MaxLove Project’s evidence-based approach to anticancer nutrition is built upon the latest in nutrition science and functional medicine. Research shows that lowering inflammation and blood sugar while stabilizing insulin and providing robust support to gut health empowers the body against cancer.

Research has shown that there is no single optimal eating pattern. Some people do better with very little meat and a lot of whole grains and vegetables; others do better with a diet that consists of a lot of healthy fat, animal protein, and some vegetables but almost no grains, potatoes, or sugar. And there are many who are very healthy eating a diet that is somewhere between these. What ALL healthy eating patterns have in common, however, is a focus on WHOLE FOODS and an avoidance of processed foods, especially sugar and refined carbohydrates like potato chips, crackers, and candy.

All of our FFA programs are guided by three primary nutritional goals:

1) Lower inflammation through responsibly raised whole foods.

2) Support a healthy metabolism by stabilizing blood sugar and metabolism; we do this by eliminating added sugars and refined carbohydrates.

3) Maximize nutrient intake by focusing on nutrient-dense foods.

To these ends, our culinary medicine programs advocate broad dietary patterns that emphasize:

1) Non-starchy vegetables and fruit

2) Healthy fats like nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, and full-fat dairy from grass-fed cows

3) Responsibly raised animal protein from eggs, meat, fish, poultry and dairy

4) Culinary “helpers” like monkfruit, erythritol, stevia, and psyllium husk that allow us to make low-glycemic, nutrient-dense versions of popular kid foods

Our goal is to find ways to increase healthy whole foods and limit unhealthy processed foods regardless of families broader food philosophies or eating habits. We’re non-dogmatic and focused on helping families find the right balance for them.

Ketogenic diets (KD) are very low-carbohydrate, adequate protein, high-fat diets that cause the body to use fat as a primary fuel. There are many different ways to do the diet, but each type of KD has the common goals of 1) lowering blood glucose (i.e., blood sugar), 2) lowering insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels (the chemicals in our bodies that let our cells use blood sugar for energy), and 3) raising ketone bodies (i.e., biochemicals our livers produce from fat that our cells can use for energy in place of blood sugar). By altering the levels of these three substances in the blood, KDs can potentially suppress growth in many types of tumors. While scientists do not see KDs as standalone therapies, there is growing evidence that they may substantially boost the effect of other treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy, and PI3K inhibitors.

Ketogenic diets have been used for almost 100 years to treat epilepsy. Thus, there is a long history demonstrating that ketogenic diets are safe and feasible. However, they are therapeutic diets that must be followed by professional monitoring. And although, there is a strong and growing body of research that suggests that KDs can suppress tumor growth, especially alongside conventional treatment like chemotherapy and radiation, there is no evidence that KDs can be used in place of standard of care.

The best way to determine if the ketogenic diet is right for your child is to 1) read our full introductory guide, downloadable below; 2) read our research review, accessible below; 3) consult a ketogenic nutritionist, listed below; and discuss with your oncology team.

We invite families who are interested in the Ketogenic Diet for cancer to join us in MaxLove Connect and participate in our comprehensive on-demand keto workshop, MaxLove Keto.

Alexia Hall, RDN

Blakely Page, RDN

Chef Andrew Johnson

Chef Cathy McKnight

Learn More Here

Our Fierce Foods Academy Cooking Class is a kid-focused program designed to empower families to incorporate healing, nutrient-dense foods into their family's wellness plan. Through arts, crafts, play, and cooking, kids learn about fighting bad guys (colds, germs, and even cancer), super-boosting their goods guys, and having fun, all with delicious “fierce foods.” In every class, parents are also educated on the reasons and skills needed for buying, preparing, and serving “fierce foods.”

Each class has a theme. Past themes have included “Fierce Lunches,” “Sugar-free Sweets,” “Pizza Party,” and “Fierce Snacks.” For every theme, we design a two or three recipes, at least one of which can be fully completed by children under 10 years old. Another goal of every recipe is that they require no more than average home culinary skills.

By the end of every class, we hope parents come away with 1) a better understanding of what a truly healthy dietary pattern looks like; 2) new meal-planning strategies for family meals; 3) at least one new culinary skill; and 4) a greater sense of social support for making dietary changes.

We offer on-demand workshops in our app that focus on anticancer nutrition, blenderized diets, and the ketogenic diet. We also offer “Ask the Experts” opportunities to ask our R.D. team your questions. In addition we offer nutrition coaching (see questions below for more info). We also house all of our resources such as our guide to bone broth, our recipe collection, and our past class packets all in MaxLove Connect for future family use.

We currently offer monthly in-person culinary medicine classes at the Farm + Food Lab in Orange County, CA. Beginning mid-2022 we’ll start to offer monthly classes at Tanaka Farms in Irvine, CA as well. In addition to the in-person classes we offer monthly in-app virtual cook-along events as well.

We offer nutrition coaching in our app platform, MaxLove Connect. The first step is for parents to join the platform community and to participate in our on-demand workshops: “Eat Super Fierce Foods” and MaxLove Keto. Once interested parents finish one or both of their workshops they’ll be eligible for 1:1 nutrition coaching with one of our registered dietitians.

All of our classes are free and open to childhood cancer and pediatric rare disease families. Our class calendar and all related information is available within MaxLove Connect app.