like split peas, garbanzo beans, black eyed peas and even kidney beans are very durable. They last for a long time on the shelf and can be used in so many different applications. You can make stews; you can make salads with them. And they're just really good, nutritious food because they have high protein, they're high in fiber and have plenty of vitamins and minerals to help keep you strong. Especially for our cancer patients, legumes are really high in phytochemicals that help protect yourself, so they're really good to have. I think one thing, just a side comment is, it's great to be able to wash or rinse your legumes if they're canned, to remove the extra sodium.

Other foods that would be good are some vegetables that come canned, like tomatoes, for example. Diced tomatoes and tomato paste are really good pantry staples because you can use them to make soups and stews or make salads. There are lots of different things you can do with tomatoes.

Some other protein-rich foods include tuna fish, or canned salmon and sardines. You can even buy dried fruits, but with dried fruits I look for ‘no sugar added’ dried fruits if you can, which are usually easy to find in the health section.

And then, grains, of course. Grains are really important to have in your diet: brown rice, wild rice, or oats so you can make your breakfast oatmeal. Flour can be actually harder to find these days because everybody's trying to bake, but (it does) come in stock. They're still prepared and making flour so you can just kind of monitor your shelves (and find them in stock).

(Other grains include) barley, farro, quinoa and even breakfast cereals. Also, peanut butter, jelly, and also, people don't think about this, but shelf-stable milk, because it’s ultra-pasteurized and safe, and it doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's opened. It can be a great way to get the calcium that you need, especially if your store doesn't have fresh milk or if you're trying to really lengthen the time between grocery store visits, shelf-stable milk is something that's really good to have on hand.

For patients with cancer and survivors getting out to get the groceries becomes a tougher chore during a pandemic, but according to this oncology dietician you can find certain foods that will last on your shelf and keep you healthy.
 

Shelf-Stable Pantry Staples Patients and Survivors Can Rely On During a Pandemic

For many patients with cancer and survivors, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned regular trips to the grocery story into stressful situations. But in a recent interview with 

, one expert offered tips on how to plan ahead and make the most of a trip to the grocery store while also staying healthy.

Rachel Wong, an oncology dietitian at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, relies on meal planning and starts by taking the expiration dates of her food into consideration when plotting her grocery store visits.

“If you are able to sit down before you go out to the store and take a piece of paper and pen, or even on your phone, and just really think about what kinds of meals you want to prepare in the coming, let's say, two weeks,” Wong explained, “individuals can spend less time wandering the aisles by creating a healthy menu ahead of time.”

To find new ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet, Wong suggests starting with one fruit or vegetable in every meal — and not just as side dishes. “So that way you're not just saying ‘let's just make lasagna’. Let me think about what I can put in the lasagna, like some spinach, for example,” Wong explained. “That way, it'll help you stay healthy, and plan in a healthy way, and therefore get the right groceries you need.”

The first thing that comes into mind here is planning. If you are able to sit down before you go out to the store and take a piece of paper and pen, or even on your phone, and just really think about what kinds of meals do you want to prepare in the coming, let's say, two weeks? And that is just not just dinner meals; we're talking about breakfast and lunch and snacks that will help guide you to prepare good lists, so that way, you can be more efficient in the grocery store and you can get the foods you need, so you don't have to go back a second time or have to go back as frequently.

You want to think about fresh produce and things that go in your refrigerator, but also things that go into the pantry. Just trying to make sure that you have a balance of those nonperishable foods but also getting fresh fruits, too, because that's important to stay healthy, to get the vitamins and minerals you need. You can get them from shelf stable items like grains, but also, of course, from your fruits and vegetables, so making a list is key.

And also, more in-depth planning (is key) when you want to make your meal. So, you can think about, alright, I'm going to get a squash, which will last probably a couple of weeks from now, if you get one that's not too ripe. And I'm talking about butternut squash, for example, different from like the summer squash, which might not last as long. But those things you can put into your list so that way you can think ‘Alright, I'll make some of these foods later on. And then I'll make some of these other dishes that don't last as long, sooner’. And that can help you limit your time at the grocery store and take less trips.

But definitely back to the meal planning tips and suggestions. It's important to incorporate fruits and vegetables, of course, so make sure you put that on your grocery list and plan your meals in a way where I would suggest, you think about having a fruit or vegetable in the morning, and then maybe a vegetable in the afternoon and for dinner. That way, you're not just saying ‘let's just make lasagna’. Let me think about what I can put in the lasagna, like some spinach, for example. You can get frozen spinach, or you can use fresh or you can just prepare a side vegetable. But that way, it'll help you stay healthy, and plan in a healthy way and therefore get the right groceries you need.

And then also, just another tip to help with meal planning, is you don't have to make a new meal each time. You can repurpose your meals. For example, let's say you made a lemon chicken breast for dinner, with some rice and some asparagus. You can take the leftover chicken for the next day, chop it up and put it on your salad.

So, there are ways to reuse a meal so that you don't feel like you need to make one meal at a time and you can have a variety, and that's really key with following a healthy diet.

Videos

One oncology dietitian shares her expertise with patients and survivors of cancer on how to maximize their trip to the grocery store by planning their meals ahead of time.
 

Rachel J. Wong, RD, CSO, LD.

Stuck At Home Recipes: Mexican Bean Salad Recipe

Shelf-Stable Pantry Staples Patients and Survivors Can Rely On During a Pandemic

How Patients and Survivors Can Use Meal Planning to Make the Most of Their Grocery Store Trips

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