Are your fortified foods overloading you with iron? Read the labels and take note. A small percentage of American adults with already high iron stores may need to be especially careful not to overdo it with iron in their diets. The combination of high iron stores and excessive iron intake may increase cancer risk, research suggests. Limit yourself to 18 milligrams per day and read labels to stay on target.
Cancer Prevention
For centuries, Chinese women have relied on the bitter
tasting leaf of the artemisia argyi plant to regulate
menstruation and to prevent miscarriage. More recently,
they have found that it is also effective in preventing
breast cancer.
Wheat bran cereals, besides containing lots of vitamins
and minerals, lower the levels of cancer-promoting
estrogen in the blood. Six tbsps of raw, unprocessed
wheat bran a day is recomended. To avoid stomach
distress (if you are not used to bran) start out with
one tbsp a day, and gradually increase over a period
of several weeks. Or try a high fiber wheat bran
muffin, or a bowl of bran cereal.
The Chinese, who report a low incidence of breast
cancer, use the snake gourd fruit to prevent breast
cancer. They don't eat the fruit itself. Instead, the
treatment is administered by decoction, injection,
mustard greens, and turnips) contain compounds that
protect against cancer. For the best effect, eat these
vegetables raw or lightly cooked.
The people of the Mandinka tribe of Senegal are frequent bathers. As a result, they administer most medicines in wash solutions. One wash, made from the Datura plant (or jimson weed), is said to prevent cases of breast cancer. Modern scientific studies have identified several plants closely related to this one seem to boost human resistance to tumors. Warning: If you plan to try this treatment, be aware that this plant is
highly toxic and dangerous if eaten.
A recent study found that women who eat yogurt regularly have a lower risk of breast cancer.
One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul and yet no one ever come to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on the way.
Vincent Van Gogh
BREAST CANCER?
EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage. It helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.
The teeny pea may pack a mighty anticancer punch.
Pack your pantry with bean, pea, and lentil soups to warm you up all season long. Peas, lentils, and beans contain a compound that a recent study revealed may help protect you against cancer. The compound, inositol pentakisphosphate, inhibits a key pathway in cancer cell growth. The discovery may one day lead to new cancer-fighting treatments.
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea): Contains histidine, and a diet of cabbage is a good preventative for colon cancer. Also helps keep low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) out of the system. Raw cabbage juice is a good way to clean the digestive system.
Cancer researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that vitamins C and E and certain chemicals called indoles, found in cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and related vegetables in the crucifer family, are potent and apparently safe inhibitors of certain carcinogens!
LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGETABLES . A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.
Keep a watchful eye on your high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It could be connected to both heart health and cancer risk. Research has established a solid link between low levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol and a higher risk of heart disease. Now, new research also has discovered a potential link between low HDL and increased breast cancer risk in certain women. Keep your HDL levels high by exercising regularly and eating a healthy, balanced diet.
The stronger an onion tastes, the better it probably is for your health. Pungent shallots and certain varieties of yellow and red onions are highest in flavonoids that have potent antioxidant and cancer-fighting abilities, a new study determined. Sweet onions have lower concentrations of flavonoids. Try adding onions to soups, salads, and sandwiches for an antioxidant boost.
There's a new reason to love your morning glass of orange juice. Orange juice and other sources of citrus are high in limonoids, phytochemicals that studies suggest inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer cells. While research confirming the benefits of limonoids continues, go ahead and drink up; orange juice also is high in heart-healthy potassium, folate, and vitamin C. .
Having a handful of almonds and sunflower seeds may be a cancer deterrent. Almonds and sunflower seeds are good sources of vitamin E. Research has revealed that a diet high in vitamin E may be linked to a reduced risk of bladder cancer. One ounce of almonds contains almost 8 IU of vitamin E. One quarter-cup of sunflower seeds contains about 7 IU.
Snacking on a certain root vegetable may help ward off a leading health concern. You already know carrots are full of sight-protective vitamin A. Now new research suggests a compound in carrots may help protect against colon cancer, too. In a study, falcarinol -- a compound found in the veggie -- appeared to hinder the growth of precancerous colon lesions and tumors.
Cut back on red and processed meat to help keep your colon healthy. Eating 160 grams or more of red or processed meat per day -- the equivalent of about 5 and a half ounces -- was associated with a significant increase in a person's risk of colorectal cancer in a recent study. Try poultry, fish, dry beans, egg whites, tofu, or nuts for an alternative to red meat that is still rich in protein.
Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good
for you..they're high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young.........blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field........they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)
Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system.
They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C & Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn uv rays)
Throw back three shots of orange juice every day for maximum health benefits. Drinking orange juice morning, noon, and night can help raise and keep antioxidant levels consistent in your bloodstream. This, in turn, may help keep you protected from free-radical damage all day. It's not just the vitamin C in the juice that's beneficial; the less-touted carotenoid cryptoxanthin in OJ has been associated with a 15 percent to 31 percent reduced lung cancer risk.
One tablespoon of most brands of ketchup contains 4 grams of sugar, 15 calories and 190 grams of sodium. There is no fat in ketchup and processed red tomatoes are supposed to be a good source of lycopene, which may reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.
Yellow and red onions, red grapes, and broccoli are rich in quercetin, a newly discovered anticancer agent that the University of California tab studies have shown can suppress malignant cells before they form tumors.
Cauliflower also contains vitamin C and folate. Folate helps the blood work more efficiently and is often recommended for preventing anemia. Folate is also essential for proper tissue growth and not getting enough can make you succeptible to many diseases down the road such as cancer and heart disease.
Adding pomegranates to your fruit bowl may protect your health on several fronts. Pomegranates may inhibit the growth of breast and prostate cancer, improve blood vessel function, and protect the heart, preliminary results of several studies suggest. The fruit contains very high levels of polyphenol antioxidants, compounds that protect against a host of diseases.
If your lunches tend to be meat-free, add a cup of low-fat cottage cheese sprinkled with walnuts and dried fruit for good mineral measure. Both cottage cheese and walnuts are a good source of selenium, a mineral found largely in animal-based foods. Selenium is important for the function of cancer-fighting antioxidant enzymes in the body. Other good sources of selenium include Brazil nuts and eggs.
Turn to your diet first to fulfill your nutritional needs.
Getting your nutrition through a healthful, diverse diet may help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions better than getting it through supplements, evidence suggests. Don't toss your supplements, however. They are a good way to fill in nutrition gaps when your diet falls short.
You know about salt and high blood pressure. But salt and cancer? Research suggests there may be a connection. Diets high in super salty foods could spell trouble for people's colons, early research suggests. Women in a study who subsisted on a traditional Japanese diet, which tends to be very high in sodium, exhibited an increased risk of colon cancer. More research is needed to confirm the link, but in the meantime, kick up the flavor of your favorite foods with herbs and low-sodium spices instead.
Broccoli sprouts contain cancer-fighting compounds such as sulforaphane. Researchers have found that 1/4 ounce of broccoli sprouts contains as much cancer-fighting compounds as 2 pounds of broccoli. Only buy sprouting seeds not treated with fungicides.
