#15 HEALTHIEST FRUITS - PINEAPPLES

Today we come to the end of the list of the top fifteen healthiest fruits listed in a health guide journal I picked up in my oncologist office. The last on the list is pineapples. I was surprised pineapples were so low on the list. I have no idea why as I am not a fruit expert. Anyway, below is the quote from the journal.

"Low in calories, pineapples provide ample amounts of vitamin C, copper, manganese, and several other key nutrients. By eating a cup of the sliced fruit, you can meet 88 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. Pineapples also contain bromelain, an enzyme with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and immune-supported properties."

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BAY LEAF IS HELPFUL FOR MANY HEALTH PROBLEMS

Bay Leaf have a soothing and relaxing effect on the digestive tract.  If you need relief from abdominal cramps and gas, eat foods cooked with bay leaf.  Fresh or dried bay leaves have a distinctive flavor and fragrance that is used to flavor soups, stew, and braises. The flavor is similar to oregano and thyme.  The fresh leaves are very mild and do not develop their full flavor for some time after picking. 

Many of the properties in bay leaves may make them useful for treating high blood sugar, both bacterial and fungal infections, and gastric ulcers.  Bay leaf and berries properties have been used in astringents, digestives, diuretics, and stomach remedies.  Bay oil is used in liniments that are used for bruises and sprains.  Bay leaf has been used as an herbal remedy for headaches since it contains compounds which have proven useful in the treatment of migraines.  Bay leaf has also been shown to help the body process insulin more efficiently, which leads to lower blood sugar levels.  Bay leaf contains a property called eugenol which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  Bay leaf is considered an antifungal and antibacterial and has been used to treat rheumatism. 

CAYENNE, CHILI FLAKES AND CANCER

What, you say?  Cayenne pepper and chili flakes in relationship to cancer?  The answer is yes!  These foods or spices however you want to consider them, are something we should all be eating.  Not only are they "active" calories which have been discussed on this blog, they have protective properties!  Some of the active benefits of eating these items are that they can stimulate appetite in those who are suffering a loss of appetite due to illness and/or drugs.  They are also digestive aids, anti-inflammatories, and antibacterial.  The capsacain that protects chili peppers from disease may also extend that protection to humans!  Studies show that capsacain decreases PSA levels, the antigen whose level normally rises as prostate cancer develops.  It may also protect against stomach cancer and may even affect the spread of brain and spinal cord tumors known as gliomas.

My advice to anyone who doesn't currently use these ingredients in your food would be to start doing so immediately.  You don't have to drown your food with them, just use them regularly.

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.

BENEFITS OF EATING ONIONS

Onions are not known for their nutritional value!  However, the green tops of onions are a good source of vitamin C.  So don't toss the tops from your green onions!  Chop the tops fine and toss into salads, soups, potatoes, etc.

Onions can serve a variety of uses other than just adding flavor to our dishes.  Some of these ways include:

• When cutting onions their sulfur compounds combine with enzymes to form a type of sulfuric acid.  This is what causes us to "cry" when peeling or cutting onions.  This may actually help clean nasal passages that are congested.
• The sulfur compounds in onions block the potential of some cancer-causing carcinogens.
• Onions have a mild antibacterial effect.
• Some studies indicate onions may protect against the artery-clogging damage of cholesterol by raising the levels of the high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) which are the protective proteins.
• Research has also shown that adenosine, a substance in onions, hinders clot formation which could offer heart protection.

ANDREW WEIL, MD, ON GARLIC

Famed doctor and author Andrew Weil, MD says you should add raw or cooked garlic to your meals as research suggests this traditional herb has antiviral and antibacterial properties that can help you fight colds and flu.

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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

We all know antibiotics very often save our lives. Antibiotics destroy nasty bacteria that causes serious infections, including strep, pneumonia, etc. Antibiotics, however, are not effective on viruses.

Some may ask "What is antibiotic resistance?" This occurs when infection-causing bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics. A few diseases we know are already becoming antibiotic resistant. MRSA and tuberculosis are some examples. More than 35,000 persons in the United States die annually due to this. Robin Patel, MD, director of the Infectious Diseases Research Lab at the Mayo Clinic put it this way, "We are facing a crisis."

There are ways to protect yourself and your family from antibiotic resistance as shown below:

• Only take antibiotics when necessary (and do take them when they are necessary!). Don't insist on asking your doctor to prescribe antibiotics when they aren't necessary. As stated above, they are not effective on viruses, as an example.
• Skip the overuse of antibacterial soaps, body washes, cleaners. Regular soap and water along with alcohol hand gels are just as effective. Add a little bleach to cleaners if you need to kill germs. This is effective in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Buy meats and poultry which are labeled "organic" or "raised without antibiotics". Much of the feed our poultry and animals are fed contains antibiotics which can be transferred to humans.

Most of us will probably never face an antibiotic resistant disease. But they are out there, and it may become a serious problem for some of us.

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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.

BROCCOLI AND CANCER

We all know broccoli is good for us and we should eat more of it.  That said, here is some information about broccoli and cancer.  Broccoli has both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and both are important to the person dealing with cancer.  Both are also important in helping to prevent cancer.

Sulforaphane, a well-studied phytochemical in broccoli, appears to slow the growth of leukemia and melanoma cells.  Another metabolite, glucosinolate, can inhibit the growth of breast cancer.  If you are battling any of those three mentioned cancers, be sure to make broccoli an important part of your diet.