What can be done to slow the rising statistics of breast cancer? Patrick Quillin, Ph.D., encourages women to look at what can be done to practice a healthy lifestyle while decreasing the risks for cancer.
A clinical nutrition specialist with the American College of Nutrition and author of Beating Cancer with Nutrition, Patrick Quillin encourages women to pursue a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition and regular exercise. The American Institute for Cancer Research has similar recommendations.
Reduce Your Cancer Risk
- choose mostly plant foods (2/3 of your plate should contain various colors of veggies)
- limit red meat
- avoid processed meat
- be physically active every day for thirty minutes
- aim for a healthy weight
- reduce sugar consumption
Cancer-Fighting Veggies
In Quillin's book, the focus on adding vegetables to your diet is a vital step in the process of staying healthy.
Since fat in the body generates its own hormones, excess body weight can lead to increased levels of estrogen. High levels of estrogen have been linked to breast cancer.
Quillin explains, "Eating two servings a week of cruciferous vegetables can help counteract excessive levels of estrogen. Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower contain anticancer, detoxifying substances that bind up estrogen and help eliminate it from the body."
Alkaline-forming plant foods help to maintain a proper pH balance in the body. Quillin's idea on synergism: "Nutritional synergism says that when you gather the right nutrients together at the right time in the right ratio, the body becomes a lean, mean, disease-fighting machine."
Eat Less Sugar
We've been warned to stop eating sugar - cancer is a sugar-feeder. Scientists call it an 'obligate glucose metabolizer'. Eat very few sweet foods, including high-glycemic fruits. Exercise regularly to burn blood glucose down, which starves cancer. Quillin wants us to ignore sugar cravings and use cinnamon liberally since it helps stabilize blood glucose naturally.
Battle Excess Weight
How else does excess weight affect us? The AICR says that a waistline of more than 31.5 inches on a woman indicates a high risk for developing cancer.
It only takes thirty minutes of exercise every other day to cut the risk for breast cancer by 75%. Exercise offers multiple benefits, including tissue oxygenation which thwarts the anaerobic needs of cancer cells.
Why Drink Green Tea
Research in Japan and China, documented in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that drinking green tea may help prevent and possibly even reverse some forms of the disease.
Foods and Herbs to Boost Immune System
Foods and herbs are not cures but they are non-toxic boosters of immune function. Quillin advises us to eat garlic daily (as a food, seasoning, or in pill/supplement form) to combat cancer.
Also recommended: Astragalus, echinacea, golden seal, licorice, ginseng, ginkgo, ginger, among others.
Sample Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner of Healthy Whole Foods
- Boiled eggs with a bowl of oatmeal and 1/2 cup cantaloupe
- Grilled chicken breast sandwich with spinach and onions, wild rice, a bowl of deep-colored fresh veggies w/homemade Italian dressing and 1/2 cup raspberries for dessert
- Grilled halibut with lemon, baked sweet potatoes, fresh tomato slices w/onions, and homemade Italian dressing and dessert of 1/2 cup papaya
A whole-food diet helps to fight cancer in several ways. For example, Ellagic acid from berries induces "suicide" in cancer cells. Lycopene from tomatoes and glutathione in green, leafy vegetables help suppress cancer growth. These scientifically researched and validated cancer fighters are at your fingertips!
See for more info:
www.aicr.org
4Nutrition.com
World Health Organization - The Breast Initiative
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