Servings: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe Description:

These calzones are stuffed with a summery combination of corn and broccoli, but you can use whatever you have in your fridge. Part-skim ricotta and mozzarella make our pizza pockets lower in saturated fat. Plus a whole-wheat crust adds a nutty flavor and extra fiber. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
2. 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears; see Tip)
3. 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
4. 2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
5. 4 scallions, thinly sliced
6. 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
7. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8. 1/4 teaspoon salt
9. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10. All-purpose flour for dusting
11. 20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough (see Tip), thawed if frozen
12. 2 teaspoons canola oil

Recipe Steps:

1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 475°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Combine broccoli, corn, mozzarella, ricotta, scallions, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
3. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Place a generous 3/4 cup filling on one half of each circle, leaving a 1-inch border of dough. Brush the border with water and fold the top half over the filling. Fold the edges over and crimp with a fork to seal. Make several small slits in the top to vent steam; brush each calzone with oil. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake the calzones, switching the pans halfway through, until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Healthy Heart Variation: To reduce saturated fat even further, use nonfat ricotta in place of the reduced-fat ricotta. 334 calories, 2 g saturated fat.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Tips: To remove corn kernels from the cob: Stand an uncooked ear of corn on its stem end in a shallow bowl and slice the kernels off with a sharp, thin-bladed knife. This technique produces whole kernels that are good for adding to salads and salsas. If you want to use the corn kernels for soups, fritters or puddings, you can add another step to the process. After cutting the kernels off, reverse the knife and, using the dull side, press it down the length of the ear to push out the rest of the corn and its milk.
2. Look for balls of whole-wheat pizza dough at your supermarket, fresh or frozen and without any hydrogenated oils.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per calzone: 350 calories; 7 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 21 mg cholesterol; 50 g carbohydrate; 17 g protein; 4 g fiber; 509 mg sodium; 250 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (35% daily value), Calcium (25% dv), Vitamin A (20% dv).

3 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 medium-fat protein

1. 

   Dallas Donohoe, PhD

   What led you to the field of colorectal cancer prevention?
   My research on the role of the microbiome in host energy metabolism led me to identify the importance of the microbial breakdown product from dietary fiber, butyrate, in regulating colonic homeostasis, or state of equilibrium.  Butyrate not only helps regulate colonic homeostasis, it has been implicated in the prevention of colorectal cancer through the dietary consumption of a high-fiber diet. This beneficial effect from butyrate led me into colorectal cancer prevention.

2. Tell us about your research.
   There are several lines of evidence that eating a high-fiber diet reduces the incidence of colorectal cancer. However, there is also evidence that shows that it has no preventive effects. Factors that may complicate this issue include different individual genetic make-up, different microbial populations and microbiomes, different fiber sources, compliance issues, and so on. In my experimental system I am able to control each of these factors.My research results thus far have demonstrated that a high-fiber diet does protect against colorectal cancer, although in a microbiota-dependent manner. More specifically, in my model, I observed lower the experimental group which received the high-fiber diet and was colonized with a butyrate-producing microbe showed fewer tumors and smaller ones.
3. How did receiving a Prevent Cancer Foundation fellowship impact your research?
   The Prevent Cancer Foundation has directly funded my research for the past two years. This research has focused on the potential dietary prevention of colorectal cancer through a high-fiber diet.  With the Prevent Cancer Foundation fellowship I was able to purchase the necessary reagents and supplies to perform experiments.  I am and forever will be grateful to the Prevent Cancer Foundation.  Thanks to the Foundation fellowship my research will advance the science of cancer prevention.
4. Why is it important to fund research in the field of cancer prevention and early detection?Many of the factors related to cancer prevention can be put into practice in our everyday lives.  These factors include diet, physical activity, lifestyle, and other environmental exposures.  In my studies I addressed the importance of a high-fiber diet in colorectal cancer prevention.  In this way, improving one’s diet is something that applies to everyone.

Fiber-rich foods include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Click here to see other ways you can reduce your risk of colorectal cancer.

Researchers are working to improve testing to detect prostate cancer and testing to determine whether prostate cancer is likely to lead to death from the disease. There is no question that in some cases early detection of prostate cancer followed by prompt treatment saves lives. It is also clear that some men are treated for cancers that will never cause them harm, and they must live with possible side effects and complications of treatment. Currently available tests are useful but are not 100 percent accurate. It’s complicated.

To learn more about prostate cancer screening and to help you decide whether to get screened for prostate cancer, the Prevent Cancer Foundation continues to support these recommendations for the early detection of prostate cancer and recommends the American Cancer Society (ACS) Testing for Prostate Cancer guide that can be viewed or downloaded here .

Winners were determined based on both public voting and judging. Voting closed on April 30 and projects in the top 30% (based on votes) were sent on to an external review committee for judging.

Good Samaritan Hospital, in partnership with the local YMCA, will put on an event for their rural Nebraska community featuring the Prevent Cancer Super Colon and will include presentations, educational materials and a family “fun run” to promote physical activity. The event will also provide education on the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer, including eating healthy, physical activity and screening. The project objectives are to provide educational services to 3,000 individuals and screening services to 2,000 individuals.

Colorectal cancer is preventable, yet over 143,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2012. The Prevent Cancer Foundation realizes the importance of screening and awareness programs on the local level and created the National Challenge as a way to champion “grass-roots” community projects. To learn more about colorectal cancer visit screeningsaves.org or click here.

While you’re on the site, please take advantage of our other features:

Share Your Story

The Foundation knows that cancer touches many lives: consider submitting a story to share about how it has touched yours.

Learn About Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US for men and women combined. Visit the site to learn about colorectal cancer prevention, risk factors and screening options.

Our Community

Interact online with individuals interested in colorectal cancer screening across the country. Discuss new ideas, learn about screening efforts in other states and share experiences.

Thanks to everyone that joined the Screening Saves community, to all of this year’s applicants and our sponsors Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Genentech . The 2012 National Challenge may be over but we look forward to hearing from you about your personal experiences, questions and comments about colorectal cancer screening and awareness!

Jamie and her mom Julia

This Mother’s Day I am giving my mother a gift that will save lives.  I am making a contribution to the Prevent Cancer Foundation in her honor memorializing the family members we have lost to cancer.  I’m helping the Prevent Cancer Foundation to Stop Cancer Before It Starts!

Over a 10 year period my family experienced many tragedies through the death of loved ones from cancer; an experience for which many other families also share.  We lost my 17 year old sister to cancer in 2000, my grandfather was treated for prostate cancer that eventually metastasized to bone cancer and took his life in 2001, my other grandfather developed lung cancer and ultimately lost his battle in 2006. My remaining grandparent, my grandmother, succumbed to her battle with brain cancer in 2009.

Sara and Jamie Cooper

Working for the Prevent Cancer Foundation is more than just a job for me; it’s a mission to eradicate this terrible disease. To keep it from taking another loved one from my life.

Would you join me and consider making a tribute gift in memory or honor of your loved one; a mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, wife, colleague or friend for Mother’s Day?

To learn more about your dollars at work, how to reduce your risk and prevent cancer please visit www.preventcancer.org.

Lung Cancer Alliance was asked to help lead the “policy perspective” discussion among this diverse group of medical, academic, industry and public health experts.

We began with an overview of the exciting convergence of events taking place for the lung cancer community. These include the scientific validation that screening people at high risk with low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans can reduce lung cancer mortality even more significantly and with far greater impact than other cancer screening methods such as mammograms or prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing. Estimates suggest that over 70,000 lives a year could be saved if we screened those at high risk today.

In addition to the science, we noted the recent launch of Lung Cancer Alliance’s National Framework for Lung Cancer Screening Excellence and Continuum of Care — a blue print that informs those at risk of their rights and outlines best practice guidelines for sites offering lung screening and care.  This National Framework has been adopted by close to 100 medical centers to date and showcases responsible, safe and cost-effective methods of standardized care.

We also noted the recent actuarial analysis conducted by Milliman which   documents that CT scans can save more lives, and at a lower cost than commonly used screening methods for other cancers.

Finally, we highlighted the growing support for first ever legislation calling for a more compassionate, coordinated and comprehensive plan of action to address all aspects of lung cancer. The legislation has strong bi-partisan backing and has been introduced in both House of Representatives and United States Senate. This legislation has also spawned a national network of political and grassroots activism that has firmly established a national movement for lung cancer awareness.

All participants agreed that these events – linked together — have the potential of realizing the greatest life-saving, cost benefiting, cancer mortality reducing opportunity ever – because they are focused on the leading cause of cancer death – lung cancer.

We discussed the challenges of engaging key government agencies responsible for screening related programs and considered next step strategies for expediting their reviews and activities. We discussed other public and private stakeholder interests and how best to reach key decision makers who could take swift action to implement screening and research related initiatives.  We considered historical contexts of other cancer screenings and applied “lessons learned” to the case of lung cancer screening.  Strategies were developed and assignments made.

All agreed – we have a big task ahead as we work to translate the science of lung cancer screening into public health benefit.  But no one was deterred either – rather all showed an even greater level of commitment to accomplish the important life-saving task at hand. So stay tuned – the best is yet to come!

And a big thank you to Prevent Cancer Foundation for its continued leadership an support to the entire cancer community!

We have all been told a million times that tanning causes skin cancer…blah, blah, blah. “I don’t go to the tanning salon, so why should I worry?” Most people like to focus on the present, not what could maybe happen in the future.

As a fellow lover of the sun, it’s hard for me to hear the facts but we all need to know them. We only have one set of skin and it’s going to have to last us for the rest of our life! Melanoma rates have skyrocketed over the past few decades—the incidence rate has more than doubled since 1973. The most affected group? Women in their 20’s. Melanoma is the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 35, and the leading cause of cancer death in women of that age group.  Many doctors and researchers have attributed this spike to increased tanning and excessive exposure to the sun.

But if I still don’t have your attention maybe this will help. Us girls need to start taking better care of our skin. And not just for the sake of preventing skin cancer—we all will inevitably start to age and sag, why speed up that process now?

Many women report starting to show signs of aging beginning in their late 20’s—fine lines, broken capillaries, looser skin, uneven splotchy patches on the face. While tanning during your youth can hide uneven skin and other imperfections, over time it does much more damage than it temporarily hides.

Just because you don't look like the "tanning mom" doesn't mean that you're not doing irreparable damage to your skin. Photo Credit: TODAY

Over the years, skin naturally loses its elasticity and lines eventually form. There is nothing that can reverse this process—only slow it down. Celebrities and the general public alike have jumped at Botox, fillers, dermabrasions and every product promising them a more youthful appearance. The international anti-aging industry is a $150 BILLION dollar industry for a very obvious reason.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I think that most of us girls spend a good amount of time and money on our appearance. We buy makeup to make ourselves prettier, shampoos to make our hair shiny and beautiful. We meticulously remove body hair and apply products to give us smooth, touchable skin like the smiling girls in the commercials. But despite spending all this time on a beauty regimen, I think we’re forgetting the most important part—a good base (our skin!). Like any good foundation, having that perfect base can make all the difference between looking exhausted and splotchy and having a fresh, glowing complexion.

Beauty editors that once praised and encouraged tanning are now recommending products that give you a sun-kissed summer glow while also protecting your fragile skin. Not just for the sake of preventing cancer, but to keep you looking your best. If we follow the other things they say, why not this one as well?

Love this one--quick, cheap and easy spray tan at home.

Realistically, I think that it will be difficult to do every single thing that I know should do to be sun safe—avoiding the sun between 10 and 4, using palm-full dollops of sunscreen, reapplying often, etc. But I do think that this summer I will at least TRY to make a change. There are so many small things that we already do every day that can be slightly changed to better protect ourselves from the sun.

My personal favorite moisturizer--already has SPF in it!

Things like making sure to spray on sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher while at the pool, switching to moisturizer and makeup with SPF protection  (so easy!!), finding some great sunhats and not baking in the sun excessively. Easy, simple changes. Most importantly, reminding myself that while my summer tan will fade, the damage done WILL DEFINITELY NOT.

Join me this summer and think twice before passing on the sunscreen and pursuing a damaging summer glow. Take the steps today to keep yourself beautiful through every age!

Readers: what are some of your favorite sun-safe products for this summer?

Editor’s Note: The products mentioned in this post are Liona’s suggestions and do not represent an endorsement or promotion by the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Description:

This deconstructed version of a chile relleno turned sandwich packs some heat and an ooey-gooey filling. We like the flavor of sourdough, but any kind of bread will work well. Serve with: Coleslaw and sliced pineapple.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 4 poblano peppers (see Note)
2. 1 14-ounce can pinto beans, preferably low-sodium
3. 3 tablespoons prepared salsa
4. 1/8 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
6. 2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
7. 3 scallions, sliced
8. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
9. 8 slices sourdough bread

Recipe Steps:

1. Place peppers in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on High until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle.
2. Meanwhile, combine beans, salsa and salt in a medium bowl. Mash the beans with a fork until they begin to form a paste (some can remain whole). Combine cheese, yogurt, scallions and cilantro in a small bowl.
3. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, slice each one in half lengthwise and remove the stem and seeds.
4. Heat a panini maker to high. (No panini maker? See Stovetop Variation, below.)
5. Spread 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on each of 4 slices of bread. Top with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Place 2 pepper halves over the cheese. Cover with the remaining slices of bread.
6. Grill the sandwiches in the panini maker until golden brown and through, about 4 minutes. Cut in half and serve immediately.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Stovetop Variation: Place four 15-ounce cans and a medium skillet (not nonstick) by the stove. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 sandwiches in the pan. Place the medium skillet on top of the sandwiches, then weight it down with the cans. Cook the sandwiches until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, flip the sandwiches, replace the top skillet and cans, and cook until the second side is golden, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat with another 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining 2 sandwiches.
2. Note: Dark green poblano peppers, smaller than a bell pepper but larger than a jalapeño, can be fiery or relatively mild; there’s no way to tell until you taste them. Find them near other fresh peppers at most large supermarkets.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 415 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 70 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 19 g protein; 9 g fiber; 761 mg sodium; 307 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (163% daily value), Folate (39% dv), Iron (20% dv).

4 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 3 1/2 starch, vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat

This is a vegetarian version of the classic soup, usually made with chicken. Earthy dark pasilla chile flavors the soul-satisfying broth. (Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless.)

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 3 large dried pasilla (negro), ancho or New Mexico chiles (see Note)
2. 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
3. 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4. 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
5. 3 cloves garlic, peeled
6. 4 cups vegetable broth or “no-chicken” broth
7. 4 cups water
8. 1 large sprig epazote
9. 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu
10. 4 cups chopped chard, spinach or kale leaves
11. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
12. 1 ripe large avocado, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
13. 2 cups roughly broken tortilla chips
14. 3/4 cup shredded Mexican melting cheese, such as Chihuahua or asadero, or Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar (optional)
15. 1 large lime, cut into 6 wedges

Recipe Steps:

1. Holding the chiles one at a time with metal tongs, quickly toast them by turning them an inch or two above an open flame for a few seconds until the aroma fills the kitchen. (Alternatively, toast chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, pressing them flat for a few seconds then flipping them over and pressing again.)
2. When cool enough to handle, stem and seed the chiles, break them into pieces and put them in a blender along with tomatoes and their juice. (A food processor will work, though it won’t completely puree the chiles.)
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 9 minutes. Scoop up the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to the blender with the tomato mixture. Process until smooth.
4. Return the pot to medium heat. When quite hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. Add broth, water and epazote (if using). Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer.
5. Drain tofu, rinse and pat dry; cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook in a single layer, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes total. Add the tofu to the soup and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Add chard (or spinach or kale) to the soup and season with salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of the broth. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes, depending on the type of greens.
7. Ladle the soup into 8 soup bowls. Divide avocado, tortilla chips and cheese (if using) among the bowls. Serve warm, with lime wedges.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Ingredient Notes: Pasilla chiles, sometimes called negro chiles, are medium-hot dried peppers with a flavor that defines tortilla soup in central Mexico. Find them and other dried chiles in the produce section of large supermarkets or online.
2. Epazote, an herb used in Mexican cooking, has a pungent, distinctive flavor unlike any other herb. Look for it fresh at farmers’ markets or find it dried at Latin markets or online.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 208 calories; 13 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 7 g protein; 5 g fiber; 545 mg sodium; 400 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (44% daily value), Vitamin C (28% dv), Calcium (16% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat, 2 fat

Nationally, men’s life expectancy increased by 4.6 years and women’s by only 2.7 years from 1989 to 2009. The article attributes the differences mainly to tobacco, obesity and alcohol – all preventable causes of death. More women are not addressing high blood pressure and cholesterol health issues while men’s symptoms are actively treated by a physician more often than women’s symptoms.

In 1989 there was a 8.7-year gap between the life expectancies of women and men. Now there is a 12-year gap. The article suggests improvements can be made through healthy lifestyle choices, education and improved health care.

Read the full USA Today article.