You Can't Talk About Food Without A Recipe #3: Tropical Yogurt Smoothie

Did you know that yogurt is a great cancer fighter? It may slow tumor growth and it replaces the intestinal flora that can be killed during chemotherapy. But you can't use the flavored stuff because it has sugar or artificial sweetener in it, and those aren't good for cancer. You can use fruit juice concentrate as a sweetener though and if you get the kind that's fortified with vitamin C you'll be replacing an important vitamin that gets lost during cancer treatment and you'll be boosting your immune system. Now, if you use fruits like mango and pineapple and papaya, you'll be adding even more vitamin C and other wonderful things like potassium and copper.

This recipe was great, but you can experiment yourself. Use the nutrient search tool at The Nutrition Data website to find nutrients from the chart on my post titled "Charting A New Course". Here's the link again: http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-009125000000000000000-1w.html.

And here's the recipe

Tropical Yogurt Smoothie

1/2 cup papaya

1/2 cup mango

1 cup pinapple

3/4 cup vitamin C fortified apple juice concentrate

1 qt. low fat plain yogurt

Put all in the blender and process until smooth. Enjoy. Then make a second batch. Save for later, or make popcicles.

You Can't Talk About Food Without A Recipe #2: Chicken Soup For The Cancer Fighters Soul

I make a good chicken soup. I've been doing it for years, and it's pretty easy and basic. When it comes to adapting a chicken soup recipe to help with the fight against cancer there are a few simple changes. First I had to give up the easy flavoring method of using bouillon cubes or packages. There's just too much salt in them and excess salt in the diet may cause stomach cancer. I used sea salt and increased the amount of herbs (which are great cancer fighters) in the stock. Second, I'm always looking for a way to include turmeric in my cooking now. Turmeric encourages cancer cell death, inhibits tumor growth, and enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy. It's also the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent available. Third, I had to eliminate refined white flour noodles or white rice. I substituted wild rice. What I ended up with was delicious, nutritious, and an aide in the fight against cancer. Here's the recipe:

Chicken Soup For The Cancer Fighters Soul

Step 1

Boil the chicken in water. Use what ever you have. The more the better because chicken is good protein, and not as high in saturated fat as some meats. Removing the fat before cooking is good but you're going to refrigerate the chicken and the water overnight so it's not necessary at this point. You can add scraps of vegetables and seasonings to flavor the stock if you want, but that isn't necessary either, because you will do most of the seasoning in step 2. When the chicken is cooked, remove from the water and cover both the water and the chicken and refrigerate over night. This allows the fat to rise to the top and congeal so it is easily removed.

Step 2 (the next day)

Chop carrots, celery, and onions. You really can't have too much. It depends on the size of the pot you're working with. If you're going to the trouble of making home made soup, make as much as you can and freeze the left over. Just to give you an idea, a 5 qt. dutch oven would call for at least a cup of each. Fresh garlic is nice, but you can use powdered too. Use a minimum of 4 cloves, and if you like garlic use more, garlic is a good cancer fighter. Crush the cloves with the flat of the knife and chop fine. Fresh or frozen broccoli and frozen peas can be added in at the end.

Begin by putting olive or canola oil in the pot (the bigger the pot, the more soup you'll end up with). Saute' the carrots, celery and onions. When they're beginning to get translucent put in the garlic (unless you're using powder, that can go in with the spices) turn the heat down a little bit so as not to burn the garlic. Remove the congealed fat from the water the chicken was boiled in. Place a strainer over the pot with the vegetables, line the strainer with a paper towel, (or two connected paper towels if it's a large colander you're using) to filter out any particles in the water. Pour the chicken stock through the strainer. If you have packaged, low sodium chicken stock you can add that in now too. You want the vegetables to be covered with at least 4 times their volume in stock and/or water (if necessary).

Now it's time to add the herbs and spices. This is always a dash, here and a handful there, so you'll need to experiment, but to give you a rough idea: 3 bay leaves, 1 tb poultry seasoning, 1 tsp each of thyme, basil, and if you like, oregano. Start with 2 tsp salt and taste and adjust as you go. It's difficult to measure pepper from a pepper grinder, use your best judgement. Now for the turmeric: if you have cancer, you'll want to use a lot, start with 2 tablespoons and if that tastes o.k. to you, try adding more. If you don't have cancer, you can use less, but it adds a nice color and it's not going to hurt you so be liberal.

While the soup is simmering, remove any skin and bones from the chicken you've used and rinse any fat from it. Chop it and add it to the pot. Check the seasonings. Adjust as necessary. If it's too strong, add water, too weak add more seasoning. When it tastes the way you like it, make sure the pot is simmering and add the wild rice. The rice will take an hour to cook so set the timer and take a break from the kitchen. Add the broccoli and peas at the end. When the broccoli is tender it's ready to serve. You'll never need to buy chicken soup from a can with this recipe! Get single serving size containers for the freezer and you'll always have something to go with your sandwich at lunch time. I just hope you aren't using white bread.

Charting a New Course

Dad requested a chart of all the foods and nutrients I've been researching, so he could take it to his first appointment with the dietitian on Wednesday. It took me over 6 hours to complete, but it's pretty awesome. If you have cancer, or want to prevent cancer, there's some good information here. It's going to motivate you to make changes that will be positive for your overall health. This information should not be considered a replacement for qualified advice and treatment from medical personnel. Some cancer treatments require temporary suspension of specific vitamin use in order to target and kill specific cancers. Overuse of some vitamins and minerals can be poisonous. Always check with your doctor and dietitian about your specific needs!

(This chart would not {#%<*#} copy correctly, sorry for the format, I made sure each nutrient was repeated in each column to avoid confusion)

Nutrient	Function of Nutrient	Foods With Nutrient
Vitamin E (take before a meal) Vitamins A, C, K, B complex and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) Selenium	Vitamin E Prevents radiation burns, relieve pain, reduce scaring. Destroyed by radiation treatment. Protects vitamin A. Vitamin E with Vitamin C can help the liver neutralize the toxic by-products of cancer treatment. Improves the efficiency of selenium. Vitamins A, C, K, B complex and UFA are destroyed by radiation treatments (which can also suppress the immune system). These need to be built up before treatment, and replaced during and after. Selenium improves the efficiency of vitamin E. Critical in the production of glutathione peroxidase, the body’s master antioxidant. May prevent or slow tumor growth by boosting immune cell activity and suppressing development of blood vessels to the tumor.	Vitamin E sources: Fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, almonds, turnip greens, tomato sauce, pine nuts, peanut butter, avocado For Vitamins A, C, K, B complex and UFA see link below for Nutrition Data website. Under the tools tab click on the nutrient search tool to find foods highest in each nutrient. Selenium sources: Brazilnuts, mixed nuts, dried egg white, mustard seed, tuna, sunflower seeds, Puffed wheat, Wheat berries, whole wheat flour, anchovies, liver, clams, oysters, lobster, soy flour, eggs
L-arginine Germanium (organic germaniu, Germanium-132, or Ge-Oxy 132)	L-arginine inhibits tumor growth. Is depleted in the body by severe burns and infections. High doses have adverse side effects. Ask dietitian. Germanium has been shown to protect the body from cancerous cell and tumor growth by strengthening the immune system. Germanium stimulates the production of interferon which stimulates the production of natural killer cells (NK cells) which directly combat cancer cells. Increases oxygen in the body, which retards the growth of cancer cells, or even return cells to their normal state. Dr. Otto Warburg won a Nobel prize for cancer research by discovering that cancer cells cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment. Germanium may help treat cancer of the lungs, bladder, larynx and breast, as well as depression, asthma, arthritis, heavy metal poisoning, sinus infection, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, neuralgia, leukemia and cirrhosis. Used best in conjunction with traditional cancer therapy under the care of a qualified physician with appropriate monitoring of kidney function.	L-arginine sources: Spanish peanuts, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, lentils, brazilnuts, cashews, pistachios, flax seeds, beans of all kinds, pecans, soybeans, tofu, whole wheat flour, garlic, onion, tuna, salmon, shrimp, eggs Germanium is available as a supplement in capsule or tablet form or as a pure powder which can be stirred into water and stored in the refrigerator.
Yogurt or Acidophilus culture (probiotics or friendly bacteria)	Yogurt maintains intestinal flora, may slow tumor growth, prevents infectious diarrhea	Yogurt, kefir
Copper	Copper improves the absorption and utilization of iron. Significantly retarded cancer development in laboratory animals. A powerful antioxidant.	Copper sources: Veal, liver (beef and calf was the highest, then goose, lamb and duck), Oysters, clams, seaweed (spirulina),Shitake mushrooms, soy flour, cocoa powder, mace (spice), sesame seeds, cashews
Iron Superoxide Dismutase	Iron prevents anemia Superoxide Dismutase repairs cells and reduces the damage done to them by superoxide, the most common free radical in the body. Acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Helps the body use zinc, copper, and manganese. Mn SOD protects mitochondria from free radical damage. Cu/Zn SOD protects the cells’ cytoplasm. Helpful in prostate problems, burn injuries, radiation damage and preventing side effects of cancer drugs.	Iron sources: Clams, Oysters, Chicken liver, Mussels, Beef liver, Shrimp, Sardines, Turkey, enriched breakfast cereals, cooked beans and lentils, pumpkin seeds, baked potato with skin, molasses, asparagus, enriched pasta Sources of Superoxide Dismutase: Barley grass, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, wheatgrass, and most green plants. Must be combined with vitamin C and copper.
Spirulina Platensis (Blue green algae) Products should be certified free from contamination. Microcystin contamination can cause hepatotoxicity, renal falure and neurotoxicity. Methionine Iodine	Spirulina provides chemoprotective and radioprotective effects (in animal studies) Human studies showed an increase in the level of circulating natural killer cells. Invitro studies showed antiviral and antimutagenic activity. Methionine helps the liver neutralize the toxic byproducts of cancer treatment. An antioxidant. Critical for the removal of heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body. Ensures healthy liver, kidney, and bladder function. Is essential for muscle growth and energy. Iodine deficiency has been linked with certain breast cancers. Since you are using sea salt, you need to find out if you need supplemental iodine	Spirulina can be purchased as supplements or spirulina enriched foods. Dried spirulina suppliments have a wide range beneficial nutrients including good amounts of copper, iron and protein. Methionine sources: raw or dried egg whites, low-fat cottage cheese and fat-free cream cheese,Atlantic and pacific cod, flounder grouper, haddock, halibut, ling, northern pike orange roughy, perch, snapper slole, sunfish, tilapia, fresh and canned tuna, walleye pike and whitefish, crab, lobster and shrimp, sunflower seed flour, chicken, turkey, buffalo, elk low-fat Colby and cheddar cheese, spirulina, tofu, turnip greens, spinach, asparagus, bamboo shoots, raw zucchini and watercress, cowpeas, blackbeans, great northern beans and kidney beans, pumpkin and squash seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews and pistachios. Haddock, cod, eggs, seaweed, mayonnaise, condensed milk
Echinacea	Echinacea stimulates phogocytosis, , enhance mobility of leukocytes, stimulate TNF and interleukin 1 secretion from macrophages and lymphocytes.* This process may kill cancer cells. Boosts the immune system. Used to relieve cold and flue symptoms including sore throats.	Echinacea sources: Purchase as tea. Try to get 100% Echinacea and avoid blends that may have ingredients that would be good for colds and flu, but not for your purposes. (licorice, menthol)

* Click on this link to see an animation that explains phagocytosis: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/biology/bio4fv/page/phago.htm

Nutrition Data website:

http://nutritiondata.self.com

Vitaminstuff.com:

http://www.vitaminstuff.com/vitamins.html

You Can't Talk Food Without a Recipe #1

Christmas dinner was dedicated to healthy foods that would help in the fight against cancer in one of three ways: 1) build up and/or replace nutrients that would be lost during treatment 2) prevent more cancer from forming 3) starve or kill existing cancers
There will be more information on what kinds of nutrients are supposed to do those things, but for now I want to get a great recipe out to you that made Christmas dinner non-traditional, but wonderful. First I have to say that I tried lots of recipes that I have never tried before, which is not something you are supposed to do when you're entertaining because it can be a recipe for disaster. All the food came out great, and for that I thank God. I think He's on our side in this fight.
This recipe is for baked salmon. I was going to follow a recipe, but in the piles of ingredients all over the kitchen, I lost one of the important ones and ended up winging it. It was the best salmon I've ever tasted, and Dad agreed.

Baked Salmon

4 pieces of Salmon (wild is better nutritionally, but farm raised will work)
4 cloves of garlic

2 tbs grated fresh ginger
4 tbs olive oil
sea salt
cracked pepper
2 to 3 cups or more of julienned celery, carrots and scallions
low sodium soy sauce

Place salmon skin side down in a baking dish with 2 inch sides. Peal garlic cloves, slice off stem end, crush with flat of knife and chop fine. Mix with olive oil, ginger, sea salt and cracked pepper. Spread over the salmon. Pile julienned vegetables on the salmon. Sprinkle soy sauce liberally over all. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes depending on thickness of salmon pieces, until the salmon flakes when probed with a fork.

Steamed asparagus and baked potato with skin would make a nutritious accompaniment, or boiled red new potatoes if you want a fancier presentation. Just be sure to eat the skin of the potato. We had poached pears with this for desert. Simple, but elegant.

Betrayed from birth

We are all born to prefer things that taste sweet. This could have been an evolutionary tool for survival, since sweet tasting foods are calorie dense and give us the energy we need to perform the work of survival. As civilization has progressed, humans have become adept at creating ways of making survival easier, and less work. We don't need as much energy as we once did to survive, but we still have that preference for sweet things. We've also discovered and cultivated plants that produce concentrated sweetness. We've created refining processes that concentrate that sweetness in to forms that can be stored for long periods of time and shipped over long distances. As a result, we are eating much more sugar than evolution ever designed us to eat. According to the USDA, Americans eat over 157 pounds of sugar per year. 29 pounds of sugar comes from the sugar bowl and almost 52 pounds comes from soft drinks. Those sources could be easily controlled by eliminating the sugar bowl and the soft drinks, but 40 pounds of sugar is hidden in things like catsup, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, crackers and even low fat yogurts and low fat salad dressings.

Now there are some people who would say, o.k, we should cut down on the amount of sugar, but sugar is still an important source of calories and as long as we have it in moderation it won't really harm us. Maybe there is truth to that, but I believe that refined sugar is unnecessary in our diets and even harmful because of the way the body responds to it. When you eat a large amount of refined sugar and white flour (which becomes sugar in the blood) it raises the amount of sugar in your blood very fast. You feel increased energy and improved mood for a short period of time, but the body prefers to keep blood sugar constant so it sends out insulin to bring the sugar levels in the blood down. That quick drop in sugar levels can lead to feeling tired and hungry. That is not what we want to feel after we eat, and all those extra calories end up getting stored as fat. If you deal with that hunger by eating more refined sugar and white flour, you put yourself on an express elevator that never leaves you on top long enough to get off. You will always be feeling tired and hungry. You may recognize that I'm describing a condition that most Americans are suffering from. It's an addiction.

Obviously a situation like I just described can set a person up for obesity and diabetes, but what has that got to do with cancer? Well most people don't realize that sugar causes inflammation in the body. Inflammation is something we usually associate with injury, or infection. It is a way the body uses to heal something that can destroy the body. When your body becomes inflamed as a response to an upper respiratory infection, or a sprained ankle, that is called acute inflammation. Prolonged inflammation is called chronic inflammation and that can lead to all kinds of problems that I'm really not qualified to describe or explain, but the short story here is that chronic inflammation is linked to cancer. It's a huge jump to suggest that sugar causes cancer. I'm not suggesting that. Sugar does cause inflammation, and if chronic inflammation causes cancer, and you eat too much sugar on a regular basis, it follows that you could be increasing your risk for cancer. There is no doubt about the link between obesity and cancer.

If you have cancer already, too much sugar will cause your body to produce insulin and that helps cancer cells to grow. Cancer patients have to be careful to balance their reduced sugar intake with protein, fat and fiber, which will help the body process the sugar more slowly and reduce the amount of insulin produced. What ever your situation may be, the best choice to satisfy the urge for something sweet is to choose foods that are naturally sweet. The truly interesting thing about foods with natural sugar is that they don't cause nearly as much inflammation as foods high in processed sugar and white flour. A cup of super sweet ripe pineapple chunks are delicious and are actually mildly anti-inflammatory. It also contains 131% of your daily recommended allowance of vitamin C, which will do a lot more for your immune system than processed sugar. You get the delicous taste and the added benefit of energy that lasts a long time and doesn't leave you feeling tired.

It's not our fault we were born with a taste for sweetness, and in times when most of our labors are relatively easy and our food is with-in easy reach. It's something to be grateful for, but also wary of. Where much is given, much is required. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves and change our ways of doing things so that we have the health that all humans deserve. Wealth shouldn't be a curse if we make wise use of it. The first step in fighting cancer with food is managing the amount of refined sugar and white flour you eat.

Dedicated to Daddy

December 26, 2010

My father has been fighting cancer for 2 years. He's lost a kidney and had several operations. A panel of doctors gave him a death sentence 10 days ago. They said 6 months to 1 year, maybe 2, because you're strong. Now the fight is becoming desperate. The whole family is diving in to offer support in any way they can. This blog is the result of my efforts to help save my father from cancer. We just aren't ready to let him go, unless the time comes when he just can't stay.

After the initial shock, my response was to start using my knowledge about food to help him gain more time. I may know a little bit about food, but I know next to nothing about cancer, so I had to start with some research. I found some encouraging information from David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, about how changing his diet helped him in his fight. I emailed it to Dad, as well as the section on cancer from the book Nutrition Almanac, Fourth Edition, by Gayla J. and John D. Kirschmann. In his next visit to the doctors office, Dad asked if food could help cure cancer and the doctor told him basically the same thing doctors told David Servan-Schreiber: "Eat what you like. It won't make much difference." Then he proceeded to tell Dad he had a 1% chance of survival.

Before I say what I think about doctors, I want to emphasize that cancer is the deadliest foe you can fight. I do not want anyone to think that anything on this blog suggests that you should try to find a cure without your doctor and the tools of medical technology. That being said, there are some things a doctor can say that you just shouldn't listen to, and science is proving every day that saying someone with cancer should "Eat what you like, because it won't make much difference" is just not true. I can forgive the doctor for possibly mistaking our intentions, which are to lengthen Dads time and increase the quality of it. There are a lot of lingering old theories that cancer can be cured by eating large quantities of asparagus or other more obscure things. Still, both the doctor and the patients concerns would be better served by acknowledging diet as an important part of cancer treatment, even if it isn't a cure. After getting over my initial anger at a doctor's attempt at robbing my father of one of the most important weapons in a cancer patients arsenal ( hope, and a positive attitude), I relegated him to the ranks of the "world is flat" crowd, and set sail on a life changing voyage of discovery.

I accept that my father's fate is sealed by cancer, but we have some control over when the end comes. I also know that what I learn by facing my father's fate with him, will teach me, our extended family and all those we share this experience with how to protect ourselves from this deadly disease. There are cures for cancer, if caught early, but none of them are easy. Cancer prevention is something we all can learn how to do, and amazingly, if we learn to do what it takes to prevent cancer, we will also prevent many other health related problems like heart disease, obesity, and some forms of arthritis and diabetes.