Eating to prevent cancer or to boost your immune system during you battle with the disease before or after chemo, radiation, or instead of… whichever your choice it doesn’t need to be difficult. If you are accustomed to eating the typical north American diet of animal meats and fats, and fast foods and sugar, then this may be a big switch for you.
If someone tells me that it is too difficult, too much trouble, too hard to change their eating habits, then I say you must want your disease. You can choose live giving foods and supplements that come from real god given nutritious food, or choose dead, chemical laden, fat drenched fast food. Now, don’t think I am being judgmental… I am not. I am battling my own demons with a desperate craving for sugar, and it is incredibly hard to find time to exercise every day. So I KNOW exactly how you feel.
So just how easy can it be to eat the life giving “Cancer Diet” way? It’s as easy as the nearest grocery store, health food store, farmer’s market and the internet! Fresh vegetables and fruits grown organically and locally if at all possible, fresh, dried and/or powdered mushrooms, green tea in loose leaf form, dried and/or raw nuts, seeds and fruit, legumes (beans) and olive oil… these are the things that make up an anti-cancer diet. Add some herbal teas, a few supplements like CoQ10, Vitamin D, B Vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, and iron if you don’t eat meat, alkalized water and liquid zeolite to remove heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, and viral particles to round off your nutrition, exercise daily, and limit meat and meat products, sugar and grains.
Does that sound hard? Well perhaps I could give you and idea of how that looks. It is summer here in Canada, so we (finally) have access to a seemingly endless supply of fresh locally grown produce. I visit the local farmer’s stand and stock up. Fresh strawberries and blueberries are brought home.. some are eaten and some are bagged and put in the deep freeze for the winter months. Tomatoes by the bushel along with peppers, celery, onions, fresh pressed garlic, cilantro and lime… all thrown together in the food processor, and minced for salsa. This fresh raw salsa will be frozen in small containers, and of course some will be eaten. Fresh picked green and yellow beans eaten raw (and some blanched… dipped in boiling water and then cold water… and bagged for the deep freeze. Beets AND beet tops, fresh carrots, red and green chard, spinach and other leafy greens come into the house and are steamed and served with vinegar and sea salt. Green and yellow zucchinis, fresh onions, snap peas in the pod… these make a great stir fry. Corn on the cob as an occasional treat is so good picked straight out of the field. Peaches, pears, apples, plums,… all of these are grown locally as well.
Often when people find out I am vegetarian they will ask, “What do you eat?”. I always smile a bit… well first of all I sure don’t look undernourished, but aside from that, what I have listed above is just a small sampling of nature’s bounty available to you if you just change your mind a bit about what food is, and learn some new kitchen skills.
The difference between a flavorful, robust vegetarian meal, and one that tastes limp, boring or bland to a former meat eater is something called “umami”. Umami is (a fairly recently discover) fifth taste. It is usually present in meat and gives food body. Thankfully there are several foods available to vegetarians that have umami. These are the foods you should always try to have in an an anti-cancer kitchen. Thankfully they are all loaded with anti-oxidants, and other cancer fighting components, so they not only make your food taste better!
Umami is found in asparagus, tomato, soy or tamari sauce, mushrooms, wine, cheeses (sparingly), green tea, and is multiplied several fold when used in combination. Learn how to cook dishes including at least 2 umami based foods, and your meals will be much more satisfying, and easier to stick to.
Eating your anti-cancer diet should be easy too. Raw fruits and vegetables require very little prep time. Wash and serve, or wash, slice and serve. Prepared meals call for a little more planning. when I am chopping for one meal, I will often chop extra and have it in the fridge for quick grabs. I always have a container of veggies chopped in the fridge. My teens will take some to work for lunch as a salad, and I use them in stir fries, soups, and toppings for our Friday night pizza.
Mushrooms you should have on hand in a number of different forms, and eat some every day, either raw, cooked in meals or sprinkled into sandwiches, soups and sauces and stir fries. There have been many studies done, particularly on the so called Chinese medicinal mushrooms, that prove that they have substances in them that support the immune system, suppress tumor growth, and so much more. It is so easy, even if you live in a rural area like I do, to get whatever you need. Mushrooms… this is a good example. I have cordyceps and red reishi mushroom powder, shitake dried whole, porcini dried sliced, and wild mushroom mix of maitake, porcini, agaricus and woodear, dried and broken, I also have agaricus blazei in liquid concentrate. We eat them in, or on, something every day. I ordered them on eBay! Just do a search on eBay for any of the kinds I listed and you will find some that come from USA, Canada or China.
I hope you find that choosing life will be a rewarding (and tasteful) experience.
By: Shelley Penney
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Filed under Cancer by on Nov 21st, 2010. 
Cancer has been declining over the years in the United States. Even so, it remains the number 2 ranked cause of death, according to the Center for Disease Control. Certain diets have long been associated with cancer. Actually many links have been made in association with some cancers and a person’s diet. A vegetarian diet is quite possibly in lowest risk group when it comes to cancer. Whether you are looking out for your future and you have never had cancer or you are recovering from cancer, a vegetarian diet may be a wise choice for you.
Meat on the other hand has a possible risk for developing cancer, especially red meat. One theory as to why red meat is associated with cancer lies in the preparation of the meat. The thought is that most red meat is grilled, and grilling leaves a quasi- charcoal like substance on and in the meat. The connection is that charcoal is on the list for being a suspected carcinogen. So the meat is often grilled or broiled such that it is blackened on the outside. When you eat the blackened surface of your hamburger or steak, you are actually eating charcoal. My own personal belief has to do with the cows themselves. The other theory is that the cows are occasionally fed hormones which stimulate their tissue growth. It could be that those hormones continue to work after the cow is dead. Instead of stimulating healthy muscle growth though, they start to mutate and affect healthy cells negatively. The problem is that pigs and chickens are also given the same supplements. If this were true then chicken and pork would have the same cancer risks as red meat, which they do not. By eliminating all meat, the chances of developing cancer are statistically reduced.
Vegetarian diets contain foods that are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants work with your body’s natural defenses to combat diseases, as well as to produce healthy tissue growth. Antioxidants fight cancer. Spinach and blueberries are two foods that are rich in antioxidants. Green tea is another great source.
Avoiding red meat and eating a vegetarian diet rich in antioxidants, you can improve your odds of getting cancer. Now that’s some odds I can live with!
John A. Hrivnak
By: John A. Hrivnak
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Filed under Cancer by on Jul 18th, 2010.