15/ My Diet
The grape has
long been associated with periods of illness and convalescence. Recognition of its curative effects has
led to the development of full-scale grape cure courses and black and white
grapes both have properties important in the treatment of various forms of
cancer.
Cherries, also,
are rich in anti-cancer agents and have a huge asset in being delicious to eat.
The same cannot
be said of wheat grass. I’ve
witnessed dogs and cats chewing blades of young, green grass as a way of making
themselves vomit. Having tasted
powdered wheat grass sprinkled on my breakfast cereal I can fully understand
why this is so effective. However,
amongst other benefits wheat grass is a good source of selenium.
There is a
general concensus that selenium deficiency can lead to various clinical
consequences including cancer.
Fortunately a nut to which I am extremely partial, the brazil nut,
provides the richest food source of selenium.
It’s possible to
take selenium as a supplement but my humble rule of thumb is to eat fruit and
vegetables, as far as is feasible,
just as mother nature presents them - off the tree, out of the
ground. I almost added out of the
water but mostly I prefer my fish delicately cooked and anyway I’m talking here
about fruit and vegetables grown on land.
A supplement is the natural item treated in some way which may degrade
its benefits. The bioactive property
of unprocessed food enters intact - after adequate chewing and digestion - into
the bloodstream and finds its way happily to the part of the body that needs it
most.
Any seeds and
whole grains are generally beneficial.
Flaxseed, in particular, is noted as a good source of selenium.
Green, leafy
vegetables are good eaten raw or lightly cooked and carrots deserve an hourable
mention. So, too, does turmeric (curcumin).
Choosing dietary
constituents as an intervention in dealing with cancer is a strategy of
chemoprevention. As far as I can
see to date there is no convincing scientifically conclusive evidence suggesting
that any of these foods mentioned can in fact prevent cancer in humans, let
alone cure it.
But if properties
identified and acclaimed as being favourable in combatting cancer are present in foodstuffs
it seems to me a no brainer to add them to my regular diet.
Except wheat
grass.
''''''
Mary B’s
Sunflower Seeds Snack
Ingredients
Preparation Time: None
Cupful of sunflower seeds
Cooking Time:
7mins,
Soy sauce / tamari to taste
Difficulty: Dead easy
1. Sprinkle
sunflower seeds onto a heavy pan.
2. Dry roast on hob until just turning brown.
3. Remove pan
from heat and drizzle seeds with tamari / soy sauce.
4. Stir seeds
immediately to ensure all seeds are coated with tamari / soy sauce.
5. To prevent
seeds from sticking to the pan, stir until pan cools.
Enjoy as a
snack. Add to salads. Scrumptious.
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| © Máille Brady Bates |
