Dark chocolate pumpkin smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup organic pumpkin puree
3 cups baby spinach
1⁄2 Bartlett pear, cored
1⁄4 frozen banana
2 Tbsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
1⁄4 tsp pumpkin spice 
1 cup ice

Enjoy!

Colorectal cancer

"Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers," said Elisa Bandera, MD, PhD, who served on the World Cancer Research Fund/ American Institute for Cancer Research's Continuous Update Project (CUP) Expert Panel that authored the report. "AICR has estimated that about 45 percent of colorectal cancer cases could be prevented if we all ate more fiber-rich plant foods and less meat, drank less alcohol, moved more and stayed lean. That's over 64,000 cases in the US every year."

Q: What are the risk factors for colorectal cancer?

A: Based on the CUP and National Cancer Institute data, risk factors for colorectal cancer include

• Age: Risk increases dramatically after age 50 years; 90% of all colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed after this age. 
• Personal history of polyps or inflammatory bowel disease
• Family history of colorectal cancer
• Cigarette smoking
• Diet low in fiber
• Diet high in red meat and processed meat
• Lack of physical activity
• Substantial consumption of alcohol 
• Obesity, particularly excess fat around the midsection

Q: How much alcohol did the CUP report find increases the risk of colorectal cancer?

A: The CUP found that risk for colorectal cancer started increasing with less than one serving of alcohol daily. For every 10 grams of ethanol – a standard drink contains approximately 14 grams of ethanol – there was a 10 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer. 

Q: How does alcohol increase colorectal cancer risk?

A: The precise mechanisms are not clear but there are many possiblities. Metabolites of alcohol such as acetaldehyde can act as carcinogens. Alcohol also interacts with tobacco, leading to DNA mutations that are less efficiently repaired in the presence of alcohol. Alcohol may also function as a solvent, enabling carcinogenic molecules to move into cells. Also, high consumers of alcohol may have diets low in essential nutrients, making tissues susceptible to carcinogenesis. 

Q: How much fiber do I need to get protection from colorectal cancer?

A: The CUP analyses found that every 10 grams of dietary fiber eaten daily linked to a 12 percent decreased risk for men and an 8 percent decreased risk for women for colorectal cancer. 

Consuming the recommended amount of whole grains daily had an even stronger protective link. The report found that eating three servings of whole grains daily linked to a 21 percent decreased risk of colorectal cancer. 

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women (ages 19 to 50) consume 25 grams of fiber daily and men in the same age group consume 38 grams daily. The Guidelines recommend that half of all grains consumed daily be whole grains, which for many Americans translates to about three servings.

Processed Meat

Hi friends,

I have been talking about processed meat and the side effects to my patients for past 5 years.

Did you all watch CNN yesterday when the WHO report came out on the cancer causing potential of processed meats.?

I am going to share with you the report from AICR( American Institute of Cancer Research).

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Alice RD

Today, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) named processed meat as a carcinogen. AICR has included avoiding processed meat as one of our recommendations for cancer prevention since 2007. Processed meat (and high amounts of red meat) increase risk for colorectal cancer.

Here’s our statement on the WHO report.

Both organizations found that for processed meat, even small amounts eaten daily – 50 grams or 1 small hot dog – increases risk for colorectal cancer by 18% compared to eating none.

So what exactly is “processed meat”?

AICR defines processed meat as:

“meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or addition of chemical preservatives.” Ham, bacon, pastrami, sausages, hot dogs and cold cuts are all considered processed meat.

IARC’s definition:

“meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processing to enhance flavor or improve preservation. Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meat may also contain other red meats and poultry”

Grilling burgers and hot dogs

It’s not yet clear exactly why these meats increase risk for colorectal cancer. It may be the added nitrites and nitrates, the smoking and/or high temperatures used in some processing, or the heme iron in red meat.

Does this include nitrate and nitrite free meats and sausage? These products are relatively new, so we need more studies that make these distinctions.

So, for now, save processed meats for special occasions and choose fresh meats most of the time. Here are some ideas to lower your cancer risk:

• Replace deli meats and cold cuts with fresh chicken or fish
• Instead of bacon, chorizo or salami, try spicy vegetarian sausages.
• Replace sausage in chili and soups with beans like kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils.
• Try out different sources of protein like eggs, cottage cheese, tofu and hummus

IARC has also listed red meat as a probable carcinogen. AICR’s recommendation for red meat is to keep your red meat to less than 18 ounces (cooked) per week. That’s about 4 hamburgers (quarter-pounders) weekly.here

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Cancer prevention continued

Lycopene is a red carotenoid found I watermelon,pink grapefruit,tomatoes.

Pomegranate extract

Luteolin is a flavonoid found in peppers and green vegetables like cabbage,spinach.

Genistein is a photochemical found in soy,soybeans,red clover,coffee.

Piperine is a phytochemical found in black pepper.

Beta Carotene is an orange carotenoid found in various vegetables like carrots,pumpkin.

Sulphoraphanes found in Cruciferous vegetables are very cancer protective and aid in detoxification.

In International journal of molecular biology,July 2015 from Italy published clinically important information that synthetic anti cancer drugs are very toxic for healthy organs and weaken immune system.

Phytochemicals and enriched extracts can be used in combination with chemotherapy drugs to improve synergy in preventing healthy cell damage.

Cancer prevention. Continued....

I have to talk about Cruciferous vegetables in cancer prevention.

The one to ace is the 3 day old Broccoli sprouts.

My information about this is bas d on research from John Hpokins by Dr.Talalay.

These are very important in cancer prevention.

Other vegetables like Kale,Swiss chard,broccoli ,Brussels sprouts,water cress and many more.

These have Sulphoraphanes a photochemical that fights cancer.

EGCG which is epigallocatechin found  in green tea

Curcumin primary polyphenol found in Turmeric root

Resveratrol,found in red grapes,Japanese knot wood

. 

Cancer Prevention

I had a unique opportunity to speak to a small group about basics of cancer prevention.

Cloud 9 is a baby clothing,everything baby store who graciously gave back part of her store which is neat and clean for us to get together .It was a nice cozy room.

I am going to summarize the salient points.

Factors that are important in cancer prevention

Diet

Sleep

Environment

Exercise- movement,Yoga,Taichi,QiGong

Mindfulness

Love and hope

Cigarette smoke,second hand cigarette smoke

Alcohol in limited amounts

Reduce inflammation

Decrease sugar

Supplements and herbs

I am going to emphasize some key points,

High heat or high flame cooking like grilling,deep frying release heterocyclic amines which are  precancerous.

Indoor and outdoor pollution can be reduced.

Wood floors are treated with formaldehyde which is toxic.

Aerate dry cleaned clothes by removing plastic from them before hanging them in your closet.

Keep a few green houseplants.

EWG.org is a good website to get good info on this topic.

Do not do extreme exercise.

Pumpkin smoothie

Hello friends,

I am back again sharing some healthy information with you all.

It is going to be Halloween soon.

Everybody in my neighborhood has decorated with aggie color mums and the bright orange pumpkins.

Orange color is so festive.

The holy men from my BAPS Temple wear orange robes!

I wanted to share a simple smoothie recipe with you.

One cup of apple cider

One cup of pumpkin spiced almond milk.

1 frozen banana( pieces)

Few pieces of frozen peaches

If pumpkin spiced milk not available then use 1/2 tsf of pumpkin spice which has cinnamon,nutmeg,

Cloves and ginger.

Blend

Enjoy

Ofcourse if you wanted to add 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin you may do so.

Health benefits of pumpkins include ,

Health Benefits

• Pumpkin contains no saturated fats or cholesterol (like all plant foods, it’s cholesterol-free). It is rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants, minerals, and many antioxidant vitamins, including A, C, and E.
• It is also an excellent source of many natural polyphenolic flavonoid compounds such as beta-carotenes, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Carotenes convert into vitamin A inside the body. Zeaxanthin is a natural antioxidant that may offer protection from age-related macular disease.
• Pumpkin is a good source of the B-complex group of vitamins including niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, and pantothenic acid.
• It is a rich source of copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.
• Pumpkin seeds provide dietary fiber and pack a powerful mix of protein, minerals, and vitamins: 100 g (1 cup) of pumpkin seeds provide 559 calories, 30 g of protein, plus folate, iron, niacin, selenium, and zinc.