FOLIC ACID AND THE LUNGS

Smokers should eat their green leafy vegetables.  As was mentioned earlier on this blog, these vegetables contain the compound folic acid known as folate.  Studies have shown that smokers who took fairly high doses of folic acid had much less lung cell damage than those who didn't.  Don't wait for the damage to be done.  Make green leafy vegetables a part of your everyday diet!

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ASPARAGUS AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Asparagus is a great natural anti-inflammatory.  Since inflammation in the body is known to contribute to many illnesses and is thought by the medical community to contribute to the proliferation of cancer, asparagus should be on all our list of foods we eat!  This is one of the vegetables we need to get our children to start eating as young as possible.

The phytochemicals in asparagus mimic a type of anti-inflammatory known as a COX-2 inhibitor.  Other nutrients in which asparagus is rich are other cancer-fighters such as Vitamin-A which has been shown in lab and animal studies to take on skin, breast, liver, colon, and prostate cancers.  Another is Vitamin-K (prostate and lung cancers).  Also, folic acid which is known as an excellent fighter of many cancers including colorectal, esophageal, stomach, and breast.

If you don't like asparagus, think of it as preventative medicine and learn to like it.  If you suffer from any of the above-mentioned cancers, it is imperative to add asparagus to your diet!

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GOOD FOODS TO BOOST IMMUNITY

I think we all know Vitamin C is important to our immunity. Most of us have probably been told since childhood to drink orange juice, etc to fight colds and various other maladies. It is true that Vitamin C plays an important role in immunity but there are others we should consider, too. Researchers in the journal Food Science & Nutrition, found that folic acid, potassium and calcium are also important immunity boosters. Their findings found that citrus fruits, papayas, and kiwis strengthen immune cell response and antiviral activity.  They found that amino acid-rich milk and yogurt enhance the function of virus-fighting white blood cells and T cells. This could be good information to remember when we get into cold and flu season, although we should probably consider this in our everyday diet.

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CREAMY ORANGE FROSTY FOR CANCER AND OTHER VERY ILL PATIENTS

I try not to do this often but today I am basically sharing an article from my Ladybugs Sweet Treats Blog.  This recipe could be so helpful to patients who are very ill or perhaps undergoing cancer treatments that I thought it would be worthwhile to repeat it here.

CREAMY ORANGE FROSTY

NOTE: While this is a delicious recipe for anyone, cancer patients or others who are seriously ill, may find this frosty helps when having difficulty swallowing or when foods have a metallic taste. Make, refrigerate, and sip on it throughout the day if necessary.  (See Dr. Sears remarks about this in a previous post on this site.)

8 cups orange or vanilla frozen yogurt (8 cups = 1/2 gallon)
1 can (6-oz) frozen calcium-fortified orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup milk (whole, fat-free, soy, etc; whatever suits your needs)

Place half the ingredients in blender container; cover and blend on medium speed about 45 seconds or until thick and smooth. Stop and scrape down sides as needed.

Repeat with remaining ingredients or save remaining ingredients for another day.

Let me add that this drink is high in potassium, calcium, vitamin-C, folic acid and it is low in fiber for those who might be having a problem in that area. 

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IMPORTANCE OF GREENS IN THE DIET

It has been said that the greening of the diet may be much more important to survival than the greening of the planet!  Green vegetables are packed with a variety of compounds, ie carotenoids, cholrophyll, glutathione, folic acid, vitamin C, etc that are known to protect our cells from a whole list of damages.  So be sure you include green vegetables in your diet daily.  That doesn't mean you have to sit down and eat a bowl of greens everyday.  Toss some greens into soups, stir-frys, etc.  And a few salads a week is a good idea. 

As an example we will look at cabbage which along with its other cruciferous kin such as kale, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, etc, is extremely high in phytochemicals which are great protectors from cancer, etc.  Cabbage also works as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial.  One of the properties of cabbage and its kin is indole-3-carbinol, known as IC3 for short.  IC3 nearly doubles how quickly the liver can break down estrogen so it doesn't remain in the body.  (Estrogen is known to feed some cancers.)  Do not overcook as you will lose some of the important chemicals in doing so.

SPINACH IS A MULTIVITAMIN!

Yes, that's right, consider eating your spinach as taking a multivitamin!  Spinach is loaded with vitamins A,C, and K.  You also get folate in spinach.  Folate boosts the production of brain chemicals that affect mood so if you or someone you know tends to suffer from depression, add spinach to the diet.  Low levels of folic acid are associated with depression.  If you think you don't like spinach, try a little in salads, toss some fresh spinach in soups, etc.  Learn to add this multivitamin to your diet!  It really is good for you, just like your mother said.