MORE SPINACH BENEFITS

Is spinach a part of your diet? You will find more than one post on here extolling the benefits of spinach. Here are some reminders or perhaps new information about the benefits of the leafy green. Whether you put spinach in your smoothies, salads, casseroles, or just sauté it as a vegetable for meals, you should include it in your diet regularly. For diabetics, like me, spinach helps the body break down stored glucose. This is attributed to its richness of vitamin B-6. Spinach greens are also rich in quercetin, an antioxidant which is believed to cut down on inflammation and to boost immunity. If you don't like spinach, try adding a small amount to soups, casseroles, salads, etc.

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HOW STAR ANISE BOOSTS IMMUNITY

Spices have healing properties that we often don't realize. Since we are in cold and flu season, I thought it would be good to mention star anise. Do you ever take Tamiflu when ill? You probably didn't realize that two of the compounds in star anise are used to make Tamiflu. Those compounds are shikimic acid and quercetin. Imagine that, properties in this spice are used in making medicine to combat the flu! According to the Journal of Medical Virology, simply boosting your intake of these antioxidants can significantly increase your body's production of immune cells.

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CONSIDER BROCCOLI AS A PHARMACEUTICAL

Don't like broccoli?  Scientists and researchers tell us that broccoli is one of the most amazing pharmaceuticals in nature.  Consider the following:

If broccoli were a pharmaceutical the label would read as follows: High concentrations of beta-carotene (a suspected lung cancer antagonist!); contains carotenoids (general anticancer agents); quercetin (antioxidvitoles (anticancer and detoxification compounds); vitamin C (powerful antioxidant); folate (anticancer agent); chromium (antidiabetic and anti-heart-disease medication); readily absorbable calcium (helps prevent osteoporosis, suspected anticancer and high blood pressure medication); calcium pectate fiber (lowers blood cholesterol). Broccoli is also a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, closely tied to lower rates of cancer, notably colon cancer.  Side effects? None known.

If your doctor told you he/she had a pill that could do all that you would probably tell him/her to write you a prescription.  Instead, you can just make sure you are including this tasty vegetable in your diet!

CHERRIES AND CANCER

You may wonder how something as simple as cherries can have an effect on cancer.  Cherries are an anti-inflammatory fruit and inflammation is something we always need to combat.  But here is the best part about cherries and cancer.  The tartness in cherries comes from perillyl alcohol.  Studies suggest perillyl alcohol deprives cancer of the proteins it needs to flourish and grow.  In lab tests, perillyl alcohol has done well against advanced breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers.  Cherries also contain the photochemicals isoquercitrin and quercetin both of which are known to inhibit colon cancer cells.  If you or a loved one are battling any of these cancers, work cherries into your/their diet. Also a good idea for all of us to enjoy some cherries in hopes of protecting ourselves from cancer.

APPLES & PEARS FOR STROKE PREVENTION

We all know apples are good for us for many different reasons.  There's the quercetin that can protect brain cells from tissue-damaging free radicals, one average apple contains 16% of your daily fiber requirement, etc.  But a study published a few years ago by Wageningen University in the Netherlands, shows that white-fleshed fruits (apples and pears are the best examples given) may help reduce your risk of having a stroke by around 50%!  Now that is good news.  What a tasty way to cut your risk of stoke.  Just another reason to make sure you are eating these tasty fruits.

Personal note: One of my late mother's favorite snacks was an apple with peanut butter. Yet she had a stroke at age 76. Strokes ran in her family. But I still say eating an apple or pear a day is a good idea.

SUGAR AND DEPRESSION

Are you aware that high sugar intake and depression go hand in hand?  If you battle depression and you crave sweets, try substituting honey for some of the sugar you normally consume.  Honey contains traces of B vitamins, folate, iron, manganese, plus 181 different bioactive compounds such as quercetin, caffeic acid, etc which boosts energy production in the brain.

I wonder if this strange connection has anything to do with the fact that people who get depressed about something tend to overeat and put on weight.  Perhaps they get into a cycle where the depression feeds the sugar cravings and the sugar cravings feed the depression.  Keep this in mind the next time you feel depressed and reach for a candy bar, piece of cake, etc.

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REASONS TO EAT BRAZIL NUTS

Ever since I was a child and my dad bought us bags of mixed nuts, I have always enjoyed the Brazil nuts.  But frankly, I never really thought about them except during the Christmas holidays.  Now that I have discovered some of the great benefits we derive from these nuts, I plan to think about them and thus eat them a lot more often!

Brazil nuts have anti-inflammatory properties and anyone who follows this blog knows how I stress the importance of getting enough anti-inflammatory foods into our diets.  These nuts contain a large amount of selenium, which is known to help our bodies fight colon and prostate cancers.  The American Cancer Society also notes that Brazil nuts also contain the antioxidant quercetin that may trigger cell death in certain cancer cells.

Add Brazil nuts to your list of cancer fighting foods you consume on a regular basis.