Tag Archives: cancer prevention

13 ways to reduce your risk of prostate cancer and BPH

✔ Choose 

 

  1. Plant-based nutrition: The majority of your food choices are minimally processed, whole plant foods. Fill >50% of your daily meals with vegetables, 10% fruits, 15% legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, 25% lean protein such as organic chicken, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, organic tofu/edamame
  2. Flaxseed 
  3. Garlic, onion
  4. Lycopene: cooked tomato, watermelon, papaya, guava, persimmon, red pepper
  5. Omega 3 fatty acids: fish oil, salmon, sardine, mackerel, tofu, edamame, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts 
  6. Catechins: Matcha, green tea, dark chocolate, berries
  7. Zinc-rich foods: Pumpkin seeds, legumes
  8. Vit E (50mg/day): sunflower seeds, almonds, avocado, leafy greens 
  9. Selenium-rich foods: Brazil nuts, eggs, salmon, pumpkin seeds
  10. Cruciferous Vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bitter vegetables
  11. Vitamin D: 1000-5000 IU/daily or ~15 minutes of sun on the arms, legs, face during midday (10am-2pm), 3-4 times a week
  12. Nutritional supplements: Saw Palmetto, Stinging Nettle 
  13. Stay active, exercise and maintain healthy weight. Move more and sit less

✖  Avoid/Limit

  • Ultra-processed foods, such as Jam with added sugar,  processed meats, sugary granola bars, microwave popcorn, frozen dinner/pizza, instant noodles, margarine, fried foods, dried fruits 
  • Smoking or excessive alcohol intake
  • Store-bought pickled foods with nitrates or high sodium content 
  • Barbecue or grilled meats
    • Cooking meat over high temperature (ex. Pan-frying, grilling, barbecuing) may produce carcinogenic chemicals 
  • Processed meats with nitrates, such as sausage, bacon, ham, smoked salmon, pepperoni, roast beef  
    • Processed meats with nitrates and nitrites can form nitrosamines (carcinogenic) in the body 
    • Processed meats, especially red meat contain heme iron, which can enhance the formation of carcinogenic compounds (NOCs) in the body 
  • Refined grains, such as white rice, white bread, sugary cereal, regular pasta
  • Excessive intake (more than 3 servings/day) of dairy and calcium 

Nutrition Tips

  • Replace cookies & crackers with veggie sticks & hummus/plain yogurt 
  • Make a veggie omelette/tofu omelette/lentil soup/homemade smoothie for breakfast to boost vegetable intake in AM
  • Eat your vegetables and fruits with healthy fats such as avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts to maximize nutrient absorption
  • If you have BPH, limit red meat, caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods 
    • Excessive intake of red meat is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases 
  • Drink green tea with citrus (such as freshly squeezed lemon juice) to enhance catechins absorption
  • Replace processed meats and red meat with unprocessed, fresh chicken/turkey and have some meatless days with plant proteins
  • Eat a diet high in antioxidants polyphenols and Vitamin C can help reducing the conversion of nitrates and nitrites to nitrosamines 
    • ex. green tea, cocoa powder, berries, red grapes, star anise, flaxseed 

提升免疫力的保健品

  1. 益生菌 (Probiotic): 

  • 人體內有70%免疫細胞存在於腸道中
  • 養好腸道, 避免致病菌的侵入
  • 可以幫助消化吸收,促進腸道菌群平衡. 
  • 增強免疫力和抗病力
    • 預防呼吸道感染
      •  增加抗原特異性的IgG和IgA抗體,抑制炎症時單核細胞的增殖,減少肺部病原菌負擔並阻止組織病原菌擴散至血液. 
    • 腸道菌群紊亂與許多慢性疾病有關: 例如糖尿病、肥胖症、抑鬱症等
    • 增強機體免疫如鼠李糖乳桿菌HN001有利於減低嬰兒血漿IgE水平,提升其腸道屏障功能, 可降低特應性皮炎、濕疹等. 
  • 如果您目前正在使用抗生素,同時補充益生菌會有很大的幫助。
  • 食物來源包括: 泡菜, 納豆, 味噌, 乳酪 (Yogurt), 克菲爾 (Kefir) 
    • Yogurt 要細看營養標籤,最好清楚說明菌種及數量
    • Kefir 比 Yogurt 含有更多種類的益生菌
    • 醃菜含有大量鹽和糖,不宜多吃
    • 食物中的益生菌含量有限,難以單靠日常飲食獲得保健功效,可以考慮食用益生菌補充品,促進腸道健康

2. β-葡聚醣(β-glucans): 

  • 主要存在香菇、靈芝, 燕麥. 不過, 生食的含量最高 . 加工的穀類也會大量減少β-葡聚醣含量. 選擇鋼切燕麥粒(Steel-cut oats),而非即沖燕麥片或燕麥粉。
  • 有助於提升免疫力. 
    • 在老鼠實驗中發現,β-葡聚醣可以降低運動後的負面效果,並增加抵抗呼吸道感染
  • 幫助控制血糖
  • 降低壞膽固醇
  • 可能有助於對抗癌症. 
    • 有可能喚醒 T細胞(T-cells)或自然殺手細胞(Natural killer cell)
  • 可能會有助於以下的病症:過敏(Allergies)、氣喘(Asthma)、慢性疲勞症候群(Chronic fatigue syndrome)、纖維肌痛(Fibromyalgia)
  • 注意: 平常較少攝取膳食纖維的人,應該循序漸進的補充, 避免大量攝取可能會造成腸胃不適、脹氣或排氣等症狀。建議有低血糖症(hypoglycemia)或服用降血糖藥的人,先諮詢。

3. 乙醯半胱胺酸(N-Acetyl Cysteine)(NAC): 

  • 強化免疫作用
    • NAC 擁有強力抗氧化功能,協助降低自由基對細胞造成的損害,過多的自由基造成細胞氧化壓力,是提早老化的主要原因。
  • 提高保護肝及肺細胞
    • 有助肝臟分解毒素,修復肝臟細胞 . 
    • 有助於補充細胞內的穀胱甘肽 (GSH),一種重要的細胞抗氧化劑。
    • 建議服用 Tylenol 時也要補充NAC
  • 有助去斑淨白 . 
    • 抗氧化作用有效抗衰老
    • 能有效阻止黑色素在體內形成, 使黑色素變淺

4. 穀胱甘肽(Glutathione) (GSH):

  • 食物來源包括蘆筍, 牛油果, 大蒜,綠色蔬菜和甜菜
  • 一種重要的細胞抗氧化劑
    • 可清除自由基
    • 其他抗氧化劑如維生素C、E、都需要GSH才能中和自由基。
  • 能夠幫助肝臟快速排除分解毒素,有助修復肝臟細胞
  • 體內足夠的GSH濃度,能夠提高免疫系統對抗各種疾病疲勞,尤其是接受治療中的癌症患者.  
  • S-乙酰穀胱甘肽 (S-Acetyl Glutathione) (S-Acetyl GSH) 可增加細胞內 GSH的含量,因為它具有被腸道吸收並進入人體細胞的能力

5. 薑黃素 (Curcumin) 

  • 除了保健品,咖哩+ 黑胡椒是吸收薑黃素的最佳料理
  • 抗氧化、抗發炎, 抑制自由基,增加人體抗氧化物的活性
  • 降低膽固醇, 血糖, 調節血脂
  • 改善關節炎, 心血管疾病, 癌症, 肥胖, 憂鬱等
    • 實驗中發現可以降低導致體內發炎的細胞激素- 介白素 (TNF), 腫瘤壞死因子 (IL-6), 抑制腫瘤重要發炎因子 (Nf-KB)等
    • 可能減少治療或腫瘤引起的發炎相關副作用 (疲憊/噁心)
    • 目前臨床試驗輔助正規化療,可能增加免疫、減少抗藥性
  • 護肝, 增加血清中GSH抗氧化物質的活性
  • 預防阿茲海默症 (Alzheimer’s disease): 增加腦中酵素的活性
  • 注意: 本身有膽結石、膽道功能異常,或是缺鐵貧血患者,可能不適合吃薑黃素

7 Diseases the Amazing Beet Can Help You Fight Off and 7 Ways to Enjoy Beet

Beet is well known as a liver and blood cleanser. Due to its high-antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties, it has been linked to the prevention of lung, liver, colon cancer and many diseases.

Simple ways to incorporate beet into your diet include:

  1. Make an immune-boosting smoothie with beet, lemon, ginger, and raspberries
  2. Make a healthy side dish with roasted beet
  3. Add grated beetroot into your big salad
  4. Add fresh beet leaves into your big salad
  5. Steam beet, broccoli, cauliflower, tofu together and serve over brown rice or quinoa
  6. Make a beet and carrot soup
  7. Make a Beet Latte with beet juice, almond milk, ginger, and honey/maple syrup