There is no better place to wage the war against cancer than on your plate. The best possible way to manage cancer is to prevent it and in order to do so, it is pertinently important that you look at what you are eating, how much you are eating and why you make the food choices that you do.
Cancer is a disease of toxicity. Cells become toxic, detoxification pathways become overburdened and breakdown, presenting disease with the perfect environment in which to thrive. What I learned once when doing experiments in a lab full of cancer cells is this: cancer cells thrive in a nutritionally compromised environment. Give them a plate of sugar and they are psyched, replicating with abandon. Put them in with a bowl of kale and they wither and die. Makes a great case for cruciferous vegetables.
Cruciferous vegetables, which include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, radishes and others, contain a compound called Indole 3 Carbinole, a phytonutrient that helps to facilitate the removal of harmful estrogens from the liver and is especially helpful in fighting breast cancer. Additionally, these foods contain sulfurophane, which helps block cancer by increasing production of a cancer-fighting enzyme. It also helps with detoxification of the liver. Clearly, getting more of these cancer-fighting foods into your diet would be a great first line of defense in the pursuit of health.
Many of my clients know that I am a big fan of the website 101 Cookbooks the brainchild of Heidi Swanson, chef, photographer and blogger extraordinaire. I would venture to say that through her simple, delicious and healthy recipes, Heidi has done more to promote healthy, optimal nutrition than I could do by just talking about it. Through her recipes, she makes eating well tangible and appealing. We all want to eat better, but many people don’t realize that doing so could also taste so good. Well, not until they discover 101cookbooks. By making her recipes easy to follow, requiring few ingredients and ultimately, incredibly delicious, Heidi is prompting people to eat well while indulging their palates, guilt free!
Recently I cam across her recipe for Japanese pizza and intrigued, I gave it a try. Made with cancer fighting cabbage and sulfur containing leeks, this recipe is a one-two punch in your nutritional approach against cancer. I’ve modified the recipe a little bit and it kind of reminded me of sesame pancakes that you can order in a Chinese restaurant ~ but a healthy version! Give it a try and see what you think.