Bicycles Battling Cancer is an all day fundraising event in Massachusetts that’s coming up on June 7th. If you like to ride, there are several options – you don’t need to do the 100 miles that my friend Ned does. If you can add a donation, we appreciate your help. We all have lost relatives to cancer. And we’d all like to see an end to this terrible disease in all of it’s forms. There is some promising gene research going on now and we are hoping this will see an end to cancer in the future. Please read Ned’s story here. Thank you so much.
Since we are talking about cancer, let’s see what you know about prevention. Are you eating enough fruits and veggies? By enough, I mean LOTS! Dr. Neil Barnard has just released some research with new dietary guidelines for cancer prevention. His report recommends that we Emphasize fruits and vegetables to reduce risk of several common forms of cancer. Fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, help reduce overall cancer risk. A high intake of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and cabbage, is associated with an 18 percent reduced risk of colorectal cancer and reduced risk of lung and stomach cancers.
Women who consume the most carotenoid-rich vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potatoes, lower their risk of breast cancer by 19 percent. Overall, women who consume the highest quantities of any kind of fruit or vegetable reduce breast cancer risk by 11 percent. A high intake of tomato products has been shown to reduce risk of gastric cancer by 27 percent. Garlic and other allium vegetables, such as onions, significantly reduce risk for gastric cancer, while a Western diet (high amounts of meat and fat with minimal amounts of fruits and vegetables) doubles the risk.
Note: Some components in soybeans, green tea, turmeric, grapes, tomatoes, and other plant foods have the ability to regulate apoptosis (a natural process for destroying unhealthy cells), an important pathway for cancer prevention.
Here’s a graphic showing how Dr. Barnard’s recommends filling your plate.
Looks a lot different than those you’ve seen before, doesn’t it? He recommends a vegetarian diet.
The Kushi Institute here in the Berkshires has helped several friends of mine prevent re-occurrence of their throat or breast cancer. Their program is macrobiotics, which looks very similar to Dr. Barnard’s except that it’s a pyramid, and in the tiny little peak at the top recommends animal protein used sparingly. They do, however, recommend a little bit of fish. Their pyramid looks more like my own diet. What about you? What does your diet look like? Do you want to make some changes? Have you wondered about how to make any changes that don’t feel like deprivation, starvation, or that you can continue for the rest of your life? If so, hire a health coach to help you design a diet that works for you! Give me a call and I’ll explain how we can work together to find food and recipes that you love with healthier food choices. It’s not as hard as you might think!
Best of Health,
Kathi
