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Gathering-Combating Cancer with the power of the plate
Welcome to The Gathering
October brings shorter days, full harvest tables, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Nearly all of us have been touched by cancer, whether through our own story or the story of someone we love. This month, we’re exploring a hopeful truth: what we put on our plates every day matters, both for preventing disease, shaping our environment and for supporting healing.
That truth is at the heart of our mission: Cultivating Health by Nourishing Agriculture. Healthy people and healthy farms grow together. Good food should also be easy to find, afford, and enjoy, no matter where you live.
In this issue, we dive into how simple eating habits help protect against cancer and other chronic diseases. Then we invite you to share your voice in our Community Health Survey and join us for the Food is Medicine seminar. We make it all take root with one of the most nourishing and affordable foods there is: the humble bean.
Thank you for growing with us!
Practice | What we are growing and learning
This month, our focus is on breast cancer and the role food can play in lowering risk and supporting healing. But for now, we want to zoom out a little. The same eating patterns that support breast health also protect against many of the chronic diseases that touch nearly every family in Iowa.
Heart disease, cancer, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are among the leading causes of death in the U.S., and diet plays a part in each of them. Researchers have also linked unhealthy diets to about 1 in 5 deaths worldwide. That's sobering. It also means our daily choices carry real power.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 1 in 5 cancers are linked to a combination of four factors: excess body weight, physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, and drinking too much alcohol. This isn’t about shame and blame, they're just places where small, steady changes can make a difference.
Diet-related illness takes a toll on our wallets too. In 2021–22, the U.S. spent an average of $334 billion a year treating key diet-related conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. About half of that was paid by the federal government, largely through Medicare, which means taxpayers share the cost.
Another study looked only at heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It found that poor diets add about $50 billion a year in costs, or roughly $300 for every person in the country. That figure doesn't even include cancer.
Behind those numbers are hospital stays, prescriptions, missed work, and family budgets stretched thin. Investing in good food, and in the farmers who grow it, is one of the most practical ways to lower those costs for families and communities.
What protective eating looks like
The good news is that there's no single "cancer diet," "heart diet," and "diabetes diet." Doctors and researchers point to the same pattern again and again:
Plenty of vegetables and fruits, especially dark green, red, and orange vegetables, along with beans and peas
Whole grains instead of refined ones
Fewer red and processed meats. Processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats are most strongly tied to colorectal cancer, and newer research suggests a possible link to breast cancer as well.
Fewer sugary drinks and highly processed foods
Less alcohol, or none. Alcohol is a known cause of at least eight types of cancer, including breast cancer.
MD Anderson Cancer Center offers a simple visual: fill at least two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and beans. Fill the remaining third with protein, like chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, or tofu. You don't have to give up meat or eat perfectly. You just shift the balance.
Why plants do so much
Colorful plant foods contain natural compounds that help protect our cells and calm inflammation. Long-term inflammation is a common thread among many chronic diseases. Fiber from beans, whole grains, and produce keeps us full longer, helps steady blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut. One plate of roasted squash, black beans, and brown rice works on your heart, your blood sugar, and your cancer risk all at once.
It's not only about willpower
The American Cancer Society's guidelines also include recommendations for communities, not just individuals. They note that people in rural communities often face extra barriers to eating well and staying active, and they call for more access to affordable, nutritious food. Supporting local farmers' markets is one of the specific actions they encourage.
That's the heart of what we do at MNM. When healthy food is easier to find and afford, healthy choices become easier to make.
Your practice this week
Pick one meal this week and build it around the two-thirds plate. Start with what's in season: squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage, apples, greens. Let vegetables, grains, and beans take up most of the space. Progress, not perfection.
Know someone in treatment or recovery? Share that meal with them.
Gather | Community in Action
Help us plan what's next: take our Community Health Survey
Our programs come from you. Our upcoming Food is Medicine seminar is a perfect example: it's happening because it was one of the most requested topics in our post event surveys. Now we're asking deeper questions to shape our work.
Our new Community Health Survey asks about food needs, healthy eating, and what would make the biggest difference for families in the Knoxville area. It takes about 10 minutes and is completely anonymous. Please keep going until you see the completion message so your answers are saved.
Then pass it along to a neighbor, a coworker, or your church group. The more voices we hear, the better we can serve.
Join us!
🍲 Easy and Hearty Fall Soups Cooking Class Thursday, October 15 | 6:00 PM | Marion County Extension and Outreach
Learn to turn fall's harvest, and whatever is already in your pantry, into cozy, comforting soups. Soup is also one of the easiest ways to pack in vegetables, beans, and whole grains. It's a great dish to share with someone who could use a little care.
🌿 Food is Medicine Seminar Monday, October 26 | 6:00–7:30 PM | Knoxville Public Library, 213 E Montgomery St.
You asked, and we listened. Join us for an evening with Tracy Bettis, RN, BSN, MPH. Tracy is a population health leader, certified nutrition coach, and certified personal trainer with more than 20 years of experience in clinical nursing and public health.
Tracy specializes in "Lifestyle as Medicine." That means using daily habits, movement, and whole-food nutrition to prevent chronic disease and lower inflammation. She'll connect the science to everyday life and show how the food we grow and harvest can be one of our best tools for long-term health. Bring your questions! It's the perfect next step after this month's conversation about food and cancer prevention. It’s free and open to the public but we appreciate registrations so we can plan space!
🥧 Holiday Sides to Impress Thursday, November 5 | 6:00 PM | Marion County Extension and Outreach
Get hands-on practice making beautiful seasonal side dishes, many of which can be prepared ahead of time. You'll have more nutrition and less stress this holiday season.
Take Root | Your Next Step
The Humble Bean, Your Best Budget Protein Everything we've talked about this October points back to the same few foods: more fiber, more plants, and fewer processed meats. Beans check every box. One cooked cup has about 15 grams of protein and about 15 grams of fiber. Meat, eggs, and dairy have no fiber at all. That's why beans keep you full, help steady your blood sugar, and feed a healthy gut.
They're also one of the most affordable proteins you can buy. A pound of dried beans makes about six cups cooked, roughly the same as four cans. Think of beans as a high value teammate, they stretch good local meat further and fill your plate on the nights you skip it.
Cooking dried beans: the short version
Sort and rinse. Look for small stones.
Soak. Soak overnight in salted water. Short on time? Bring the beans to a boil for 2 minutes, then cover and let them sit for an hour.
Simmer gently. Use fresh water and add an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, and a bay leaf. Keep it at a low simmer, not a rolling boil, for 1 to 2 hours, until the beans are creamy all the way through.
Salt as they cook. The old rule that salt keeps beans tough is a myth.
Save the liquid. The cooking broth adds body to soups and sauces.
Have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot? It can turn beans into a weeknight option, even without soaking.
A gentle note: If beans are new to you, start with smaller portions and add more over a few weeks. Your digestion adjusts as you eat more fiber.
Short on time? Canned beans count too.
There's no shame in reaching for a can. Canned beans are already cooked, they keep for months, and they can turn a pantry dinner into something filling in minutes. They have the same protein and fiber as dried beans.
Cooking from dried does have a few perks. The flavor and texture are usually better, you get that rich cooking broth, it costs less per serving, and you control the salt. Canned beans can be fairly high in sodium.
To make the most of a can:
Drain and rinse. This simple step washes away a good share of the added sodium.
Look for "no salt added" or "low sodium" labels when you can.
Keep a few cans in the cupboard for quick additions to soups, salads, tacos, and grain bowls.
Dried beans for when you have time, and cans for when you don't. Both are a win.
Beans as a side
Cranberry beans with garlic and sage. Warm cooked beans in olive oil with sliced garlic and a few sage leaves. Finish with a squeeze of lemon. They're lovely next to roast chicken or pork chops.
Black beans with lime and cumin. Simmer them with a splash of their cooking liquid, cumin, and a little onion. Finish with lime juice and cilantro. They pair well with eggs, tacos, or rice.
Lighter baked beans. Jacob's Cattle beans hold their shape beautifully. Bake them low and slow with onion, mustard, a spoonful of maple syrup, and a little bacon or smoked paprika. They taste rich with far less sugar than the canned kind.
Beans as the protein
Go half and half. In chili, tacos, sloppy joes, or pasta sauce, swap half the ground meat for mashed or chopped beans. You'll get the same heartiness with twice the fiber at a lower cost.
Make soup the main event. Beans, greens, a carrot or two, and good broth make a full dinner. (Want help? Join our Fall Soups class on October 15!)
Try bean and grain bowls. Layer beans with brown rice or farro, roasted squash, sautéed greens, and a fried egg.
Crisp them up. Pan-fry cooked beans in a hot skillet with oil and spices until crunchy. Toss them on salads or fold them into tortillas.
Cook once, eat all week
Cook a pound on Sunday. Use some as a side, some in soup, and freeze the rest in 1½-cup portions with a little cooking liquid. Each portion equals one can, ready whenever you need it.
Find them at Gathered
We carry four heirloom varieties from Meadowlark Organics: Jacob's Cattle, Small Red "Cayenne," Black, and Cranberry. Add a bag to your next Gathered Local Foods order, and put a pot on this weekend.
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Rooted Reflection
Who in your life has shown love through food, and how might you pass that gift along?
Stay Connected
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