You can Stand Up to Cancer by making sure you eat lots of these top 10 Cancer-Fighting Foods. How many of these are you eating regularly?

1. Garlic – Hard to say how much of this pungent herb you need to eat each day to prevent cancer… even the experts don’t know. But many studies have shown that garlic helps prevent cancer in the esophagus, stomach and colon. What’s a little bad breath in exchange for something this good for you?

2. Berries – What’s not to love about blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries? Not only are they a fantastic source of antioxidants, fiber and Vitamin C… they may help prevent cancers of the bladder, lung, breast and esophagus.

3. Tomatoes – Whether you eat them fresh or out of a can, tomatoes are rich in the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene (that’s what gives them their red color!). Tomatoes are also full of Vitamin C and beta-carotene, and studies show that they have the potential to fight prostate cancer.

4. Cruciferous vegetables – Veggies like kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and bok choy all fall into this cancer-fighting category. These vegetables contain phytochemicals that may prevent stomach cancer and cancers of the mouth and larynx, uterine lining and cervix.

5. Green Tea – Over the last 10 years, the popularity of green tea in this country has exploded. As most of us know, it’s been widely consumed in Japan, China and other Asian countries for centuries, where the incidence of cancers of the esophagus, stomach and colon are significantly lower. Green tea contains the antioxidant catechins, which some researchers believe may help protect against cancer and slow tumor growth.

6. Whole Grains – We all need more of the good grains in our diets… whole grains that have all three parts of the grain kernel (germ, bran and endosperm)… like oatmeal, barley, whole wheat and even popcorn! Corn tortillas are made of whole grains… flour tortillas are not. Whole grains are full of fiber that helps reduce the risk of colon cancer.

7. Turmeric – When I was in Grenada, I met a woman selling raw turmeric (it looks like big grub worms when it is raw, and saffron colored once it’s dry and ground). Besides cooking curry, she uses this spice as an herbal remedy to prevent stomach ulcers and other intestinal disorders. Now, new research shows that it may prevent and slow the growth of several types of cancer… including stomach, breast and mouth cancers.

8. Leafy Green Vegetables – If you eat romaine lettuce, kale and spinach, then you are on the right track for preventing breast, skin, lung and stomach cancer. These vegetables, and others like chard, mustard and collard greens are rich in fiber and antioxidants beta-carotene and lutein.

9. Grapes – What? Grapes? I’ve been conditioned to think of grapes as nature’s sugar bombs. Well, they are full of sugar, but the skins of red and purple grapes are packed with the antioxidant resveratrol… which has the potential to keep cancer from forming in the liver, breast, stomach and lymphatic system.

10. Beans – I grew up eating beans, and I still love them, so I’m glad beans are one of the Top 10 Cancer Fighting Foods. Dry beans and peas are mega sources of fiber, protein and folate. Studies have shown that folate helps reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer.

There you have it: easy, simple things that you can eat to lower your risk of getting cancer. So, stand-up! Get to the grocery store or the farmer’s market and start eating better.

It’s easier than you realize… and you have everything to gain.

Note: My information was gathered from the doctors at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas, whom successfully treated my mother for breast and colon cancer. My mother’s cancer is in remission. Other information sources include the American Cancer Society  and The American Institute for Cancer Research.

Do you know what are the most dangerous food additives?

You read food labels, I’m sure, and as a general rule you know to avoid sodium nitrites, artificial sweeteners and artificial food dyes. But what else is out there?

My friends at NutritionAction.com and the Center for Science in the Public Interest have put out an amazing downloadable booklet and an app called Chemical Cuisine: Your Guide to Food Additives. It’s packed with everything you need to know about additives. For example:

1. What’s safe.

2. What you should cut back on.

3. What you should be cautious about.

4. What certain people should avoid.

5. What to stay away from completely.

Here’s a quick printable cheat sheet on dangerous additives that food companies are still putting into what we buy in our grocery stores. These additives are unsafe in certain amounts consumed or very poorly tested and not worth the risk. Some of these are banned in other countries, but not the United States:

Here’s more detail on each of the harmful additives. But for the complete picture, you should download the guide to food additives from Nutrition Action.com and the Center for Science in the Public’s Interest… or get the App!

Acesulfame Potassium: This artificial sweetener, often used with sucralose and aspartame, has not been adequately tested and has been found to cause cancer in animals.

Aloe Vera: I know many will disagree with me on this one, but aloe vera can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea. It’s found in beverages, food and flavorings and has been found to cause cancer intestinal cancers in rats. Use in skin-care products appears to be okay.

Artificial Colorings: Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6. May cause tumors and/or cancer. Yellow 5 has been found to cause allergic reactions and spike hyperactivity in some children.

 

Aspartame: Many of us consume this artificial sweetener in diet foods everyday. Also known as Equal and NutraSweet, this additive has been shown to cause cancer in rats, as well as headaches and dizziness in humans… me included.

Brominated Vegetable Oil: This was a new one for me. BVO keeps flavor oils in suspension, giving a cloudy appearance to citrus-flavored soft drinks like Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange and Gatorade. Tests have shown that BVO leaves residues in body fat as well as fat in the brain, liver and other organs. This additive is banned in Europe.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole: You’ll find BHA in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips and vegetable oil because it slows rancidity in fats, oils and oil in food. The U.S. Department of Healthy and Human Serves says BHA is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” yet food companies are allowed to keep using it.

 

Caramel Coloring: Caramel coloring is used to simulate the appearance of cocoa in baked goods, make meats and gravies look more attractive and darken soft drinks and beer. It is usually made by heating sugar (usually high-dextrose corn syrup) with ammonia or other chemicals. Caramel coloring is potentially carcinogenic to humans.

Cyclamates: This artificial sweetener has been banned in the U.S. since 1970 because it increases the potency of carcinogens.

Ginko Biloba: This herb has been around for a long time (centuries!) and has been used in traditional healing. It supposedly boosts memory, but it has been shown to interfere with blood clotting.

Inter-esterified Vegetable Oil (also know as Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil or Trans Fat): This is a fat found in oil shortening, stick margarine, crackers, fried restaurant food, baked goods… the list goes on and on. High consumption of trans fat has been linked to obesity, heart attacks and strokes.

 

Mycoprotein: You see the word “protein” and you think, “This must be a good thing.” Wrong. This is a meat substitute made from processed mold not mushrooms, as the manufacturer has implied in ads and labeling. This additive can cause severe and even allergic reactions. It’s made by Marlow Foods under the Quorn brand label.

Olestra (also known as Olean): A fat substitute that is often found in “Light” potato chips and snacks. It’s a synthetic fat, but it can cause diarrhea, cramps and other stomach disorders.

Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil  (also know as Inter-esterified Vegetable Oil or Trans Fat): Similar to Inter-esterified Vegetable Oil above. This is a fat found in ready-to-bake biscuits, oil shortening, stick margarine, crackers, fried restaurant food… and Americans eat a lot of it. Linked to obesity, heart attacks and strokes.

 

Potassium Bromate: This additive is a “flour improver”; it increases the volume of bread to produce bread with a fine crumb. Bromate is banned almost worldwide (except in the U.S. and Japan) because it causes cancer in animals.

Propyl Gallate: This preservative, found in vegetable oil, meat products, chewing gum and chicken soup base, and might cause cancer. It slows the spoilage of fats and oils and is often used with BHA and BHT.

Saccharin: The food industry’s go-to artificial sweetener, especially in diet soft drinks, no-sugar added products and sweetener packets (Sweet ‘N Low). This additive has been shown  to cause cancer (especially bladder cancer) and increases the potency of certain cancer-causing chemicals.

 

Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite: Bacon’s best friend, this preservative stabilizes the red color in cured meats like ham, frankfurters and lunch meat. Adding nitrite to food can lead to the formation of potent cancer-causing chemicals in the food.

TBHQ (Tert-Butylhdroquinone): A preservative that prevents rancidity in vegetable oil, snack foods, cereals and other fat containing food. This additive has been shown to increase tumors in lab rats.

Factory-made foods with chemical additives are part of our lives now, but we should try to understand the safety ratings of these ingredients. Remember, knowledge is power… especially when it comes to what we eat.

Absolutely thrilled to learn that one of my (many) vices may actually be good for me… COFFEE!

Coffee has always gotten a bum rap because the caffeine in it is a stimulant, which doesn’t exactly go hand-in-hand with a healthy lifestyle. But according to the New England Journal of Medicine, coffee is rich in antioxidants and may actually decrease the likelihood of your dying early or developing Type 2 diabetes.

But what I’m REALLY excited about is that another study says coffee drinkers are less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life. This is comforting because as I’ve gotten older, I feel like I’m forgetting more and more.

Now, where was I…

Oh, yes… coffee. A few other findings:

• Helps you sleep better at night (if consumed earlier in the day)
• Lowers the risk of developing some forms of skin, oral and prostate cancers.
• Speeds recovery after colon surgery.

This is all great news because my good friends at Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen just sent me some samples of Pronto!, their new line of single serve, cold brewed liquid coffee concentrate made with 100% Arabica beans.

I’ve never really cared for instant coffee, but one little “brewstick” in 10 ounces of hot water changed my mind. This tastes like freshly brewed coffee, but with the plus of speed, portability and convenience.

Pronto! Is single origin, Fair Trade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified and comes in seven flavors like French Roast, Hawaiian Hazelnut and Crème Brulée. It’s sold in a container of six sticks and can be found at Walmart or on Amazon.

Now… how about another cup of Java?