"LET FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE"

 In the 4th Century, Hippocrates authored this famous oath, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be they food". Today, in the 21st Century, the MAHA movement is turning our attention back to what we eat, how it affects our health, overuse of medications, etc. Over the next few days, my posts will discuss foods with the most promising disease-busting benefits. This will be about the foods that should definitely be a part of your diet. These foods will be discussed in alphabetical order, not in any order of one being more important than another. The information was compiled by Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN. We will start today with BERRIES.

Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are a rich source of numerous phytochemicals that research suggests have a variety of positive effects on human health, including reducing chronic inflammation and cancer risk. Eat your berries!

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BEANS AND LENTILS FIGHT CANCER

As a diabetic I eat lots of beans. They are one of the best foods to keep my blood sugar under control. But beans and lentils are also good cancer fighters. These tasty little morsels are loaded with fiber, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and folate. Soybeans contain genistein, a powerful compound scientists are studying as a possible treatment for prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. If beans aren't currently an important part of your diet I would suggest adding them.

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CELERY AS A CANCER PREVENTATIVE?

If you have ever been on a diet you have surely eaten your share of celery sticks.  But did you realize you were also giving your body a cancer fighting tool?  That's right.  Celery works as an anti-inflammatory and it has coumarins which help to fight off cancer. 

Coumarin are radar-like phytochemicals that help white blood cells seek out potentially harmful cells, such as cancer cells, and the free radicals that cause normal cells to mutate into a cancerous state.

So celery's coumarins help to free the free radicals from damaging cells, thereby decreasing the mutations that can cause cells to become cancerous.  Also, acetylinic compounds in celery can stop the growth of tumor cells!

The bottom line here is this; if you aren't currently including celery in your diet, you should probably consider adding it.  Such an easy way to help protect your body from a devastating disease!!

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WHY YOU SHOULD EAT CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES!

Personally, I love cruciferous vegetables. However, I am aware that many people do not like them.  If you aren't sure what vegetables we are talking about, this group includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, etc.  These vegetables are important to our bodies for many reasons but one of the most important ones is this - research has shown that cruciferous vegetables contain a phytochemical which helps our bodies break down potential carcinogens.  Since carcinogens are agents that can cause cancer, I highly recommend including cruciferous vegetables in your diet!  If you have a real aversion to these healthy vegetables try eating them in small amounts at first or look for new and tastier ways to prepare them! Soups, stews, stir-fries, etc are good ideas. But do eat them!

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ADD CABBAGE TO YOUR CANCER FIGHTING LIST OF FOODS

Cabbage is one of our very healthy vegetables that should be a regular part of our diets for various reasons but today we focus on the cancer-fighting properties of cabbage.  Cabbage is a natural anti-inflammatory and a natural antibacterial food.  Along with its cruciferous kin such as kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, bok choy and turnips, cabbage is extremely high in anticancer phytochemicals. IC3 or indole-3-carbinal, a property of cabbage and the above list of its cousins, almost doubles how quickly the liver can break down estrogen so it doesn't remain in the body.  Some female cancers feed off estrogen so IC3 is important against them.

Do not overcook cabbage as it is important to retain one of its compounds called sinigrin.  Sinigrin reacts with an enzyme to release molecules that detoxify carcinogens and inhibit the division and growth of tumor cells.

There are various ways to enjoy cabbage.  If you don't care for cabbage on its own, add it to soups, make it into a slaw, etc.  However you prepare it, make sure it is a part of your diet.

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.