An Ounce of Prevention

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An Ounce of Prevention

 

 

Cherie Calbom MS

 

 

 

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. People who keep track of statistics

tell us that by the end of this year 211,300 new cases of breast cancer are

expected to occur. We are reminded this month to think about our health about

exams, our lifestyle, our exercise habits, our stress level, and about what we

put in our mouth all the things that can prevent cancer of the breast as well as

a host of other cancers.

My mother died of breast cancer when I was six years old. This is a subject that

perhaps never really leaves my mind. But this month, more than usual, it's at

the forefront of my thoughts.

I had a conversation several days ago with a woman who is on a low-carbohydrate

diet. You know, the one that really works to lose weight, but doesn’t allow much

of the foods that prevent cancer, particularly breast cancer. She asked me what

I thought of the program.

I agree with eating low-carb foods, omitting sugars in all forms, from honey to

desserts, fruit juice, high-sugar fruit, refined white flour products such as

rolls, pasta, pizza, bagels, and bread, junk foods, alcohol, and even whole

grains for a limited period of time. But there’s one category of omission I

can’t recommend, and that is dark orange and yellow vegetables, even though most

of them are a bit higher in carbs. Perhaps for the first week or two to give

one’s body a jumpstart on weight loss, omission is okay, but not for weeks at a

time, as I know many people are doing. It’s an antioxidant-rich diet that has

been shown in studies all over the world to prevent cancer.

Pink is the ribbon color this month, but I think it should be yellow-orange. A

study was released this year showing there was a reduced risk of breast cancer

with increased consumption of dark orange-yellow vegetables and fruit (Intl. J.

Cancer, 2003). This study confirms what scores of previous studies have found a

diet rich in carotenes (phytonutrients that give plants their yellow, orange,

and red color) is highly protective against many forms of cancer, including

breast cancer. Many green vegetables are also high in carotenes, but their

chlorophyll, which is green in color, masks the carotene colors. Over 600

carotenes have been identified to date.

Beta-carotene has received the most press, but alpha-carotene is now believed to

be even more powerful in protecting our cells. It is especially protective of

the skin and may neutralize free radical damage caused by the sun. It is known

as nature's own sun blocker. It appears to be very defensive when it comes to

melanomas on the skin. Our best sources of this vital nutrient include: carrots,

pumpkin, chlorella, squashes, wheatgrass, and yellow, orange, and red peppers.

Lycopene is responsible for the red color of tomatoes and berries and is

protective against prostate, lung, breast, stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum, and

cervix cancers. Other carotenes such as zeazanthin and luetin are concentrated

in carrots, squash, apricots, yams, red beets, chard, wheatgrass, spinach, and

kale. They protect our eyes from cataracts and age-related retina problems.

Juicing vegetables is one way we can get a concentration of these important

carotenes. Can freshly made vegetable juice be a powerful ally in our fight

against cancer? Just ask a close family member of mine. She discovered an

unfriendly looking mole, made a trip to her dermatologist, waited a long, long

time for results from a test, and finally got an answer from one of the top labs

in the nation that had eventually received the specimen from another lab.

Her dermatologist said she had stupefied the experts! They said it looked like a

melanoma that had regressed to a pre-cancerous state. Pondering the whole

matter, the only thing she saw that could possibly have made the difference, the

only real health change she had made in her lifestyle was to faithfully start

juicing vegetables and fruit every morning.

That is exactly what my husband and I do each day as well. We juice organic

cucumber, celery, parsley, beet with greens, carrots, lemon, and ginger. Its a

powerful antioxidant cocktail, one we know is helping to protect the trillions

of cells in our bodies from the damaging effects of free radicals attacks and

toxins.

Carotenes can reduce the risk of breast cancer and many other cancers early in

the game by helping normal cells communicate growth-regulating signals to

pre-malignant cells. They also inhibit growth signals that stop cancer cells

from growing. Additionally, they boost immune cells that attack and destroy

cancer cells. Carotenes also help detoxify carcinogens such as cigarette smoke,

industrial wastes and fumes, and the effects of char-broiled meat. They are

potent quenchers of singlet oxygen (free radicals). And they inhibit the effects

of radiation.

My grandmother often said, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Carbs or no carbs, we just cant live a life of high-level wellness without

orange, yellow, red, and green vegetables. You have to ask: What are a few

ounces of yellow-orange vegetables and a little low-sugar fruit worth? Perhaps

your life! Whatever your lifestyle, whether traveling, dieting, eating

on-the-run, or just very busy, you cant afford to omit the carotene-rich foods

that add color to your plate or glass and heaps of protection to your body.

The story of my family member’s melanoma reversal is an excerpt from The

Complete Cancer Cleanse (Thomas Nelson, 2003). It is available at

www.cancercleanse.com or by calling 1-866-8GETWELL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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