Health Tip
Breast Cancer -> Green Tea & Mushrooms
In a study reported in the International Journal of Cancer (copy of the actual study), women who consume green tea AND steamed/cooked mushrooms DAILY reduced their risk of getting breast cancer by > 80%. The green tea and mushrooms must be consumed at the same time. That’s why I include both in my smoothie recipes.
Educate yourself!! Buy & read the following two-book set, Eat For Health, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The two books complement each other and should be read together. The 1st book educates you and provides evidence as to “why” you should change your diet, and the 2nd book has the “what” or recipes. As an alternative, order Fuhrman’s latest book, Eat To Live; it was number one on the NY Times Best Seller list. Education is important; otherwise, you will not sustain the diet change and weight loss. 2nd book is In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Gives a great perspective on food and how it has changed over the years; remember when tomatoes did not taste like rubber? A recent study on potatoes is germane. Over the last 50 years the potato has lost:
- 100% of its Vitamin A
- 57% of its Vitamin C and iron
- 28% of its Calcium
- 50% of its riboflavin
- 18% of its thiamine
Commercial farming (reduced crop rotation to replace nutrients in the soil, which George Washington Carver started and championed), genetic engineering, pesticides, etc., are the culprits. This book will provide you some reasons why and how you should change your diet. Once you read Eat For Health or Eat To Live & In Defense of Food, your perspectives about food will change. To stay updated on diet and health issues, I also recommend you join Dr. Fuhrman’s Member Center. I’ve found it to be quite informative. Click here for more information. So, click on the links, then buy & read these books.
Shift to a Nutritarian Diet. A Nutritarian is a person who eats “. . .a vegetarian diet, gleaned from the reduction of animal products, without the risks from all those lower-nutrient, higher-glycemic foods such as sugar, French fries and processed grains.” As fast as you can, transition to a predominantly phytonutrient (plant-based) diet = vegetables, fresh fruits, beans, nuts, etc. – minimum 80% plants & 20% animal products. Although exercise is very important, DIET is KING & QUEEN. A very good friend was recently appointed to a high profile position which entailed going on the banquet circuit where he was eating a “rich” diet. He continued to exercise daily, run two-three miles/day, etc. When he had his annual physical exam, his doctor asked him what happened!? His cholesterol, triglycerides, etc., were out of limits. Although he continued to exercise regularly, he was on the path to heart disease. In the past six years, 59 of my friends have passed mostly from mainly diet related diseases & all but six before the age of 70. Some of these friends were actually in “good” physical condition, i.e., exercised regularly, but their diets had caused them health problems. A Nutritarian diet can reverse Type II diabetes, lower blood pressure, normalize your weight, & prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer. I eat between 80 & 90% plants, mainly raw & steamed, & lost eight pounds in two weeks (now down 15 lbs to 177 lbs) and close to my goal of 175 lbs based on 25% Body Mass Index (BMI). To maintain optimal health one must have a BMI range of 25 to 18 % and a height-to-waistline ratio of less than 50% (e.g., if you are 66 inches tall, then your waist has to be 33 inches or less). Obesity & “belly fat” are now linked to not only heart disease and diabetes, but cancer as well. Click on the BMI calculator link below and input your height, current weight, pants size (waist), age, & gender to determine your current BMI, your height-to-waist ratio, and your ideal weight range. BMI Calculator