Cancer Diet - Include Natural Foods
In any cancer diet, there are many factors to be considered. One is that it is ideal that we get our nutrients from our foods, and that those foods are in as near their natural state as possible. By that I mean foods that have minimum processing.
The reason for this is that no matter how clever our scientists are there is still much they have not discovered about the way vitamins and the body interact. Every day we hear they have found either a new nutrient or another factor in how our bodies assimilate nutrients. If we eat foods that are as close to the state nature produces them we are most likely to get the nutrients we need together with all the other factors our bodies need to use them. This is crucial to any cancer diet.
A shining example is iron. Our bodies need Vitamin C in order to assimilate iron. However, there are still iron supplements on the market that do not have Vitamin C included in their mix. Now, parsley is a very rich source of iron and, you guessed it, is also full of Vitamin C. To further complicate matters, Vitamin C is heat affected and water soluble, so cooking, particularly in liquids destroys it - hence my assertion that eating foods - in this case parsley - in their natural state is best. Of course this won’t work for all foods - potatoes for example - but it is a good strategy to keep in mind when trying to maximize nutrition.
The other reason for eating foods in as near natural state as possible, is that cooking destroys the natural enzymes for your cancer treatment. Enzymes not only play a crucial role in digestion, and therefore influence the quality of the nutrients we get from our food, but some enzymes, particularly pancreatic enzymes, play a direct role in the fight against cancer.
So how do we include raw foods when designing a cancer diet?
The obvious answer is salads. Using as wide a variety of salad vegetables and incorporating as many different coloured salad veggies, is an excellent way to increase your intake of live enzymes.
But even with hot meals, many raw veggies can be added as a garnish. Eg parsley chopped up over scrambled eggs. Herbs stirred in a casserole after the heat is turned off. A couple of rings of capsicum on top of cooked fish. Use fruits to dress up a steak or a roast. Let your imagination go! Look for colour and variety and you will easily find dozens of ways to include raw foods.
Snacks are another way of getting raw veggies into the diet. Cut up celery and carrots into one inch/2cm lengths. Even broccoli and cauliflower are nice and crunchy as a snack. If you must dip them in something try a little cottage cheese rather than a fat laden dip!
By keeping your mind open and imagination engaged, you will soon be getting many more raw foods into your daily diet, giving yourself and your loved ones an edge in the cancer fighting stakes.
Article written by Marilyn Bennett’s partner Glenn was declared cancer-free after 11 months using a nutritional approach. They are now on a mission to “spread the word” re the many things they discovered we can all do to fight cancer. Please visit www.cancer-einfo.com.
Related Post:
The Importance of Phytochemicals
As time goes by the typical western diet seems to increasingly contain more fatty processed foods and less natural plant
5 Snacks That Are Good For You
Taking off some weight is a goal that almost everyone has right now. The holidays and long winters that most
Maintaing Your Energy Level While Dieting
For some people being on a diet means being tired and lethargic. It's times like these that some people may
Healthy Meal Plan
A recent survey stated that 75% of American adults know they need to change the way they prepare their foods.
Good Foods vs Bad Foods
Nothing grates more on a dietitian’s sense of appropriateness than the labeling of foods as “good” or “bad.” After all,
Post Reply