90% of cancers arise from lifestyle and environmental factors. This includes diet, obesity, tobacco, alcohol, a sedentary lifestyle, and environmental toxins. You can modify these risks!
Polyphenol Power
The herbs and spices we use in cooking add flavor, excite our taste buds, and deliver potent messages to our cells. Spices are major sources of polyphenols. Here is what polyphenols can do:
Arrest blood supply to growing tumors
Cause malignant cells to undergo suicide (a process called apoptosis)
Slow down unregulated cell growth
Stimulate cytotoxic and innate immunity (critical cancer-fighting immunity)
Restore optimal hormone sensitivity
Reduce blood levels of glucose (sugar) and associated insulin
SPICE UP YOUR LIFE! Add spices to as many meals as you can!
Here are five tips to spice up your daily diet:
1. Start your day by adding some cinnamon to your morning coffee. Cinnamon helps to stabilize you blood sugar.
2. Add spices to your morning oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothie. Yummy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice can add an antioxidant kick to your morning.
3. Get exotic with curry! Curry contains many beneficial spices like turmeric, coriander, cumin, pepper, and ginger. Turmeric and ginger are potent cancer-fighters that turn off the inflammation switch, NF-kB.
4. Marinate in your spices. Olive oil mixed with rosemary, sage, thyme, coriander, and garlic can be used to marinate meats and vegetables. These are flavor enhancers and can reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines, the potent cancer-causing compounds that are formed when meat is cooked. (Beware of that char).
5. Make it easy and accessible. Make your own spice mixes to season your food when cooking. You can even empty your salt shaker and fill it up with your own mix of spices. Use this on your meats, beans, grains, salads, and vegetables. Great spices to mix include: black pepper, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, mustard, and coriander.
Have fun with your spices!
Enjoy your spiced up diet and know that with each bite, you are transforming your internal landscape towards greater health and away from chronic diseases like cancer!