To The Dump With Them!!!

The controversy surrounding Teflon coating is huge. Just as with the tobacco companies, DuPont denies that there are health risks in using their products. Obviously, if the public were to find out that there were suspected health risks in using a product, the company producing the product stands to lose business, and money. The subsequent pattern of behavior on the part of the company is to spend substantial amounts of time and money proving that their product is safe for public use. I am not interested in proving that Teflon coating is not safe. To me, your choice of what you use to cook with is your choice. I am only interested in seeing that your choice is an informed one. I am not qualified to inform you on the particulars of the science involved, and with my own preoccupation with researching dietary interventions in cancer treatment, a new assignment as Troop Committee Chairperson in my churches' Boy Scout Troop, and my third semester of college scheduled to begin next week, I haven't the time or the inclination to research the particulars of the Teflon controversy.

I can, however, direct you to a very informative website (http://www.townsendletter.com/June2006/healthrisk0606.htm)

that is sure to inflame pro-industry sensibilities, and then leave you all to make your rebuttals in the commentary.

To this, I'd like to add my own anecdotal evidence. My mom loves Teflon coated cook ware. She uses it until it is scratched and warped. She isn't really aware of the threat, and is probably still in denial about it. About 10 years ago, after the death of her beloved schnauzer, I bought her a pet parakeet. I gave her printed information on it's care, because she had never owned a parakeet before. In the material was information that said Teflon coated cookware has been known to be lethal to pet birds. I may have mentioned this verbally to her as I left the printed material with her, but I might not have. The bird didn't last long. Mom, known for her love and care of animals, was not able to understand what caused the bird to die. This would have been a great opportunity to point out that fumes from the use of Teflon cookware was known to kill pet birds, and since her father had worked in the coal mines in Pennsylvania before she was born, she was familiar with the omen that a dying bird presents.

Could Teflon have caused my fathers cancer? Any number of things could have. We live in a toxic world and one of the benefits of knowing about fighting cancer with food is knowing that there are ways to offset the damage done to our bodies by our toxic environment. That is why, in spite of the challenges of a busy life, my blog posts will continue for years to come. For now, the purpose of this blog post is to convince you (sorry DuPont) that you can live without Teflon.

Back when I was 21 years old, I went to culinary school for 1 year. I worked in the food service industry many years after. One thing I can testify of is that nothing beats stainless steel for cooking. Aluminum, properly seasoned, is also great. If something sticks, they clean up easily, maybe even easier than Teflon. You don't have to worry about having the right utensil to turn over an egg. You don't have to replace the pan if it has a scratch, and most importantly, you don't (to the best of my knowledge) have to worry about the toxic effects of using stainless steel or aluminum.

Today I took my Teflon coated pans and put them in the trash. They were gifts from Mom, and they were nice while they lasted, but they are both scratched, which increases the likelihood that they are off-gassing toxic fumes. I don't have a stainless steel or aluminum frying pan, so this evenings breakfast (my son works third shift) was scrambled eggs with red and green peppers (full of phytochemicals and vitamin c), onions and ham, cooked in an enamel coated dutch oven. Yes it's strange, but it's safe. Someday I'll invest in a really large stainless steal saute pan that can handle a family sized stir-fry or omelet. I'm not afraid of change, in fact it's a blessing. Maybe my body has been damaged by toxins in the environment, or by naturally occurring processes that has caused cancer in humans since the dawn of time, but I am learning everyday to find and use foods and life-styles that can reduce the risks, AND I am teaching my children to make these changes too. I hope this post has encouraged you to do the same.

Spice Up Your Life

Seasonings, flavorings, spices, herbs: we don't usually think of them in terms of nutritional value, only for their ability to make things taste good. I am constantly surprised in my research at just how valuable these things can be in our diet for reasons other than taste. Take chocolate for example. With very few exceptions, almost everyone loves chocolate. When was the last time you attended a party where chocolate wasn't anywhere on the desert table? "Wait!", you're thinking, "chocolate is responsible for half of my weight problem!" Well I'm here to tell you that it's the sugar we use to hide the bitter flavor of the chocolate that's causing your weight problem.

1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder has only 12 calories, and check out these RDA's: 2% Protein, 7% Fiber, 4% Iron, 7% Magnesium, 4% Phosphorus, 2% Potassium, 2% Zinc and how about a drum roll for these last three which are big cancer fighters: 10% Copper, 10% Manganese, 1% Selenium. That's a lot of really good stuff for just 1 tablespoon, but wait, there's more: "Cocoa supplies more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, it contains several neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and andandamide which help improve mood. It also contains the appetite-suppressant PEA, a compound that controls alertness and mental awareness. Also, observational data shows a 90% reduction in the risks of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes in persons consuming cocoa on a regular basis." (http://elitesportsandfitness.com/2009/11/15/organic-cocoa-antioxidant-and-appetite-suppressant/)

Just as with anything else, you can have too much of a good thing. Theobromine is an element in chocolate which can be toxic if you have too much and is the same element which makes chocolate poisonous for dogs. 1 pound of milk chocolate can cause heart arrhythmia's in a 45 pound dog. It would take 4 times that amount to do that in a human, but it's best to avoid anything close to that and consume cocoa in moderate amounts.

Here's another one: Cinnamon. 1 tablespoon of cinnamon gives RDA's of 1% each of Protein, Vitamin E, Niacin, B6, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, 3% Vitamin K, 8% Calcium, 4% Iron, 16% fiber, and a whopping 68% of the cancer fighter Manganese. One teaspoon of cinnamon contains as many antioxidants as a full cup of pomegranate juice and 1/2 cup of blueberries. (Have you seen the cost of pomegranate juice and blueberries lately?) Cinnamon is also a hunger suppressant that can stabilize blood sugar levels.

If your brain works anything like mine, you're probably already trying to figure out how to use cocoa powder and cinnamon together to lose weight and improve your health. Just don't forget that using sugar to make it taste better is going to undo most of the good you can get out of these seasonings. I suggest steeping cinnamon in water with your herbal tea, and a warm cup of unsweetened almond milk with a tablespoon of cocoa is no more bitter than a cup of coffee, and a heck of a lot more nutritious. Get creative! One suggestion I read on the Hershey website suggested cocoa powder in your chili. Remember those poached pears I served on Christmas? I concede that I put a tablespoon of honey in the lemon juice they were poached in, but I also sprinkled cinnamon on them. Pears, high in copper, and cinnamon, high in manganese is a great combination.

Here's some other seasonings:

• Thyme has 21% Vitamin K and 7% Iron and others in just 1 teaspoon.
• Oregano has 8% Vitamin K and 2% each of Calcium, Iron, Manganese and Fiber, inhibits bacterial growth in food, and has as many antioxidants as 3 ounces of almonds and 1/2 cup of asparagus. (This web site asks: Why not have a cup of asparagus with almonds and oregano? I'm thinking it should be sauteed in garlic and olive oil too! {http://cancerdietitian.com/2010/02/cancer-fighting-spices-oregano.html})
• Ginger is very strongly anti-inflammatory, and has 70% Manganese, 3% Selenium, 5% Vitamin E, and other great nutrients. Not only that, but forgive me for putting this in capitals, I want everyone to see this: GINGER KILLS CANCER CELLS, prevents them from building up resistance to cancer treatment, and is a good remedy for nausea.

I could go on forever, but you could help me out by going to http://nutritiondata.self.com/ (which I've recommended on two other posts) and enter your favorite seasonings into the search bar. I can't stress enough what an awesome tool this is for planning meals and recipes. It's well worth registering because they have a custom entry tool that allows you to enter your own recipes and evaluate them for their nutrition content.

If you want to prevent cancer, or supplement your cancer treatment, I suggest you go wild and spice up your life. It'll do wonders not just for your health, but for your attitude. Go ahead! Live it up!