Tag: prevention magazine

Should you be worried about Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) especially when they’re in 80% of processed foods…

On By Barbara StroudIn HEALTH2 Comments

Just go ahead and try to keep up with what we should or shouldn’t eat. It’s a full time job… I’m here to tell you I read all the articles, listen to Dr. Oz, The Doctors, friends and neighbors and I feel like I’m swirling around in a circle. I know how to eat healthy… but with the advent of GMO (genetic modified organisms), and with the FDA not requiring any type of labeling so that YOU, the consumer can choose whether or not you want to eat GMO. It’s frustrating. We all need to stand up and let them know we need to know WHAT’S IN OUR FOOD as well as if it has been altered IN ANY WAY. Fair is fair. If we start dropping like flies but we knew the consequences, then so be it. However, to make us think we’re consuming something healthy (in a few cases) only to have it NOT be healthy, is WRONG.

I’ve read a lot about GMO over the past year or two. I have signed a petition to require labeling on those products, currently is not mandatory. HEAVY sigh… There is a fabulous article by PREVENTION MAGAZINE that helps to explain what this is all about. I urge you to read it. As always Prevention is chock full of great health information you can trust. The article was in the April 2012 issue of Prevention “As Nature Made Them”. Click the link to read the story… (Thank you Prevention for the article and for the above image)!

Let’s start with WHAT IS A GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM. First of all, organism, ewwww. I don’t like that word used in describing food I’m buying. But here are some excerpts from the magazine article, again, I urge you to read it in it’s entirety:

They’re called genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and they’re in 80% of the processed food on grocery store shelves—and a handful of whole foods as well, with perhaps more on the way soon.

A genetically modified food is one that has had lab-replicated genes from other plants, animals, and even viruses added to it in order to give it new characteristics—a resistance to insects, say, or to extreme heat and drought–that provide it an advantage in terms of hardy growth. Today, 91% of soy produced in the United States is genetically modified, as is 85% of corn and 88% of cottonseed, to name a few examples. Most GM crops are grown on large industrial farms and then processed into hundreds of other ingredients that show up in our food as corn syrup, soy lecithin, canola oil, cottonseed oil, or the sweeteners used in soups, spreads, and sauces–even infant formula. So ubiquitous have GMOs become, in fact, that unless a packaged food is certified organic or specifically labeled non-GMO, chances are it contains modified ingredients.

And it’s not just processed foods. Hawaiian papaya, certain varieties of summer squash, and, as recently as last December, drought-resistant corn on the cob have also joined the list of crops that the Food and Drug Administration has reviewed for genetic modification in the United States. Pushing the envelope even further, the agency is now considering green-lighting genetically altered salmon, which would be bred with DNA that makes it grow to full size twice as fast as wild salmon.

The controversy over GM food safety has swirled since the first altered foods were introduced in the early 1990s. Many scientists insist there’s no proof that genetically modified food can harm human health; their opponents counter that such claims cannot be responsibly made because there simply hasn’t been enough research conducted—and there ought to be before consumers can buy them. Such arguments have persuaded 30 countries—including Japan, Australia, and the entire European Union—to ban or severely restrict GM crops. But the United States hasn’t been persuaded.

Obligatory labeling that indicates the presence of GMOs by food manufacturers strikes many as a prudent first step. Last fall, a coalition that now includes more than 480 groups—including Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Ocean Conservancy—launched the Just Label It campaign, asking the federal government to require labeling of GM foods. The FDA has until mid-April to respond to the petition, which has so far amassed 560,000 signatures. In a separate effort, California is working to collect enough signatures to put the question of GM food labeling on its ballot in November.

And some final great thoughts from Prevention…

How To Avoid GM Foods:

Stay Away From The Top 8
The eight GM food crops are corn, soybeans, canola, cottonseed, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, and some zucchini and yellow squash.

Go Organic
Certified organic food cannot intentionally include GM ingredients.

Look For The “Non-GMO Project” Seal
This means the products have been independently tested and verified by the Non-GMO Project.

Use The Non-GMO Shopping Guide
This easy-to-use online guide and free phone app takes the guesswork out of grocery shopping.

Shop With GM-Free Retailers
Two large chains, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s, have banned GM ingredients from their house brands.

One note… locally, EarthFare can be added to the list of no GMO foods… thankfully!

Well, whaddyathink about that? Exhausting, eh? To keep up with things you can join the NON GMO PROJECT Facebook page…

If you would like to see food labeled so that you know if it’s GMO, sign the petition, this one is going to the White House…

Let me know what YOU think. Google GMO. There is so much to read…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

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Healthbeat: Beat Your Sugar and Starch Addiction… Here’s how…

On By Barbara StroudIn HEALTH4 Comments

I have to share with you a fabulous article from Prevention Magazine. Now don’t roll your eyes… hey, every little thing we can do to preserve our health is worth it, right? These are LITTLE changes that can help you beat the sugar and starch addiction (yes, addiction… America is addicted to sugar, and I’m no different. I am struggling to stop my sweet tea (and it’s not very sweet, I make “sweet tea” with 3 tablespoons of sugar for 2 quarts)… I find I don’t want to drink it… sigh… BUT tea is good for you, so I bought a mint plant and pluck off a section and place it in the glass and smash it with a spoon to release the wonderful mint flavor… at least that adds a different flavor!). Here are a few things YOU can do… this is adapted from the Prevention Magazine article adaptation of The Sugar Blockers Diet: Eat Great, Lose Weight–A Doctor’s 3-Step Plan to Lose Weight, Lower Blood Sugar, and Beat Diabetes–While Eating the Carbs You Love, by Rob Thompson, MD, with the editors of Prevention (Rodale, 2012). 

Have a Fatty Snack

Have a fatty snack 10 to 30 minutes before your meals. Reason: You remain fuller longer. 

At the outlet of your stomach is a muscular ring, the pyloric valve. It regulates the speed at which food leaves your stomach and enters your small intestine. This valve is all that stands between the ziti in your stomach and a surge of glucose in your bloodstream. But you can send your pyloric valve a message to slow down.Fat triggers a reflex that constricts the valve and slows digestion. As little as a teaspoon of fat–easily provided by a handful of nuts or a piece of cheese–will do the trick, provided you eat it before your meal.

Start Your Meal With A Salad

 Reason: It soaks up starch and sugar.

Soluble fiber from the pulp of plants–such as beans, carrots, apples, and oranges–swells like a sponge in your intestines and traps starch and sugar in the niches between its molecules. Soluble means “dissolvable”–and indeed, soluble fiber eventually dissolves, releasing glucose. However, that takes time. The glucose it absorbs seeps into your bloodstream slowly, so your body needs less insulin to handle it. A good way to ensure that you get enough soluble fiber is to have a salad–preferably before, rather than after, you eat a starch.

Eat Some Vinegar

 Reason: It slows the breakdown of starch into sugar.

The high acetic acid content in vinegar deactivates amylase, the enzyme that turns starch into sugar. (It doesn’t matter what kind of vinegar you use.) Because it acts on starch only, it has no effect on the absorption of refined sugar. In other words, it will help if you eat bread, but not candy. But there’s one more benefit: Vinegar also increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin.

You should consume vinegar at the start of your meal. Put it in salad dressing or sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on meat or vegetables. Vinegar brings out the flavor of food, as salt does.

Include Protein With Your Meal

 Reason: You won’t secrete as much insulin.

Here’s a paradox: You want to blunt insulin spikes–but to do that, you need to start secreting insulin sooner rather than later. It’s like a fire department responding to a fire. The quicker the alarm goes off, the fewer firefighters will be needed to put out the blaze.

Even though protein contains no glucose, it triggers a “first-phase insulin response” that occurs so fast, it keeps your blood sugar from rising as high later–and reduces the total amount of insulin you need to handle a meal. So have meatballs with your spaghetti.

Nosh on Lightly Cooked Vegetables

 Reason: You digest them more slowly.

Both fruits and vegetables contain soluble fiber. As a rule, though, vegetables make better sugar blockers, because they have more fiber and less sugar.

But don’t cook your vegetables to mush. Boiling vegetables until they’re limp and soggy saturates the soluble fiber, filling it with water so it can’t absorb the sugar and starch you want it to. Also, crisp vegetables are chunkier when they reach your stomach, and larger food particles take longer to digest, so you’ll feel full longer. Another tip: Roasted vegetables like cauliflower can often serve as a delicious starch substitute.

Sip A Glass Of Wine With Dinner

 Reason: Your liver won’t produce as much glucose.

Alcohol has unique sugar-blocking properties. Your liver normally converts some of the fat and protein in your blood to glucose, which adds to the glucose from the carbs you eat. But alcohol consumed with a meal temporarily halts your liver’s glucose production. A serving of any alcohol–beer, red or white wine, or a shot of hard liquor–will reduce the blood sugar load of a typical serving of starch by approximately 25%.

That doesn’t mean you should have several drinks (especially if you have diabetes, as multiple drinks can cause hypoglycemia). Not only does alcohol contain calories, but it also delays the sensation of fullness, so you tend to overeat and pile on calories. Be especially mindful about avoiding cocktails that are made with sweetened mixers–yet another source of sugar.

Save Sweets For Dessert Only

 Reason: All of the above.

If you eat sweets on an empty stomach, there’s nothing to impede the sugar from racing directly into your bloodstream–no fat, no soluble fiber, no protein, no vinegar. But if you confine sweets to the end of the meal, you have all of the built-in protection the preceding rules provide. If you want to keep blood sugar on an even keel, avoid between-meal sweets at all costs–and when you do indulge, don’t eat more than you can hold in the cup of your hand. But a few bites of candy after a meal will have little effect on your blood sugar and insulin–and can be quite satisfying.

 Bonus Sugar Blocker: Move Your Body

 There are other ways of blunting sugar spikes, and exercise is one of the best. Your muscle cells are by far the biggest users of glucose in your body and the target of most of the insulin you make.
When you exercise, your muscles need to replenish their energy stores, so each cell that you work out begins making glucose “transporters.” These sit on the surface of the cell and allow glucose to enter.In the meantime, while cells are still making the transporters, they also open up special channels that allow glucose in, independent of insulin. So to reduce sugar spikes, try going for a walk after eating.
Here’s a quick QUIZ to see if you’re at risk for Diabetes. I know sometimes you just don’t want to know, but this is one time you need to know. If you know you can prevent things from getting worse and turn things around!
Now with all that being said, it’s not really that hard. Have a small salad with some sort of fat (cheese, avocado, etc.), and a vinaigrette (any type of vinegar and olive oil). Then for your meal have a lean protein and a lightly cooked veggie. Sip a small glass of wine if you drink wine (not a reason to start drinking if you don’t). If you’re going to eat a sweet, have it after a meal as dessert, then… take a walk! Even if it’s just around the block. Leash up Fido and make his day!
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Foods that should never cross your lips… #6!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com
Image: Prevention.com

This is week six of the foods that should never cross your lips. This information is from Prevention magazine… to read the article in it’s entirety click HERE. My thought was to give you one food a week to try to change to, or at the very least know about… seems like it’ll stick with you better than all at once. At the bottom I’ve included the list of foods we’ve covered this far. This week’s food to avoid… milk with artificial hormones. From the Prevention magazine article:

Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society, gives us the scoop:
The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. “When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract,” says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. “There’s not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans,” admits North. “However, it’s banned in most industrialized countries.”

The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.

Budget tip: Try Wal-Mart’s Great Value label, which does not use rBGH.

This is one I am faithful about. I usually buy Horizon or if I’m at Whole Foods I’ll buy their brand. Will also try Trader Joe’s with no hormones… we drink 1%, we used to drink skim (regular with hormones/antibiotics all that stuff) and it had a blue’ish tint… WHY would that be? 1% seemed to be better. Interestingly enough when I had the no hormone/antibiotic added skim milk it WAS. NOT. BLUE. Therefore. I won’t drink “regular” milk… it’s not worth it to me. My opinion, but one I believe in.

So… to recap the past weeks:

1. Canned tomatoes

2. Corn-fed beef

3. Microwave popcorn

4. Non-organic potatoes

5. Farmed Salmon

6. Milk produced with artificial hormones

Next week will wrap up this segment!  So add NO ADDED HORMONE milk to your grocery list and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Foods that should never cross your lips… #5

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com
Image: Prevention.com

I may have mentioned once or twice how much I value the information that comes from inside the Prevention magazine pages? Chock full of information to help you live a long healthy life. This is a fantastic article (click HERE for link to full article) about what foods you really shouldn’t eat (or at least TRY not to) and WHY… Today… the 5th… FARMED SALMON… here’s the blip from Prevention Magazine:

Farmed Salmon

David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish, gives us the scoop:

The problem: Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. “You could eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer,” says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. “It’s that bad.” Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it’s farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

Budget tip: Canned salmon, almost exclusively from wild catch, can be found for as little as $3 a can.

Now to recap the past weeks (or click on the HEALTH tab to scroll through)

1. Canned tomatoes

2. Corn-fed beef

3. Microwave popcorn (sorry dad)!

4. Non-organic potatoes

5. Farmed Salmon

Two to go… wonder what they’ll be? Hint… if you just can’t wait you can click to read the full article! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Foods that should never cross your lips… #4

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com
Image: Prevention.com

Well, it’s Thursday and time for the Prevention magazine tip… from a wonderful article 7 FOODS THAT SHOULD NEVER CROSS YOUR LIPS, here is number 4:

Nonorganic Potatoes 

Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, gives us the scoop:

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation’s most popular vegetable—they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. ” Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won’t,” says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). “I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.”

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn’t good enough if you’re trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

Budget tip: Organic potatoes are only $1 to $2 a pound, slightly more expensive than conventional spuds.

Well, good grief, is nothing sacred? The potatoes are coated in layer after layer of poison. Lovely. I DO only buy organic… just not as many. Works out fine!

ARTICLE RECAP: canned tomatoes, corn-fed beef, microwave popcorn and now… nonorganic potatoes!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Foods that should never cross your lips… #3

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com
Image: Prevention.com

Here is this Thursday’s food that should never cross your lips. Thank you to Prevention magazine for another excellent article!

Microwave Popcorn 

Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, gives us the scoop:

The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. “They stay in your body for years and accumulate there,” says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.

The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.

Budget tip: Popping your own popcorn is dirt cheap.

Ahhh, something else that’s good on popcorn? PARMESAN… woohoo!

ARTICLE RECAP: Canned tomatoes, corn fed beef and microwave popcorn!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Foods that should never cross your lips… #2

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com
Image: Prevention.com

I happened upon a fantastic article in PREVENTION MAGAZINE, and I thought it was worth sharing… Each Thursday I’ll post another food that should never cross your lips. It’s a great article because it tells you WHY! I am doing it to the best of my ability!

Ok, here it is, from PREVENTION MAGAZINE:

Corn-Fed Beef

Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming, gives us the scoop:

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. But more money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E,omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. “We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure,” says Salatin.

The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers’ markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It’s usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don’t see it, ask your butcher.

Budget tip: Cuts on the bone are cheaper because processors charge extra for deboning. You can also buy direct from a local farmer, which can be as cheap as $5 per pound. To find a farmer near you, search eatwild.com.

Excellent information from a reliable source. That’s why I read Prevention. If you haven’t subscribed, trust me it’s worth it… and it’s nifty size is so perfect to toss in your purse to take with you! Check it out! If you’re in the Charleston area I know EarthFare and Whole Foods carries it. The taste simply cannot compare to corn-fed. It costs more, yes. But we don’t need to eat such large portions, cut your portion and spend the same amount for something that’s better for your body and fill up on those veggies!

So to backtrack… last week it was CANNED TOMATOES… this week, CORN FED BEEF… What do you think it’ll be next time?

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Foods that should never cross your lips… #1

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com
Image: Prevention.com
Once again, a wonderful article from Prevention magazine! The article is entitled “7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips”. It provides wonderful insight as to WHY you shouldn’t eat these foods… and they’re COMMON foods. Ugh. Here we go for this weeks food to avoid:

Canned Tomatoes 

Fredrick Vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A, gives us the scoop:

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. “You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young,” says vom Saal. “I won’t go near canned tomatoes.”

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe’s and Pomi.

Budget tip: If your recipe allows, substitute bottled pasta sauce for canned tomatoes. Look for pasta sauces with low sodium and few added ingredients, or you may have to adjust the recipe.

IMAGE: Prevention.com

This is excellent information. I have already found the Pomi tomatoes (wonderful) at a local grocery store in town, so I’ve made the  switch to those… also Trader Joe’s just recently opened, so I will check out their tomatoes as well! See if you can find these tomatoes where you live, if not maybe ask the grocery store if they can order?? Hey, if I got more than one stinking tomato off my tomato plant (the size of a plum yet!) I would love to can them, what could be better than that??!
WOOHOO mom!! This is your LAST chemo treatment (woohoo, can you believe it??)!! Oooowieeee am i ever thankful for that! I love you! me
Catch you back here tomorrow… check out my PHOTO BLOG if you get a minute!

Cancer Prevention Tip #12 – soy, tofu, miso and tempeh

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: FoodServiceDirect.com

 Today’s cancer tip is from a great magazine article “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” by Prevention Magazine! Now I realize these tips aren’t for everyone, you have to do what’s right for you. For instance I am sensitive to soy. I went through months of hives and severe allergic reactions yet test negative in every way. It’s a frustrating thing to be allergic to since it’s added to almost everything from BBQ sauce to tuna. The choice is yours, I wish I could go back to it, I loved my decaf soy latte on occasion… and my smoothie’s made with vanilla soy milk… ahhhh (frozen fruit in a blender with soy milk and some plain or vanilla yogurt. Heavens… tasty and refreshing! But now a no-no for me…

Well today was supposed to be the last chemo treatment… but there was a week (and thank God there was only one!) where my moms white blood count was too low… so she couldn’t get chemo that week… so it tacked on a week. That’s OK… it’s over NEXT WEEK! WOOHOO! On to the cancer prevention tip…

Compounds called isoflavones (including genistein, daidzein, and glycitein) prevent tumor growth and block the stimulation of cancer cells by sex hormones (such as estrogens and testosterone). There are significantly fewer breast cancer cases among Asian women who have eaten soy since adolescence, and when they do have breast cancer, their tumors are usually less aggressive with higher survival rates. Isoflavone supplements (in pill form) have been associated with an  of certain breast cancers, but whole soy, eaten as food, has not.

How to Eat It: Replace conventional milk products with soy milk or soy yogurts for breakfast. Also, use tofu, tempeh, and miso in soups and stir-fries.

Ok mom, I’m going to keep up with the health tips, cancer prevention and whatever else I read about… Keep up the good work, the end of chemo is near J – love you! me

Catch you back here tomorrow! If you get a chance, check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

A cancer prevention tip that will make you smile!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com

Now this is a cancer prevention tip that makes me smile… it’s one that I don’t have to think about… one that I can do… one that I can OVER do, ha!

Dark chocolate (70%+) is more than a tasty morsel that you let melt in your mouth, it’s rich in so many ways…  uh, excuse me, had to jump up and grab a piece, don’t want to forget! (I heard you laugh… you’re right… like I would forget!)! Info from Prevention magazine . Click HERE for a fabulous article that has the list of foods we’ve been talking about over the past few months!

Cure It with Dessert

Enjoy antioxidant-rich dark chocolate

Chocolates containing over 70% cocoa provide a number of antioxidants, proanthocyanidins, and many polyphenols. In fact, a square of dark chocolate contains twice as many as a glass of red wine and almost as many as a cup of green tea properly steeped. These molecules slow the growth of cancer cells and limit the blood vessels that feed them.

How to Eat It: Enjoy about one-fifth of a dark chocolate bar a day guilt free. Milk chocolate isn’t a good alternative because dairy cancels out the cancer protection of the polyphenol compounds.

Next week is the last of this series…  but there will be more… I promise! Lets recap all the foods that can be fighting for our bodies to help prevent cancer, as long as we feed our bodies these nutritious warriors instead of say, those tart things you pop in the toaster (oh heavy sigh). It’s worth re-reading this list and adding as many to your day as you possibly can. Don’t ever stop!

BRUSSEL SPROUTS – BOK CHOY – CHINESE CABBAGE – BROCCOLI – CAULIFLOWER – GARLIC – ONION – LEEKS – SHALLOTS – CHIVES – WILD SALMON – ANCHOVIES – SMALL MACKEREL – SARDINES – ORANGES – TANGERINES – LEMONS – GRAPEFRUIT – STRAWBERRIES – RASPBERRIES – BLUEBERRIES – BLACKBERRIES – CRANBERRIES – DARK CHOCOLATE and next…. TOFU – MISO – TEMPEH – SOY MILK – SOY YOGURT, but that’s next week!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Ok mom! This is chemo #11, two treatments to go, WOOHOO!!

Love you lady! me

GINGER… todays cancer prevention tip…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com

Big, beautiful ginger. Ok, so ginger doesn’t win any beauty contests, but what it does to your body is all good stuff. This is straight from an article from Prevention Magazine, “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” . Here goes…

GINGER

Fresh ginger, or gingerroot, is a powerful anti-inflammatory that combats certain cancer cells and helps slow tumor growth. A ginger infusion can also alleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

How to Use It: Add grated fresh ginger to a vegetable stir-fry or fruit salad. Or, make an infusion by slicing a 1-inch piece of ginger and steeping it in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes; drink hot or cold.

Oh, there is nothing better than fresh ginger. It livens up a stirfry, oooh, the shrimp and broccoli stirfry… the steak, mushroom and bok choy stir fry… just to name a few (click on names for recipes). It’s FABULOUS in green tea… any time I’m under the weather I make green tea with sliced fresh ginger, let it steep for a while, then add honey and lemon. Mmmm, good!

These Thursday cancer tip posts are dedicated to my mom… going through chemo right now, bless her heart. Thoughts and prayers always appreciated! She’s a strong lady! I love you mom!

Catch you back here tomorrow…