A place where I can chronicle my family's journey through cancer. A place where WE can discuss our concerns. A place where WE can inspire each other. A place for hope.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wellness Wednesdays






Ok so i've decided that one tip is simply not enough, so WW will now include 5! Enjoy :)

#2: Eat only foods that will eventually rot: What does it mean for food to "go bad"? It usually means that the fungi and bacteria and insects and rodents with whom we compete for nutrients and calories have gotten to it before we did. Food processing began as a way to extend the shelf life of food by protecting it from these competitors. This is often accomplished by making the food less appealing to them, by removing nutrients from it that attract competitors, or by removing other nutrients likely to turn rancid, like omega-3 fatty acids. The more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is. Real food is alive - and therefore it should eventually die. Source: Food Rules by Michael Pollan

#3: Eat some foods that have been predigested by bacteria or fungi: Many traditional cultures swear by the health benefits of fermented foods - foods that have been transformed by live microorganisms, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, soy sauce, kimchi, and sourdough bread. These foods can be a good source of vitamin B12, an essential nutrient you can't get from plants. (B12 is produced by animals and bacteria.) Many fermented foods also contain probiotics - beneficial bacteria that research suggests improve the function of the digestive and immune systems and, according to some studies, help reduce allergic reactions and inflammation. Source: Food Rules by Michael Pollan

#4: Eat animals that have themselves eaten well: The diet of the animals we eat strongly influences the nutritional quality, and healthfulness, of the food we get from them, whether it is meat or milk or eggs. This should be self-evident, yet it is a truth routinely overlooked by the industrial food chain in its quest to produce vast quantities of cheap animal protein. That quest has changed the diet of most of our food animals in ways that have often damaged their health and healthfulness. We feed animals a high-energy diet of grain to make them grow quickly, even in the case of ruminants that have evolved to eat grass. But even food animals that can tolerate grain are much healthier when they have access to green plants - and so, it turns out, are their meat and eggs. The food from these animals will contain much healthier types of fat (more omega-3s, less omega-6s) as well as appreciably higher levels of vitamins and antioxidants. (For the same reason, meat from wild animals is particularly nutritious). It's worth looking for pastured animal foods in the market - and paying the premium prices they typically command if you can. Source: Food Rules by Michael Pollan

#5: Cruciform Vegetables: Cabbages (brussels sprouts, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols (I3Cs), which are powerful anticancer molecules. Sulforaphane and I3Cs are capable of detoxifying certain carcinogenic substances. They prevent precancerous cells from developing into malignant tumors. They also promote the suicide of cancer cells and block angiogenesis. In 2009, at the Cancer Research Center of the University of Pittsburgh, biologist Dr. Shivendra Singh and his team studied the impact of sulforaphane - an antioxidant contained in cruciform vegetables - on prostate cancer in mice. They made two radical new discoveries. First, consumption of sulforaphane three times a week considerably increases the action of NK cells against tumors (by more than 50%). Second, tumor-carrying rats that consumed sulforaphane were shown to have half as much risk of developing metastases as those that did not. Take note: Avoid boiling cabbage and broccoli. Boiling risks destroying sulforaphane and I3Cs. Source: Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber.

#6: Ginger: Ginger root acts as a powerful antiinflammatory and an antioxidant (more effective than vitamin E, for example) and has protective effects. It acts against certain cancer cells. Moreover, it helps reduce the creation of new blood vessels. A ginger infusion tea also helps alleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Source: Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber.

6 comments:

  1. There is not a day that goes by that I do not learn something GOOD from your blog that helps me with my myeloma. Thank you. How is your Mom doing?

    Rebecca Weber

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  2. Aww thank you Rebecca! That's really good to hear and I appreciate it very much :) glad to know it's doing something for you

    Mama is doing well :) sitting in treatment centre as I type! We just added rev and, all things considered, side effects are minimal. VERY thankful for that.

    Hope you're doing well :)

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  3. Thanks for the post on good anti-cancer nutrition. It takes reminders from time to time to stay on task for maintaining a healthy diet.

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  4. I think I need to go get this book...

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  5. Which one KT? They're both great and I highly recommend them :)

    *Note* I don't endorse any of the books that I put up on here nor do I receive any personal gain from doing so other than the satisfaction of helping others :) just want to share the love!

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