A Special Thank You to San Diego Woman Magazine who featured me … and re-posted one of my blogs!
Have a read!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian
Informing, Entertaining, and Featuring the Women of San Diego
San Diego Woman Magazine’s Expert Issue 2015
Cancer Fighting Foods!
Written by Chef Marian
Blogging at ChefMarian.com
Over 300 blogs and 3 Cookbooks later, I am still understanding how to get your body to actually use the nutrients from what we eat, how to stabilize your blood sugar, use less sugar because sugar equals inflammation and let your ‘Meatless Mondays’ expand through Thursday as a habit just to boost your health.
All it takes is tiny lifestyle changes, tiny shifts in what you buy and cook to benefit your health without denying yourself the joy of eating and drinking. I do continuous research to see what new studies have come out that may change what I think. (This article reflects what I know at this time to be true).
And why go towards a vegan lifestyle? To prevent cancer and reclaim your health. So, where do I start? How about with an authority – the American Institute for Cancer Research. They back up the idea that disease cannot grow in an alkaline body. And guess what’s alkaline? Water, Fruits and Vegetables.
AICR added to their existing table of the latest findings to their list of apples, blueberries, cranberries, grapefruit and cherries. They also recommend cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.
Just buy them. If they’re in the house, you’ll either eat them, or figure out how to use them in a recipe. Experimenting is fun! Newly released info has added grapes, garlic, green tea and red wine to that list. But the ingredients I will focus on in this article are some of my favorites: Garlic, Wine, and Tomatoes.
Some research from the National Cancer Institute has found that eating tomatoes may help protect men from prostate cancer…. tomatoes contain a particularly high concentration of an effective antioxidant called lycopene. Dr. Andrew Weil reminds us that lycopene has ‘a greater-than-average ability to ’quench’ free radicals that cause damage to cells. Excessive free radical damage has been implicated in heart disease, cancer, as well as accelerated aging”.
I want to remind you to put a drop or two of olive oil with those tomatoes to help release the lycopene. Next? Garlic. And make sure garlic goes in at the end or low and slow throughout the cooking process. You can’t do anything with overcooked garlic that turns bitter!
Several large studies have found that those who eat more garlic are less likely to develop various kinds of cancer”. Experts don’t know how much you need to eat to prevent cancer, but a clove a day is recommended.
Red wine? According to the National Cancer Institute, “resveratrol found in red wine (moderate amounts) may be useful in keeping cancer from beginning or spreading”. Think of all the simple and delicious additions you can make:
• Breakfast – Broiled Tomatoes topped with a minimal amount of Parmigiano Reggiano and olive oil. Add small squares of bread or crackers.
– I love Ezekiel, for a healthy sprouted experience.
• Lunch – Lentils (packaged from Trader Joe’s) with caramelized onions, broccoli, garlic, beets, and other veggies that happen to be in your fridge.
• Appetizers – Roasted Garlic with a multi grain baguette and a brilliant glass of pinot noir.
• Veggies – Cauliflower and Garlic Puree looks like smashed Potatoes. Don’t forget the nutmeg!
• Quinoa as your protein, with caramelized onions, sweet potatoes and
broccoli.
• Holidays – There are so many ways to skip the animal protein and fat (recipe on ChefMarian.com). They even make vegan marshmallows now, to top a freshly made sweet potato pie.
Don’t forget what the AICR says: “Veggies can protect you from the free radicals that can damage your cells’ DNA….. and also encourage cancer cells to die”.
So Food is Your Best Medicine! Seriously!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian
Please use your own judgment and check with your doctor before following any recommendations anyone makes.
References: http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03368/Lycopene.html