'LET FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE' X

 This is the next to last post in this series on letting food be your medicine. Number 10 is one that is either loved or hated by most people. It seems there are few people don't have strong feelings about mushrooms one way or the other. However, shiitake mushrooms are very healthy and should be eaten by most people on a regular, perhaps weekly, basis. In human studies, shiitakes have been shown to be anti-cancer, cholesterol-lowering, and immune boosting. If these healthy mushrooms aren't part of your diet, perhaps they should be.

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#7 HEALTHIEST FRUITS - GRAPEFRUITS

As we continue looking at the healthiest fruits list, we come to number seven, grapefruits. For most people, you either love or hate grapefruits. However you feel about them, read the information below which is directly from the healthiest fruits list from a health journal I picked up in my oncologist office.

"Adding a cup of grapefruit segments to your breakfast will cover nearly 100 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin C, and support the health of your skin, heart, and immune system. Grapefruits are also rich in flavonoids such as naringin and naringenin, which may have anticancer properties."

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TAKING AN ASPIRIN A DAY TO PREVENT CERTAIN CANCERS?

Many doctors recommend an 81 mg aspirin a day to their patients for heart health. I was surprised by research a few years ago that found adults age 50 to 65 who took approximately 75 mg of aspirin a day for 10 years may significantly reduce their risk of developing and dying of the following cancers - stomach, colon, and esophageal. The study found it took 3 years for the benefit to kick in and at least 5 years for the death rates to fall. 

Maybe there is more than one reason to take that aspirin every night.

BANANAS WITH ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES

 

BENEFITS OF BROCCOLI

Your mother was right; eat your vegetables.  That is especially true for green vegetables.  While all the green vegetables are good for you, broccoli is one you should eat regularly whether you like it or not!  Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C.  It is a good source of vitamin A and folate.  It is a significant source of protein, calcium, iron, and other minerals.  Broccoli is also rich in bioflavonoids and other plant chemicals that protect against cancer.  In fact, while other cruciferous vegetables are protective, broccoli seems to have more cancer-fighting compounds than the others.  Some of these compounds block the action of hormones that stimulate tumors; others work by inhibiting tumor growth or by boosting the action of protective enzymes.  The bioflavonoids and other antioxidants found in broccoli are substances that protect against mutation and damage from unstable molecules.

Other benefits of broccoli are that it is high in fiber and low in calories!

If you don't like broccoli, think of it as a natural protector for your body and learn to eat it for your health's sake.

ELLAGIC ACID, AN ANTICANCER COMPOUND, FOUND IN BERRIES, NUTS

According to a pathologist at the Medical College of Ohio, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and to a lesser degree blueberries, cranberries, grapes, apples, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and cashews all contain the anticancer compound ellagic acid.  Ellagic acid is an antioxidant that helps detoxify cancer-causing agents in several different ways.  It may block the activation of carcinogens, inhibit the carcinogen itself, or keep the DNA in cells from undergoing mutation.

Warning: Strawberries are particularly rich in ellagic acid in both the seeds and the pulp.  If you strain the berries and toss out the seeds, you are throwing away a big part of the berry's cancer-fighting capabilities.

GO GREEN - VEGETABLES, THAT IS

Research by doctors at the United States Department of Agriculture has shown that cancer-fighting vegetables have shown their true color - dark green!  Dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, green beans, spinach are some of the best.  Analysis found that kale, has the highest concentrations of three important carotenoids, important in protecting us from most cancers.  When they boiled, steamed, and microwaved broccoli, green beans, or spinach the protective carotenoids did not diminish!  Dr. Frederick Khachik stated, "It's unlikely heat destroys the carotenoids in other green vegetables either."

ANTI-COLORECTAL LIFESTYLE PART II

More changes you can make in your lifestyle to help prevent colorectal cancer.  See part I below.

• Limit alcohol.  If you drink, cut way back.  Studies have shown that people who average 2 to 4 drinks a day have a 23% higher risk than those averaging less than 1 drink a day.  (Personal note:  I have never drunk alcohol, but still had colon cancer.  Again, I have serious digestive system issues which probably caused mine.)
• Exercise.  Sedentary people are about twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer as highly active exercisers.  Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderately intensive exercise a day.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Don't smoke.  Researchers have enough evidence to conclude definitively that smoking tobacco contributes to colorectal cancer.  Women appear to be more susceptible to precancerous polyps from smoking than men, according to a study published online in July 2011 in the Journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences.

Trust me, this is a disease you don't ever want to deal with.  Do what you can to prevent it!

ANTI-COLORECTAL CANCER LIFESTYLE

Studies have shown that up to 40% of all colorectal cancers could be eliminated by the following changes in our diets.  As one who has been faced with this cancer and has lost a relative to it, let me tell you that you want to do everything you can to possibly prevent it!  These are simple changes and I believe it would behoove each of us to make these changes.

• Eat less red meat.  (Not eliminate, reduce).  During digestion red and processed meats form carcinogenic chemicals.  The colorectal cancer risk was 22% higher among people who ate 5 oz of red and processed meat a day compared to those who ate less than 1 oz a day.  This statistic comes from a 2011 meta-analysis combining results of 21 studies.  (Personal note:  I am not much of a meat eater and go days at a time without meat.  However, I have serious digestive system issues that probably caused my problem.  I still recommend taking this information seriously.)
• Eat more vegetables, fruits, and fiber.  A recent study using data from the U.S. Polyp Prevention Trial looked at the impact of diet on 1,900 people with a history of precancerous polyps.  Those who met goals for cutting fat and consumed at least 18 grams of fiber and 3 1/2 servings of fruit and vegetables per 1,000 calories daily were 35% less likely to develop new polyps during the study.

Note:  To be continued tomorrow.

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