Are there foods that help fight cancer?

The “C” for cancer is a word that people don’t want to hear.  Are there foods you can add to your day that may help fight cancer?  WebMD and others have good articles on cancer-fighting foods.  As WebMD notes, there isn’t one food that can prevent cancer.  But eating a combination of cancer-fighting foods might make a difference.  What are some foods you can add to your diet that might lower your risk of getting cancer?

1. Color – yes, add some color to your diet and the more colorful the better.  Why?  Fruits and vegetables “are rich in cancer-fighting nutrients – and the more colorful, the more nutrients they contain”.  (See:  Enjoy a longer life by adding some “disease-fighting foods to your” day.)  By adding a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to your day, you are adding those healthy antioxidants that fruits and vegetables provide.  Did you know each color provides different antioxidants?  Eating more fruits and vegetables not only helps fight off cancer, but also lowers your risk of many diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory diseases.  How many fruits and vegetables do you need?   Aim for at least 5 A Day – 5 servings a day.  You can eat more than 5 A Day but aim for eating at least 5 servings a day.
2. Eat a breakfast that helps fight cancer.  Focus on including the B vitamin, folate.  This vitamin may help fight off a variety of cancers including colon and breast cancer.  An NIH article notes, “low or deficient folate status is associated with increased risk of many cancers.”  But don’t rely on folate supplements, get your folate from food.   Interesting that fruit drinks like Sunny D have no folate but drinking real orange juice provides folate.  (See:  What is the difference between juice and a fruit “drink”? ) .  In addition to OJ, strawberries and melons provide folate.  Whole grain cereals add folate to your day like oatmeal and any General Mills cereal.  Eggs also provide folate.
3. Add other folate-rich foods to your day.  Think fruit and vegetables again and the darker the color, the more folate.  Iceberg lettuce is low in folate but dark greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, and romaine lettuce provide folate.  Other vegetables that are good sources of folate include broccoli, Brussel sprouts, black-eyed peas, asparagus, avocado, peas, and beans.  Fruits that are good folate sources include orange juice, tomato juice, oranges, banana, papaya, and cantaloupe.  Seeds such as sunflower seeds provide folate.
4. Skip the processed meats at the deli counter, why?  What are processed meats?  Meats that have been smoked, salted, cured or have added preservatives such as bacon, sausages, bologna, cold cuts, hot dogs, Fast-food chicken nuggets, beef jerky, pepperoni, and Fast-food hamburgers.  It doesn’t mean you have to give up any of these foods, but cutting back on them is a good idea.  I enjoy a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich made with garden-fresh tomatoes.  Delicious.  But I don’t eat them very often.  Some people have bacon and eggs for breakfast, cold cuts on a sandwich for lunch and then Fast-food chicken nuggets for dinner.   WebMD states, “An occasional Reuben sandwich or hot dog at the ballpark isn’t’ going to hurt you.  But cutting back on processed meats like bologna, ham and hot dogs will help lower your risk of colorectal and stomach cancers”.  What about hamburgers?  Make them at home with some lean ground beef and avoid the antibiotics and growth hormones, salt and preservatives.  I make my own hamburger patties at home for my husband to grill.  For grilled hamburgers you do need some fat in the hamburger meat.  
   
5. Enjoy some tomatoes.  Before you say you hate tomatoes, there are many ways to add tomatoes to your day besides eating fresh tomatoes.  Think spaghetti sauce, salsa, tomato soup, and ketchup.  What is in tomatoes that helps fight cancer?  It is the lycopene in the tomatoes that gives them their red color.   In addition to tomatoes, other foods that provide lycopene include watermelon, pink grapefruit, and apricots.  Lycopene is also good for your skin and may help prevent skin cancer and help “boost levels of procollagen in the skin significantly, which scientist believe has the potential to reverse skin damage caused by aging”.
6. Drink some tea – who knew tea was so good for your health?  Green tea is especially good as it may be the best tea for fighting cancer.  “In laboratory studies, green tea has slowed or prevented the development of cancer in colon, liver, breast and prostrate cells.”  Scientists believe it is the polyphenols in tea that provide the health benefits.  Brewed tea is the highest in these healthy polyphenols, with lesser amounts in instant tea, iced tea and ready-to-drink teas.  But all these teas provide some polyphenols so a much healthier choice than sugared sodas.
7. Grapes and grape juice – who would think grapes are so good for your health?  The purple and red grapes are especially helpful in preventing cancer as they contain resveratrol.  “Resveratrol has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to protect against diseases like cancer diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.”  If you are choosing grape juice, be sure it is real juice and not a grape drink which would be high in added sugars.
8. Water – how would drinking water help fight cancer?  Well drinking more water may help prevent bladder cancer.  How?  By diluting any cancer-causing agents.  And if you drink more, you urinate more often which lessens the time any cancer-causing agents are in your bladder.
9. Dark leafy greens – not only are dark leafy greens higher in folate, they also have fiber and vitamin A as carotenoids.  All of “these nutrients may help protect against cancer of the mouth, larynx, pancreas, lung, skin and stomach”.
10. Berries -strawberries and raspberries have a unique phytochemical called ellagic acid.  This antioxidant actually may help fight cancer in a number of ways including slowing the growth of cancer-causing substances and “slowing growth of cancer cells”.  But more studies are needed to see if berries and the phytochemicals in them help fight cancer in humans.  Blueberries are also good for your health and they also provide antioxidants that may help fight cancer.  My husband likes adding blueberries to his Greek yogurt.  I add some to my oatmeal.  We often enjoy a fruit medley with blueberries.  

How can you add some of these cancer-fighting foods to your day?  If you already enjoy some of these foods, pat yourself on the back as you are doing good things for your health.  But focus on foods, not supplements for getting nutrients and antioxidants.  “Both the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research emphasize that getting cancer-fighting nutrients from foods like nuts, fruits, and green leafy vegetables is vastly superior to getting them from supplements.”  And remember, eat and drink real food, not fake food.  Look for real juice, not a fruit drink.  

Enjoy some green tea.

 

Make your own hamburger patties (adapted from:  Best Hamburger Patty Recipe)

• 1 pound ground beef – choose 80/20 lean to fat ratio as it makes juicier hamburgers
• ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 Tablespoon seasoning
• 1 Egg

Seasonings – I like to use 1 Tablespoon of Grill Mates Hamburger Seasoning as this has a good mix of seasonings.  But you can choose to use salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper or other spices.

Directions: In mixing bowl, slightly beat the egg.  Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and spices.  Add in the panko bread crumbs and mix.  Then mix in the ground beef.  Shape into patties and they are ready for the grill. 

Sources:  cancer-fighting foods , Fruits and vegetables , Enjoy a longer life by adding some “disease-fighting foods to your” day , heart disease , diabetes , How many fruits and vegetables do you need? , NIH article , What is the difference between juice and a fruit “drink”? , fruit and vegetables , processed meats , states , stomach cancers , lean ground beef , lycopene , foods , skin , skin cancer , Scientists , resveratrol , dark leafy greens , foods , Best Hamburger Patty Recipe Image sources: Processed Meat,  Green tea , Berry fruit salad

Prediabetes – Is there a prediabetic diet?

Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing prediabetes.  Many people ask about what diet one should be on if they have prediabetes.  Well, there isn’t a diet that works for everyone.  But there are dietary recommendations for those with prediabetes.  Working with a registered dietitian or health educator can help you develop an eating plan that best meets your needs.  Last week we talked about choosing healthy carbs and the importance of having some high-quality protein foods at each meal.  (See:  https://ktknutrition.blogspot.com/2022/08/prediabetes-what-diet-is-best.html) 

What foods should you eat if you have prediabetes?

You want to focus on eating healthy foods and foods from all the food groups.  Don’t go for fad diets that eliminate or restrict one or more food groups.

·         Whole grains – last week we discussed how important it is to eat less “white carbs” and choose more whole grain carbs.  Choose whole grain bread, whole grain cereals, whole grain crackers, whole grain English muffins and even choose chips that are whole grain.  (See Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable )

·         Fruits and vegetables – When a relative was diagnosed with prediabetes the health educator told her to add more fruits and vegetables to her diet.  One recommendation was to eat some baby carrots at lunch every day.  I liked the recommendation so much I now eat some baby carrots at lunch every day.  The American Diabetes Association recommends focusing on non-starchy vegetables and choosing whole fruits and vegetables as much as possible.

·         Vegetables – focus on non-starchy vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, green and red peppers, leafy greens like spinach and kale.  Enjoy fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables.  You can enjoy some starchy vegetables but note starchy vegetables are higher in carbs.  So, limit these to about a quarter of your plate.  For a complete list of non-starchy vegetables, to the American Diabetes Association.  These non-starchy vegetables will help keep your blood sugar low.  Starchy vegetables include white potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and winter squash (not summer squash) like butternut squash or acorn squash.  

·    Fruit – fruit does have the natural sugar, fructose, but one doesn’t have to avoid fruit as fruit is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.  Enjoy 2-3 servings of fruit a day.  Focus on fresh or frozen and avoid fruit packed in heavy syrup.  The Cleveland Clinic suggests:

• Keep portions to one cup or less at a time
• Pair fruit with a protein source like nuts, seeds, peanut butter, low-fat yogurt, some cottage cheese or a cheese stick.
• Canned fruit – look for the words “packed in its own juices”  or “unsweetened” or “No added sugar”  or 100% fruit juice
  

 

• Proteins – choose high-quality proteins like lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish – grilled or baked and not fried.  Also include beans, lentils, and nuts.  Enjoy a handful of nuts a day as these add a heart-healthy fat and many nutrients to your day.  I usually have a handful of peanuts at lunch and often sprinkle some walnuts on my morning oatmeal. 

a.       Include protein at each meal. Why?  Protein “helps you feel full and slows how fast carbohydrates go into your bloodstream.  That’s important when it comes to keeping your blood sugar steady.”

• Dairy – also a source of high-quality protein but also important nutrients like calcium and vitamin D.  Include low-fat cow’s milk, yogurt and cheese. 

Is there a diet plan to follow for people with prediabetes?

WebMD recommends following a healthy eating plan like the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.  (See Best Diets for Health 2022 . ) 

Mediterranean Diet – the Mayo Clinic describes this healthy-eating plan.  This is a way of eating based on the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea including Greece.  The diet focuses on healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and using olive oil, a heart-healthy fat.  

DASH diet – the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, DASH, diet was designed for those with high blood pressure.  But it is also a healthy eating plan.  The Mayo Clinic also describes this eating plan as not only lowering blood pressure but also improving your health.  This diet is lower in sodium to help reduce blood pressure and higher in potassium which helps lower blood pressure.  Mayo Clinic outlines what one can eat on 2,000 calories a day DASH diet.  You can add or cut back on servings depending on your caloric needs. 

The Centers for Disease Control also offers some guidance on eating and offers a sample menu of about 1800 calories and 200 grams of carbs.  You will need to modify the menu to add more or fewer calories depending on what your health educator recommends.  But the menu example can serve as a guide on planning healthy meals with a balance of healthy carbs and high-quality protein at each meal.  See Carb Counting .  

Making changes in your diet can take some time.  Add those healthy fruits and vegetables.  Learn how to choose healthy carbs and lean protein foods.  Read about the Mediterranean or DASH diet and see if you can incorporate some of these eating patterns into your day.  What changes have you made in your diet or lifestyle?  What has worked and what hasn’t? 

Sources:  https://ktknutrition.blogspot.com/2022/08/prediabetes-what-diet-is-best.html , Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable , American Diabetes Association , Starchy vegetables , Protein , Best Diets for Health 2022 , Mediterranean Diet , DASH diet , Carb Counting  Image Sources:  Nonstarchy vegetables , Fruit cocktail , Mediterranean Diet

Prediabetes – what diet is best?

People diagnosed with prediabetes have so many questions about what they can eat, what they should avoid and what diet is best?  The Cleveland Clinic has some information about dietary recommendations for those with prediabetes.   As a registered dietitian I recommend making some lifestyle changes such as eating more good carbs, reducing the not so good carbs and upping your exercise.  A recent reader noted how she lowered her A1C by making lifestyle changes.  She changed what she ate, the proportions and added walking and biking as exercise. 

This week we will talk about carbs and what carbs are not so good for those with prediabetes and what carbs you can enjoy.  We will also discuss protein and why it is important to include high-quality proteins at each meal. 

There is so much confusion on what foods one can eat with prediabetes, including confusion about what carbs to eat, what proteins are good to add to meals. 

Many of my students say “eat healthy” but this is not helpful as so many people do not know what that means.  What are some dietary changes should you be making if you are diagnosed with prediabetes?

Carbs  (See How to choose some healthy carbs )   

1.       Get rid of the sugary drinks – sugary drinks act like a dose of “instant blood sugar” with every sip.  Sugary drinks need almost no digestion and go straight to blood sugar. 

•  Sugary sodas
•  Fruit drinks like lemonade and fruit punch.  (So many people think lemonade is “juice” but it is mostly sugar water.)
•  Coffee drinks with added sugar  (choose black coffee or add low fat milk to your coffee)
•  Sweet tea (choose unsweetened tea)

2.       Cut back on foods high in added sugar

• Jams and jellies
•  Syrups like maple syrup
•  Honey
•  Candy
• Desserts
• Baked goods

3.       Eat less “white carbs” and choose whole grain carbs

• Less white bread – eat whole grain bread
• Less white crackers – eat whole grain crackers
•  Less white pasta – eat whole grain pasta 
• Less white rice – choose brown rice and wild rice

4.       Eat more whole grains – look at the food label to see if there is any fiber in the food.  No fiber, means that food item isn’t whole grain.  Look at the ingredients, the first word should be “whole” like whole wheat.  (See Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable )

• Whole grain bread, bagels, English muffins
•  Choose whole grain pasta or mix half whole grain, half regular noodles
•  Whole grain crackers:  Triscuits, Wheat Thins
• Try other grains such as Quinoa, barley, bulgur, buckwheat
• Add whole grains to your breakfast:  Choose whole grain cereals like oatmeal and Cheerios (Note:  All General Mills cereals are whole grain.) 
•  Eat some fiber foods at every meal 

Replace white carbs with whole grain carbs.

 

Proteins – try to eat some protein foods at each meal.  Why?  Because protein foods will not raise your blood sugar levels and will slow how fast the sugars in the carbs you eat enter your bloodstream.

Choose healthy proteins:

• Eggs
• Lean meat like pork chops, lean hamburger meat, fish, chicken – choose baked, broiled, grilled, and not fried
• Dairy – choose lower fat milk, low-fat yogurt, part-skim cheeses, and cottage cheese
• Beans and peas
• Nuts and seeds – a handful of nuts a day is fine 

I have talked to many people with prediabetes and some give up foods they do not have to.  A health educator told a friend to give up the white carbs.  But my friend thought this meant he could not eat bread or eat spaghetti.  This is not true.  Yes, cut back on the white carbs but replace them with whole grain carbs like whole grain bread and whole grain pasta as noted above.  A reader asked me about rice.  Cut back on the white rice but enjoy some brown rice, Quinoa, wild rice, or whole grain couscous.  Brown rice is whole grain and there are many whole grain rice mixtures you can buy that are easy to pop in the microwave.  Next week we will talk more about carbs including fruits and vegetables and spacing of carbs.  What questions do you have about prediabetes?  Do you know someone with prediabetes?  Share this blog post with them.   Do you have prediabetes?  What lifestyle changes have you made to control your blood sugar levels? 

 

Sources:  Cleveland Clinic , How to choose some healthy carbs , Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable , Proteins  Image Sources:   whole grains , action plan for prediabetes , - Nutrition Place Mat

Prediabetes? What is it? What lifestyle changes should you make?

My daughter has a friend who was diagnosed with prediabetes.  And this is becoming increasingly more common.  What is prediabetes?  How many people have it?  If you have prediabetes, what lifestyle changes should you make?  Focusing on exercise and diet are two important areas to focus on. 

What is prediabetes?

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says prediabetes is a “serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes”. 

• To determine if you have diabetes your health care provider will take a blood test:

o   A1C Test – this test measures how much sugar is in your blood over the past 2-3 months. 

o   Fasting blood sugar – This test measures how much sugar is in your blood after you have fasted overnight. 

• Your health care provider may also do a Glucose Tolerance Test or a random blood sugar test. 

Know your numbers.  What blood sugar levels are normal and what levels diagnose prediabetes and diabetes?  

Diagnosis	Fasting Blood Sugar Test	A1C Test
Normal	70-99 mg/dl	< 5.7%
Prediabetes	100-125 mg/dl	5.7-6.4%
Diabetes	>= 126 mg/dl	>= 6.5%

 

You really want to know your A1C levels.  My husband had his blood sugar checked.  His Fasting Blood Sugar was 105 mg/dl which indicated prediabetes.  BUT, his A1C level was 5.4% which is NORMAL. 

How many people have prediabetes? 

• According to the CDC, about 96 million Americans have prediabetes, about 1 in 3 Americans.  That is a lot of people.  And many, about 80%, are not even aware they have prediabetes. 
• For older Americans, those 65 and over, CDC notes about half have prediabetes. 
• The good news is, CDC notes you can make lifestyle changes that can delay or even prevent you from ever getting Type 2 diabetes.  

What are some lifestyle changes you can make if you are diagnosed with prediabetes?   Three main lifestyle changes for prediabetes are:

• Increase physical activity
• Lose weight if overweight
• Adopt a healthier diet 

CDC offers a whole program on lifestyle called the National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Lose weight if overweight:  Most, 89.8%, of those with prediabetes are overweight or obese.  CDC notes if a 200-pound person lost just 10-14 pounds they could help prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Increase Physical Activity:  Exercise is so important to controlling prediabetes.  Surprisingly, CDC found 34.3 % or one third of people with prediabetes are very sedentary, “getting less than 10 minutes a week of moderate or vigorous activity”. 

•  How does exercise help control blood sugar levels?

When you exercise your body takes the sugar out of your blood and uses it as fuel.  “That is why physical activity is such a key element in controlling blood sugar.” 

• How much exercise and what exercise?   Exercise doesn’t have to be going to the gym.  Going for a walk counts.  In fact, when Spencer Nadolsky, DO, talks to his patients, he says, “I try to get them to walk”.  Why?  Because people can start to walk more right away.  CDC recommends getting at least 150 minutes of exercise like taking a brisk walk every week.  Plan on about 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. 

• How much walking/exercise do you need to do?  A study in 2016, found that walking about 11 miles a week was enough to prevent going from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.  Sounds like a lot but this means you go for a 30-minute walk 5 to 6 times a week.  A real good time to walk or exercise is after a meal as this helps burn up the sugar in your blood as your body uses it to fuel your exercise.

• What about strength training?  I lift weights at least twice a week.  I do it to keep toned but adding some muscle also helps control blood sugar levels.  How?  Your muscles use blood sugar (glucose) for energy and muscles store glucose.  More muscle means more glucose your body can store. 

What about diet?  

In addition to exercise and losing weight (if overweight) the other lifestyle change for prediabetes is diet.  I have talked to many people with prediabetes and some give up foods they may not have to.  One guy said he could no longer eat spaghetti.  Why?  He could use whole grain spaghetti noodles and enjoy some spaghetti.  Another person said they gave up rice.  Why?  Brown rice is whole grain and there are many whole grain rice mixtures you can buy that are easy to pop in the microwave.  Next week we will talk about diet and diabetes.   What diet is best for those who have prediabetes?  What questions do you have about prediabetes?  Do you know someone with prediabetes?  Share this blog post with them. 

Sources:  diagnose , people , National Diabetes Prevention Program , Exercise, Cleveland Clinic , How to choose some healthy carbs , Proteins   Image Sources: Prediabetes  , Reversing prediabetes  , 1 in 3 adults