Vegan Boss Radio

What role can nutrition play in cancer prevention, treatment, and long-term health?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Zahra Kassam, a Radiation Oncologist and leading voice in lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition.

We explore the evidence behind plant-based diets in relation to cancer risk, survivorship, and overall chronic disease prevention, as well as how nutrition can support patients during and after treatment.

We also break down some of the most common nutrition myths surrounding cancer, including the widely circulated belief that “sugar feeds cancer".

In this episode, we cover:

• The role of plant-based nutrition in cancer prevention
• Nutrition during cancer treatment and survivorship
• Common cancer-related nutrition myths and misconceptions
• How dietary patterns influence chronic disease risk
• The work of Plant-Based Canada and its impact
• The growing role of nutrition and sustainability in healthcare

This is a thoughtful, evidence-based conversation for anyone interested in the intersection of nutrition, medicine, and long-term health.

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About Dr. Zahra Kassam

Dr. Zahra Kassam is a Radiation Oncologist at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre in Newmarket and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. She is certified in Lifestyle Medicine through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and serves as Co-Chair of the Canadian Lifestyle Medicine Group of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

In 2019, she co-founded Plant-Based Canada, a nonprofit organization providing evidence-based education on the benefits of whole food, plant-based nutrition for human health, environmental sustainability, and planetary well-being. She is co-author of Eating Plant-Based: Scientific Answers to Your Nutrition Questions, written in collaboration with her sister Dr. Shireen Kassam, and co-editor of the academic textbook Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice.

Dr. Kassam promotes sustainable nutrition within healthcare systems through her roles in national organizations. She serves as a Food Advisor to the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care and is a member of the PEACH Sustainable Food Committee, the National Advisory Committee on Planetary Health for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Green is Health Member Interest Group of the Ontario Medical Association, and the Climate and Sustainability Working Group of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists.

 

Learn more about Dr. Kassam and Plant-Based Canada at www.plantbasedcanada.org and on their Instagram @plantbasedcanadaorg.

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