Health and Nutrition Strategies For Cancer Survivors and Everybody Else -- by Warren Green

What's in your diet?

It's my optimizing time. January and possibly February, I go into a eating mode that's intended to enhance my health. My personal strategy is a modified “Mediterranean Diet”. I identify mine as a modified because a Mediterranean Diet allows a minimum amount of red meat,and dairy. I eliminate cured meat and poultry because curing materials such as sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are toxic and works your immune system which you're trying to avoid. I reduce processed simple carbohydrates to a bare minimum.

I use dairy substitutes except for organic yogurt. My concerns with dairy are the use of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormones (rBGH) allowed in dairy cows since the mid 1990's. The use of rBGH causes inflammation to a cows udders which is treated by antibiotics. Dairy livestock treated with rBGH is not permitted in the United Kingdom, Canada, and with other trading partners. Consequently, rBGH treated domestic livestock products are marketed and concentrated in our domestic markets, primarily in the dairy industry and low cost fast food enterprises.

Now about the yogurt exception. Most yogurts have live cultures. Live cultures cause fermentation. Fermentation is a process in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in food creating lactic acid. That process preserves the food and creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics. I think that's a reasonable trade off.

Your immune system loves fermented stuff. A healthy immune system means a better quality of life. I consider yogurt the most cost effective probiotic. I love sauerkraut but only on cured sausage and corned beef products so its not an option during my optimizing. My primary and favorite fermented beverage is red wine because of its high resveratrol content.

Finally, we'll start the new year with info on my clean food/ Organic Capital of the World Initiatives.

Let's examine the logistics. Northeast North Carolina is geographically ideal for organic enterprises. However, because of our small markets the reverse doesn't occur. Our organic produce is primarily imported and is some of the highest in the region. The lack of inexpensive, clean, organic food is the major cause of the serious disease disparities in our region.

The USDA's organic standards are informing us that if growers are not abiding by their standards, than consumers cannot be assured of the quality of the product. I think its time to combine our health concerns with our clean food/ Organic Capital of the World initiatives by informing and engaging our political leaders.

You can't possibly have good health by consuming toxic food.

Let food be your medicine.