Island Fish Tacos with Fresh Pineapple Salsa

People who love fish tacos will make this amazing recipe a special part of the week. These fresh-tasting tacos are deliciously simple to make. Bringing the islands together with south of the border flavors creates a lovefest for your taste buds. The pineapple salsa is also good, on its own, with Baked Tortilla Chips (see here).

Serves 6 • Prep Time: 30 minutes • Cook Time: 10 minutes

FRESH PINEAPPLE SALSA

2  cups chopped fresh pineapple

2  tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2  cup chopped cilantro

1  jalapeño chile, seeded

1/2  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 Salt

ISLAND FISH TACOS

1/2  head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

2  tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1  tablespoon grapeseed oil, canola oil, or olive oil, for brushing

Salt and pepper

6  (6-ounce) skinless halibut, yellow snapper, or cod fillets

6  (10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed, for serving

1  medium ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped

1. For the pineapple salsa, place the pineapple, lime juice, cilantro, chile, and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor and pulse until somewhat smooth yet a little chunky. Season to taste with salt.
2. For the slaw, combine the red cabbage and vinegar in a medium bowl and season with salt.
3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the fish with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Measure the thickness of the fish (it’s usually about 3/4 inch). Cook the fish, turning once, for 10 minutes per 1 inch of thickness (about 71/2 minutes for a 3/4-inch-thick fillet), or until the fish begins to flake when tested with a fork in the thickest part.
4. To serve, cut the fish into strips and place in the tortillas. Garnish with the slaw, avocado, and pineapple salsa.

Calories 277 • Total Fat 10g • Saturated Fat 1.5g • Carbohydrates 38g • Protein 11g • Dietary Fiber 5g • Sodium 322mg

Energy Balance!

Keeping Fatigue from Robbing You of Your Energy

 

A 2006 review of studies in the European Journal of Cancer found that as many as 19 to 38 percent of cancer patients experience “disabling fatigue.” Mary Calys, PT, DPT, director of cancer rehabilitation and fatigue management at North Kansas City Hospital, notes that getting help for fatigue encourages cancer survivors to regain their strength and become functional once again.

Women receiving chemotherapy, or chemotherapy plus radiation, are more likely to experience fatigue than those who undergo radiation only. Fatigue can last long after treatment has been completed; up to 40 percent of patients report that fatigue still interferes with their lives three years or more after treatment. Share your symptoms of fatigue with your physician in order to rule out treatable causes, such as anemia, low oxygen in your blood, sleep apnea, or medications that need changes.

How do you recognize the symptoms of fatigue? What does it look like? Dr. Calys says that changes in sleep quality, cognition, stamina, emotional reactivity, control over body process (i.e, keeping the mind/body in sync), and social interaction may be the first signs that tiredness has progressed to fatigue or even exhaustion. When fatigue interferes with quality of life, impacts your health, or impedes your response to treatment—then it should be discussed with your physician or a clinician who has expertise in fatigue management strategies.

Here are some lifestyle tools to help fatigue fade away:

• EXERCISE MODERATELY. Ask your doctor how much exercise is safe for you. Getting rest is important, but physical activity has proven benefits—improving mood, conferring a general sense of well-being, and countering fatigue, as well as impacting cancer recurrence. Women who exercised regularly prior to their diagnosis will find it easier to return to working out; newcomers may need to focus on setting smaller goals, such as walking for fifteen minutes three days a week.
• GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Keep a journal noting how much you sleep and how you feel the next day, so you can know what amount of rest works for you. If you are having trouble sleeping, talk with your health care provider about your situation.
• KNOW YOUR EATING HABITS. Eating regular meals is very helpful when it comes to maintaining your baseline energy level. Avoid becoming too hungry or eating in excess. In addition, emphasizing whole-grain, low-fat, and lean protein-rich foods can prevent some of the highs and lows in your energy level.
• KEEP YOUR ENVIRONMENT COMFORTABLE. Setting the thermostat at a comfortable temperature—not too hot, not too cold—can help your energy level as well.
• KEEP A JOURNAL. Keeping a journal can help you identify times of the day when you have the most energy, so you can plan accordingly. It can also help identify those things that seem to drain your energy level, and activities that improve it.
• ASK YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE. In one very preliminary study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, published in the May 2004 Journal of Clinical Oncology, acupuncture was shown to reduce postchemotherapy fatigue by 31 percent in people with various types of cancer. In 2005, early research demonstrated potential reductions in fatigue and hot flashes, but further research is needed. Another preliminary study of breast cancer patients in Sweden showed that acupuncture reduced hot flashes by half. While doctors find these results encouraging, they are still very early results and require further study. For more information, see here.

Note: Anyone who has had lymph nodes removed from under an arm should not have needles inserted into that arm. If acupuncture is used on the arm, there is a risk of lymphedema, swelling caused by an excess of fluid in the arm. Talk to the acupuncturist about other treatments that could be used on that arm, such as aromatherapy.