Linking you to resources and support in the lung cancer community!
Whole Food is Complete Food
Food Synergy is the new buzz word in nutrition and it means either the way we eat more than one food together with another that jointly work to boost the effects (i.e. eating a steamed carrot with a bit of olive oil boosts the body’s absorption of beta carotene) or by eating whole, unprocessed food that naturally contains all of the nutrients within it needed by the body to work “synergistically”, as a group of complete nutrients self contained.
Now I'm not talking about ketchup on fries or hamburgers and hot dogs at a bar-b-q, as good as that sounds, It's the way nature has provided everything we need for complete health within all naturally grown foods that fascinates me.
For example, who would have ever thought that one simple, common red apple that contains only 6 mgs of Vitamin C would also naturally contain other antioxidants such as quercetin, procyanidins, catechins and epicatechins (in addition to the almost 400 other nutrients that are currently known to us – there may be more!) and that by working together (synergistically) would together contain the anti-oxidant activity equivalent to 1500 mgs of vitamin C?
Nature (God, I prefer to say) in infinite wisdom gives us what we need. Every single natural food grown has ALL of the components within it needed for complete absorption and health. Nothing else is required of us except to just eat it.
And not in the processed, dehydrated, preserved, additive, microwaved state that we have gotten so accustomed to. Just plain, good food.
Can supplements take the place of whole food?
In my opinion absolutely not. Not in any form. Not in canned drinks, not in liquid form, powdered form you mix with liquid, capsules or pills.
Scientists and laboratories try to harness the “aha” nutrients or chemicals in foods they believe to be the power behind the whole… such as EGCG, the polyphenol in green tea. But as with all supplements – in my opinion, that is what they are – supplements, supplemental, to whole food.
In trying to tip the balance by extracting and exaggerating certain components, they have upset the balance provided by nature. Does that mean it’s bad to “supplement”? Absolutely not…as long as we remember taking supplements is “supplemental” to whole healthy foods.
When battling disease we are facing other challenges, such as trying to consume large - medicinal quantities - of certain nutrients for specific purposes such as battling oxidants caused by medications or trying to stop angiogenisis from occuring by cancerous cells. In that setting, it is often impossible to get the quantities of a certain nutrient into our systems by simply eating foods alone.
Example being curcumin. If we want to take 3,000 mgs per day of curcumin through food alone, we would have to consume approximately ¼ lb of turmeric root per day. It is ridiculous to imagine anyone could or would attempt that. (Ever tasted real turmeric??)
So we take the extract of curcumin in capsules… but just to be on the safe side, I take mine mixed with whole ground turmeric or dried turmeric spice, because I know the whole food contains natural oils and other components that may make it more biologically available to my body… and mix it with black pepper which also acts “synergistically” increasing absorption.
Another example is selenium. It is suggested that people who supplement with selenium also take extra vitamin E because E is needed to activate selenium. I say eat a brazil nut. It already by nature is one of THE primary sources of plant selenium…and Vitamin E is already there – and in the correct amount of course.
Green tea is yet another shining example. The polyphenol, EGCG, is known to have many anti-cancer properties. I take green tea extract in capsule form to increase my levels of EGCG... but I also consume several cups per day of freshly steeped green tea.
Just some "food for thought".
God bless us all,
Ellen
Views: 68
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by AndiB on -
Love this info and all you do.If I beat this beast you will be a big part,and if not I will have had a better ride thanks AndiB
-
Permalink Reply by drawing3d/MOD on -
AndiB, quality of life is all any of us can ever ask for!
And what you do to take control of your health is all because of you and your efforts - nobody else deserves credit. :)
See you here in twenty years my friend!
God bless,
Ellen
-
Permalink Reply by LungCalifornia on -
Thanks for the valuable info. May I ask what's the source of your info? There's tons of info out there, any favorite, legit nutritional materials without any bias of any kind? Have subscribed to naturopathic docs like Drs Weil, Stengler and D. Williams and Bottom Line Health.
Green tea, love it since dx 7 years ago. favorite brand?leaves or bags?
Considering that thousands of chemicals are introduced a year that's added to our food, drugs, common cleaning supplies among other things, we really need to pay attention to what we eat and maximize the benefit of what we can pair foodwise to help our bodies fight these toxic chemicals that's literally poisoning us and making us unhealthily obese!!
I guess I was too busy transitioning from recovering to getting back in the swing of things that I totally missed/ignored the fact that the majority of the population is getting bigger and with that a boatload of diseases!!!
Looking forward to more info you can share !!!!
God bless always!!!
-
Permalink Reply by drawing3d/MOD on
-
Hi LungCalifornia,
As you said there is a plethora of info on synergy on the web...some more "credible" than others of course.
I frequent http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php which is "The World's Healthiest Foods" which gives brief overviews on most food s and food groups to look up basic nutritional info...and then there's always http://www.nutritiondata.com/, which is the USDA database of most fresh foods as well as many commercial foods.
I love green tea as well as white tea for antioxidant benefits, EGCG and immune strengthening.
I also began drinking papaya tea made from dried papaya leaves as well as Tulsi Tea made from the dried holy basil leaf.
Here is some recent info on Papaya Tea you may find interesting:
"Papaya Extract Thwarts Growth of Cancer Cells in Lab Tests"
The humble papaya is gaining credibility in Western medicine for anticancer powers that folk cultures have recognized for generations.
University of Florida researcher Nam Dang, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues in Japan have documented papaya's dramatic anticancer effect against a broad range of lab-grown tumors, including cancers of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas. The researchers used an extract made from dried papaya leaves, and the anticancer effects were stronger when cells received larger doses of the tea.
In a paper published in the Feb. 17 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Dang and his colleagues also documented for the first time that papaya leaf extract boosts the production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines.
This regulation of the immune system, in addition to papaya's direct antitumor effect on various cancers, suggests possible therapeutic strategies that use the immune system to fight cancers.
The papaya extract did not have any toxic effects on normal cells, avoiding a common and devastating consequence of many cancer therapy regimens.
The success of the papaya extract in acting on cancer without toxicity is consistent with reports from indigenous populations in Australia and his native Vietnam, said Dang, a professor of medicine and medical director of the UF Shands Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office.
"Based on what I have seen and heard in a clinical setting, nobody who takes this extract experiences demonstrable toxicity; it seems like you could take it for a long time -- as long as it is effective," he said.
Researchers exposed 10 different types of cancer cell cultures to four strengths of papaya leaf extract and measured the effect after 24 hours. Papaya slowed the growth of tumors in all the cultures.
To identify the mechanism by which papaya checked the growth of the cultures, the team focused on a cell line for T lymphoma. Their results suggested that at least one of the mechanisms employed by the papaya extract is inducing cell death.
In a similar analysis, the team also looked at the effect of papaya extract on the production of antitumor molecules known as cytokines. Papaya was shown to promote the production of Th1-type cytokines, important in the regulation of the immune system. For that reason, the study findings raise the possibility of future use of papaya extract components in immune-related conditions such as inflammation, autoimmune disease and some cancers.
Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, already is so convinced of papaya's restorative powers that he has a serving of the fruit every day.
"We have always known that papaya has a lot of interesting things in there," said Aggarwal, a professor in the center's department of experimental therapeutics who was not involved in the UF research. Foremost among papaya's health-promoting agents is papain, papaya's signature enzyme, which is found in both the fruit and the leaves.
"This paper has not gone too much into identifying the components responsible for the activity, which is just fine. I think that is a good beginning," Aggarwal said.
Aggarwal also noted that papaya extract's success in reducing cancer in laboratory cell cultures must next be replicated in animal and human studies.
"I hope Dr. Dang takes it further, because I think we need enthusiastic people like him to move it forward," Aggarwal said.
Dang and a colleague have applied to patent the process to distill the papaya extract through the University of Tokyo; the next step in the research is to identify the specific compounds in the papaya extract active against the cancer cell lines. For this stage, Dang has partnered with Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., a fellow UF Shands Cancer Center member and a professor of medicinal chemistry. Luesch is an expert in the identification and synthesis of natural products for medicinal purposes, and recently discovered a coral reef compound that inhibits cancer cell growth in cell lines.
........................................................................... ................
The medical extract:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-... ser=10&_coverDate=02/17/2010&_rdoc=27&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info (%23toc%235084%232010%23998729996%231654100%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi= 5084&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=32&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_ userid=10&md5=ddcc7501bc37dcbe835568dc813fe38c
Dr. Dangs credentials:
http://www.medicine.ufl.edu/hemonc/n-dang.asp
And on Tulsi Tea:
Tulsi tea made from the dried leaves of the holy basil plant (not to be confused with sweet basil, what is commonly found in the grocery stores) is gaining popularity and interest in the western/eastern scientific arena.
Used for thousands of years In Ayurvedic medicine for everything from pain relief, stress reduction, cholesterol lowering, the common cold to broncitis, the swine flu, H1NI, digestive complaints to insect bites, it is now being closely studied for it's anti-cancer abilities:
http://www.karmanos.org/view_news.asp?id=347
...and it's ability to help reduce/thwart oxidative stress from radiation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11023610
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10641157
...lowering cholesterol levels:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VSC-... ser=10&_coverDate=12/31/2008&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanc hor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=6f61af 9ecf96456b3cf0346c23230750
...blood glucose lowering/diabetic usage:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6X3P-... ser=10&_coverDate=12/31/2002&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanc hor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=287292 2a8af16639f13de77f42e484fa
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12120816
...could it possibly help with nueropathy/joint pain??? ("folklore" has been saying so for 5000+ years!):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20181005
Other assorted reading:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16170979
http://health.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/21/holy-basil-%E2%80%93-the... buster/
http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=021307122001
To answer your question I always prefer tea loose b/c I am concerned about ingesting chemicals in tea bags due to many tea bags containing dioxin and are bleached:
http://www.healthhype.com/bleach-in-teabags-health-risks.html
CAUTIONS:
Check with your doctor if you are diabetic or on blood thinners.
Tulsi should not be taken with medications that slow blood clotting or with blood thinners.
You should also ONLY buy ORGANIC tulsi tea as many times holy basil is grown in soils known to have high contaminant levels.
I personally like mixing my teas together...green with white, tulsi with papaya etc.
Helps break it up and also helps me drink more each day!
God bless,
Ellen
-
Permalink Reply by LungCalifornia on
-
Sorry for the late acknowledgement. Thanks for the all the valuable info. Take care and God bless always!!!
-
Permalink Reply by AmyLCA on -
Hey Elllen,
In my "past life" I worked in maternal and child health programs in developing countries. The concept of "food synergy" is nothing new to overseas nutritionists, where poor, rural families don't have the western luxury of taking supplements. We learned a lot about what foods helped boost vitamin and nutrient absorption as well as what gets in the way of nutrient absorption. There was a big ad campaign that we worked on in Egypt related to drinking tea with meals, which apparently gets in the way of iron absorption. Egyptians are big tea drinkers, and there was a major anemia problem there at the time. I had no idea before working in that field!
I learned also that combining citrus with leafy greens makes iron more easily absorbed. You've piqued my interest in looking into this stuff again. I'm a little rusty on the nutrition stuff I learned back then.
Also, this is why I love Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food" so much. He argues that most "traditional" diets in the world outside the US have foods that work together in this way to create a complete and healthy meal.
Thanks for posting!
Amy
-
Permalink Reply by drawing3d/MOD on
-
Amy it is truly a vast subject...and you have quite an interesting background!
I just learned yesterday that drinking tea with the caseins in dairy protein block EGCG absorbtion we need in the battle against angiogenesis and metastasis.
So if you enjoy drinking a spot of cream or milk with your tea... don't.
Soy milk and even hemp milk might be the better option or at least make sure it is skim milk.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10913
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16020939
http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/28/2/219
Who would have EVER thought that??
God bless,
Ellen
-
Permalink Reply by HollyJo/MOD on
-
Hello my Friend!
Thanks for the interesting information. I hadn't added Brazil nuts to Mark's Trail Mix I make him for BF...he takes it to work.
Cranberries, Black Walnuts, Almonds and Sunflower Seeds...So now I will add a few Brazil Nuts.
I received my Tea Cups today ;-) So Papaya and Tulsi Tea here we come!
Can I mix the two since the Papaya is bitter? Or would I not get the desired effect?
Holly
-
Permalink Reply by drawing3d/MOD on
-
Holly, when you mentioned adding a few brazil nuts to Marks diet, it reminded me of something I read regarding prostate health/selenium/brazil nuts.
A link from Ralph Moss http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121001.html from a 2001 report said that while selenium is critical for prostate health, the selenium from brazil nuts increase the prostate cancer risk for men.
True or not, I don't know. Just passing it on.
You might want to go easy on the brazil nuts but be sure he eats other sources of selenium, like tuna or salmon maybe. Brown rice, cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, tuna and salmon come to mind.
As for papaya tea and tulsi - yes it helps to blend! Just remember, tulsi makes you sleepy so I wouldn't drink it in the daytime unless you are looking forward to a nap :)
God bless,
Ellen
-
-
Ellen,
No Brazil nuts for Mark! I already put Sunflower seeds in everyday.....so he's good to go! You know it's funny..
Really, no one at work eats "healthy".....but they all love Marks lunch including his trail mix! ;-)
God Bless,
-
-
Amy,
You have an interesting past indeed! Very interesting about drinking tea with meals. I will keep that in mind. Although when I get back in my "tea mode", I drink it all day, actually right up till I go to bed.
In the last year or so I got hooked on coffee again. It's SO hard to give up.
I will have to add the book you mentioned to my wish list!
Thanks,
© 2012 Created by AmyLCA.
