I've never sinned, I've got a friend in food
With all the back and forth of religious/anti-religious letters on TCPalm lately (and though I haven't been able to keep up with them all) one thing I've seen repeated in the comment section from several of the devout Christians' is that they have a duty to inform others. That describes how I feel when it comes to health and so I've come to the conclusion that 'health' is my religion of choice. I'm not exceptionally devout by any means, (I do quite a bit of sinning) but I try to be faithful.
It is said that only 5 to 10% of the most "popular" cancers are related to genetic factors. The rest are attributed to environmental factors. Your first line of defense is one of the things you have a certain amount of control over- what you eat and how you live. Though there are a lot of factors beyond our control, nutrition matters and is the basis of a really good article in the Feb/March 2009 issue of Mother Earth News titled "Healthy Choices to Keep Cancer at Bay". I've read quite a bit about the subject and thought the author, Linda B. White, M.D., summarized it nicely into 14 easy steps anyone can incorporate into their lives to help prevent cancer.
It's a fairly short article and I could just as easily leave you a link and leave it at that. But I know your busy and though I'll include the link below if you want to read it in its entirety, I'll summarize her summary for you.
1. Follow a plant based diet. They're filled with antioxidants; they stimulate the immune system, enhance detoxification and help regulate hormones.
2. Graze on berries. Include cherries and red grapes too as they're nutrient dense and anti-inflammatory (inflammation is blamed for other diseases as well).
3. Eat from the cruciferous vegetable family- broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, alfalfa sprouts, brussels sprouts, etc. (Let me add, try to eat at least one serving of those daily.)
4. Eat complex carbs. Refined carbs besides being fiberless, lead to high blood sugar- sugar feeds cancer cells.
5. Add spice to your life. (No, not that kind of spice, though it’s good for you as well). Turmeric and ginger to be specific as both have "potent" anti-inflammatory properties.
6. Go for garlic. It's an antioxidant which boosts immunity, inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and aids enzymes that detoxify carcinogens. Chop, crush, or slice it ten minutes before cooking so you don't destroy the good stuff.
7. Minimize meat. Especially, processed meats and red meat. (Also, grilled meats, well-done meat and fried meat.)
8. Choose your fats wisely. High intake of animal fats and trans fats (hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated oils) increase cancer risk while olive oil, most vegetable oils and cold-water fish oil don't and seem to be protective.
9. Regular exercise. No excuses. Schedule it into your day like it's a job, a very well paying job-- because it is. Overweight women who lose 20 pounds and keep it off cut their risk of breast cancer in half. (I'd wager the same weight loss would cut a man’s prostate cancer risk too.)
10. Avoid tobacco. It's responsible for nearly 30% of all cancers. Enough said.
Okay, now I'm talking blasphemy at the Beach House but here goes:
11. Keep alcohol to a minimum. Heavy drinking increases the risk of cancer.
12. Avoid stress overload. Hard to do if your keeping alcohol to a minimum but exercise should equal it out. There's no smoking gun linking stress to cancer but stress does impair your immune system.
13. Stay social. Especially important if you’re already battling cancer.
14. Get screened. Don't miss having a yearly exam. Early detection increases your chance of beating cancer should you have it.
So there it is. All pretty simple to add to your routine if your not already doing it. And hopefully sharing it with you will put me in the good graces of the health Gods… Or that other "Spirit in the Sky". ;-)
Here's the link to the above mentioned article:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/How-To-Prevent-Cancer.aspx
Mother Earth News (my most favorite magazine) is a true bargain at $10 a year if you subscribe online rather than use an insert. Of course reading it online is free. If you have time, check out the Home page. It's loaded with links to interesting articles to help you live more "wisely".
http://www.motherearthnews.com/
TTFN, LDouglas
Amen sister!
MWAH!
missvero@live.com
7 comments:
Ah, the one point of sanity in the old Green Acres, Sam Drucker! I know, all the other good info in your post is really more important, but dang! I did love Sam and his store. Who here remembers it was a spin off from another show which had cross-over characters, including Sam? I'd guess Max remembers, and Viv will have to ask Netflix for help.
BTW Max, I wasn't implying you were homophobic, just pointing out the many movies and shows that have NO social statement whatsoever that garner plenty of awards. Although I think you wouldn't complain if the social message was about having more guns to protect us from criminals [make my day?] or the sanctity of having 14 kids on welfare, er, I mean the rights of the unborn.
smooch!
BTW, cut and paste this link for news of the $1000/person "charity" event where one of our local divas performed, albeit ungraciously. LOL! Jose Lambiet had the scoop.
http://hissip.com/gloria-estefan-rocks-in-west-palm-beach-thalia/
BlessUrHeart, do you remember the character Hank Kimball, the county agricultural agent?
I'm not kidding you- sometimes having a converstaion with my m-i-l is much like having a conversation with him.
There's a lot of similarities between that show and my life...
Otherwise, I read the e-mail from Dr. Mercola last night and there's two links to two articles.
This one on turmeric:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/17/Super-Spice-Secrets-This-Miracle-Spice-Stops-Cancer-Alzheimers-and-Arthritis.aspx
And this one on garlic:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/17/Chemists-Shed-Light-on-the-Health-Benefits-of-Garlic.aspx
And for fun, a link to YouTube and the song "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bplEcbzjME
ROFL! Yes, I almost mentioned Hank, as well -- he drove around in an old gov't jeep wreaking havoc everywhere. poor "dahling" Mr. Douglas, those conversations were priceless, and useless. I loved that guy. sorry about the m-i-l. ;-)
Frank Cady, the actor that played Mr. Drucker, is still alive and kicking even though he has always looked a thousand years old. He is in his 90's. I need to put the show on my Netflix list. It was surreal, especially Mr. Haney.
I remember the show about the Shady Rest, BlessUrHeart, but I don't want to spoil it for my favorite single gal, Viv. She is a real trip.
LDouglas, you have me thinking about a healthier diet and I guess that is a step in the right direction. Instead of heading down to the local Bob Evans to double my numbers, I ate a nice big juicy red apple this morning.
But, it seems everything causes cancer, so it is it necessary to do a 360 in dieting and exercising? I have a feeling with my lifestyle a freight train might take me out first!
Max, I hope you didn't buy that apple from Mr. Haney. I can just imagine him pulling up to your house with that truck of his and pulling out a bushel of apples.
Viv,
That's what we all thought and yet we're still here- trying to make up for lost time... :-)
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