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.
Cherie Calbom, M.S. is the author of eleven books including the best-selling Juicing for Life (Avery, 1992) with nearly two million books in print in the U.S. and published around the world in nineteen countries. Other best-selling books by Cherie include: George Foremans Knock Out the Fat Barbecue & Grilling Cookbook, The Juice Lady’s Guide to Juicing for Health, and The Ultimate Smoothie Book (www.juicinginfo.com). Her latest book The Complete Cancer Cleanse was released September, 2003 (www.cancercleanse.com).
Cherie earned a masters degree in nutrition from Bastyr University, where she now serves on the Board of Regents. She has practiced as a clinical nutritionist at St. Luke Medical Center, Bellevue, Washington. Known as The Juice Lady for her work with juicing and health, her juice therapy and cleansing programs have been popular for a decade. She is also known as George Foremans nutritionist and the other spokesperson for the George Foreman grills. She has appeared regularly on QVC for the last eight years with the Juice Lady juicer, Saltons Juiceman juicer, and the George Foreman grills. Her Juice Lady juicer and books are available at 1-866-8GETWELL.