cancer
Italian women like to munch on raw fennel, or Finocchio. Have you ever tried it? It’s a cousin of carrots and dill, with many nutritious qualities. From Whfoods:
The most fascinating phytonutrient compound in fennel, however, may be anethole-the primary component of its volatile oil. In animal studies, the anethole in fennel has repeatedly been shown to reduce inflammation and to help prevent the occurrence of cancer.
I mean, that’s good. But – ick! Anethole is what gives fennel that anise or licorice flavor. I think it’s yucky! I don’t even like Twizzlers because they look like licorice.
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April 2nd, 2010 | cancer, recipe, spring, try new things | 10 Comments »
Pssst! Don’t forget to enter to win Green Smoothie Revolution – what a smart way to get your greens!
If there’s one vegetable you buy this week (and I hope you’ll buy more than just one) make it cabbage!
While most of Boston celebrates St. Patty’s day by drinking too much and mobbing South Boston for the parade, I rub my hands together eagerly waiting for the days to follow. It’s the very best week of the year to buy cabbage at a huge discount!
I’m a grocery nerd. So what?
Cabbage belongs to the Cruciferae family of vegetables, which is my all time favorite. Also in this family? Kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. These are veggies with serious nutritional power. But we’re not just talking vitamins here, people. We’re also talking about phytonutrients.
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March 16th, 2010 | cancer, detoxify, frugal living, quick and easy, recipe, spring, vegan, vegetarian | 18 Comments »
This morning on the news I saw a story about pastry chefs around Boston offering special desserts that you can buy to support breast cancer. Or rather, to support breasts, um, to not have cancer. Awkward. Anyway.
So haven’t I been reading that sugar feeds cancer? That a diet full of processed foods actually can cause the problem in the first place?
Wouldn’t a better message be to donate money to the charity every time someone ordered, say, kale? Or an unusally tasty bean dish? Why perpetuate the myth that diet and health are unrelated? This Mother’s Day, sons and daughters will be visiting some of Boston finest restaurants, treating Mom to some lovely charitable cannolis, with every bite creating a greater likelihood of their own disease. Maybe I’m being overly dramatic but come on people! Use this opportunity to inform, not distract! Then maybe we really will help the cause.
May 8th, 2008 | Boston, cancer, public health | No Comments »
In college I never went to Chemistry class, but showed up for exams and got straight A’s. (Kudos to my highschool Chemistry teacher.) Anyway, that was probably the last time I paid any attention whatsoever to real science-y stuff. You know, experiments, data, statistics, bell curves.
The China Study is full of that stuff though, and I loved it. The author makes the case, simply put, for eating fewer animals and more plants. This sort of diet has been proven to reduce or eliminate everything from cancer to diabetes to MS.
Not as sensational as the Atkins diet or as sexy as the South Beach Diet, this suggestion of eliminating animal products definitely doesn’t sit well with industry and government. Nor does it make for a best seller. But it does make a whole lot of sense when you consider the areas of the world afflicted with the most cancer, heart disease and other “Diseases of Affluence”, then consider the diets that prevail in those areas. The China Study compares rural China to America and finds patterns that help us understand how diet is the key to solving so many health problems.
February 25th, 2008 | cancer, disease, public health, vegetarian | No Comments »
According to John Robbins’ The Food Revolution, people who eat beans, peas, or lentils at least twice a week compared to people who avoid these foods have a 50% lower risk of colon cancer. Awww, shoot, right? Who likes beans that much?
This recipe is easy and fast and flexible–include whatever ingredients you want. If you haven’t kicked dairy, consider me somewhat jealous because feta would be a delightful addition.
Mediterranean Lentil Salad
2 cups lentils
4 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbl. umeboshi plum vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbl. barley miso, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1 tomato, chopped
1 Tbl. capers, chopped
1/2 can black olives, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Rinse lentils. Combine with water, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 20 minutes or until cooked but not mushy. Add lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and miso. Mix thoroughly. Let marinate while you chop and prep other ingredients. Mix all together. Serve hot, cold, or room temperature with greens, rice, or alone!
October 30th, 2007 | beans, cancer, recipe, try new things, vegetarian | No Comments »
