Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

A diet high in walnuts may significantly decrease a person's risk of breast cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Marshall University School of Medicine and presented at a conference of the American Association for Cancer Research.

A chemical analysis showed that omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols contained in walnuts all contributed to the mice's tumor resistance.

"The omega-3 fatty acid, the phytosterols and antioxidants individually have been shown to prevent or delay cancers" Hardman said. "So if you add them all together, it looks like it may be really good."

In another study, Hardman found that feeding mice a diet enriched with the same omega-3 content as that contained in the walnut dose given in the current study was not as effective as eating the whole walnut.

"It did reduce cancer incidents," she said, "but not as dramatically as the walnut-containing diet did. So it's something else other than the omega-3 in the walnut that's contributing to the suppression of cancers."

Hardman noted that the effect of the whole food was probably greater than the sum of its parts.

With dietary interventions, you see multiple mechanisms when working with the whole food, she said.

For 20 years, I’ve been telling people to eat walnuts as a superfood; now we know it’s good for mice too.

Nuts and seeds contain plant sterols and other phytochemical compounds that we are just beginning to understand their benefits. Eating the whole food guarantees we are getting all of the known and unknown beneficial micronutrients contained in these superfoods.

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Nuts and seeds are some of nature’s ideal foods for humans and the best way for us to get our healthy fats. They can satiate true hunger better than oils because they are rich in critical nutrients and fibers and have one-quarter the calories of an equal amount of oil. They should be part of your healthy eating-style. Many people perceive raw nuts as high-fat, high-calorie foods that should be avoided or consumed in only token amounts. The important role of raw nuts and seeds in the American diet has been almost completely ignored by nutritional advisers, and their absence is a huge flaw in American cuisine. The results of recent research have changed this perception completely. Today, more and more researchers are finally aware that it is not fat in general that is the villain, but saturated fat, trans fat, and fats consumed in a processed form. Fats from avocado, raw nuts, and seeds are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that not only offer unique health benefits, but also maintain the freshness of the food, preventing rancidity of the fat within.

Recent evidence shows that the frequent consumption of nuts is strongly protective against heart disease. It has been shown that people eating nuts daily, or more than once a day, had a 59 percent lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease.1 In addition, several clinical studies have observed beneficial effects of diets high in nuts on lowering cholesterol levels. The beneficial effects of nut consumption observed in clinical and epidemiologic studies underscore the importance of distinguishing different types of fat. One study estimated that every exchange of one ounce of saturated fat to one once of nut-fat from consuming a whole nut was associated with a 45 percent reduction in heart disease risk.2

Study after study shows that raw nuts and seeds not only lower cholesterol, but also extend lifespan and protect against common diseases of aging. They also provide a good source of protein, which makes up about 15 to 25 percent of their calories.3 Nuts’ hard shells also keep them well protected from pesticides and environmental pollution. Raw nuts and seeds, not the salted or roasted variety, provide the most health benefits.

Over the last few years, the health benefits of seeds also have become more apparent. A tablespoon of ground flaxseed, hempseeds, chia seeds, or other seeds can supply those hard-to find omega-3 fats that protect against diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.4 Seeds are also rich in lignans, a type of fiber asso ciated with a reduced risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer. In addition, seeds are a good source of iron, zinc, calcium, protein, potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E, and folate. The plant goes to great effort in producing and protecting its seed, filling each genetic package with high concentrations of vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential oils, and enzymes.

While nuts and seeds have great health benefits, they are higher in calories and fat compared to vegetables, beans, and fruits so they should be consumed in smaller amounts. Nuts and seeds contain about 175 calories per ounce, and a handful could be a little over one ounce. For most of us, they are not a food that should be eaten in unlimited quantity. Unless you are thin and exercising frequently, hold your consumption of raw nuts and seeds to less than two ounces a day.

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I’m Italian, so I’m required to like garlic, but that garlic powder I grew up on can’t hold a candle to fresh garlic. A new study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry claims that raw, crushed garlic has more heart-protective effects than the dried stuff.

In the study, Dipak K. Das and colleagues point out that raw, crushed garlic generates hydrogen sulfide through a chemical reaction. Although best known as the stuff that gives rotten eggs their distinctive odor, hydrogen sulfide also acts as a chemical messenger in the body, relaxing blood vessels and allowing more blood to pass through. Processed and cooked garlic, however, loses its ability to generate hydrogen sulfide.

The scientists gave freshly crushed garlic and processed garlic to two groups of lab rats, and then studied how well the animals' hearts recovered from simulated heart attacks. "Both crushed and processed garlic reduced damage from lack of oxygen, but the fresh garlic group had a significantly greater effect on restoring good blood flow in the aorta and increased pressure in the left ventricle of the heart," Das said.

Garlic is one of the foods Dr. Fuhrman recommends diabetics eat plenty of, along side green vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. Sometimes I bake garlic cloves in the oven and spread it on wholegrain bread.

Via EurekAlert!

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Happy Saturday! It’s time for our weekly “trip” to a far away restaurant and this week Eating to Live on the Outside heads up to Toronto, Canada to eat at The Beet Organic Café & Market. How does it stack up? It looks pretty good to me. Here’s a list of five things that might make the cut.

Farmer’s Harvest

• Locally grown veggies, Toronto sprout blend, tamari roasted seeds on mixed greens with dressing; looks pretty good, but I’d order the dressing on the side.

Spinach & Walnut

• Spinach, walnut, sliced pear tossed in vegan creamy garlic dressing and with marinated roasted seeds; same deal, dressing on the side.

Curry on Quinoa

• Chickpea, potato, quinoa and spinach; pretty simple and greens are a plus.

Organic Housemade Tofu Burger

• Tofu and walnut patty on whole wheat bun topped with caramelized onions, grated carrots, sunflower sprouts, tomato, house mayo and served with potato wedges and house ketchup; I’ll skip the mayo and if the potato wedges aren’t fried, they’re cool.

Avocado & Grilled Tofu

• Marinated and grilled teriyaki tofu steaks, avocado, arugula, tomato and vegan house mayo; looks okay, the arugula is awesome.

Okay, if I really had to pick something. I’m going for the Avocado & Grilled Tofu. I love arugula. It’s just too hard to resist, but what about you? What would you order? Check out The Beet’s menu and let me know.

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Hooray for Saturday! And this Saturday, Eating to Live on the Outside is “off” to Miami, Florida for a quick meal at Lifefood Gourment, a veg-restaurant saluting food and science.

It didn’t take long to shift through the Lifefood’s menu. Here’s a rough draft of stuff I might order:

Alfredo Elixir Soup

• Alfredo sauce, macadamia motza cheese and hand picked veggies; I’m not sure what “motza” is and hopefully it’s not salty.

Tomato Magic Soup

• Tomato blended with spices; I love tomato, just as long as it isn’t salty.

Insalata Caprese

• Tomato, baby spinach, basil, macadamia motza cheese, olive oil and dried oregano; sounds awesome, but I’m getting the dressing on the side.

Lifefood Gourmet House Salad

• Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, baby arugula, onion, bell pepper, tomato and tahini dressing; same thing with the salad dressing.

Lifefood Gourmet Caesar

• Kelp, Irish moss, Romaine lettuce and pumpkin seed croutons; I’m cool with this.

Minerals of the Sea Salad

• Greens, hijiki, arama, kelp, onion, celery and tahini dressing; sea vegetables can be salty, so I’m not absolutely sold on this one.

Life Gourmet Burger

• Sprouted quinoa and flax dehydrated buns, walnut, pumpkin seed, Brazil nut, onion, celery, flax oil patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard; the oil is a bit of a drag, but I can deal with it.

I got a break this week. Lifefood’s menu is short and sweet. Now, I like a few things, but if I had to pick. I'm going with the House Salad. It’s got plenty of greens and other awesome vegetables.

How about you, what you order? Flip through Lifefood’s menu and let know what you think.

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Raw food diets are very popular. They’re cool. A lot of people have success on them, but the truth is you don’t have to go 100% raw for superior health—some cooked food isn’t going to kill you! Now, in this quick discussion from Dr. Fuhrman’s member center, he talks about the optimal level of raw food and cooked food a diet should have:

Question: What is the percentage of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds one should consume in his or her diet? In other words, how much of our diet should be raw food? I think I eat about 75% raw now. Is that too much raw? Can you have optimal health on 50% raw food if that raw food is comprised of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds?

Dr. Fuhrman: No, I think 75% raw as an ideal approximation is right. Consider that nuts and seeds avocados could supply about 30% to 40% of calories, raw fruits about 20%and raw vegetables about 20%. But of course, that does not mean a diet with more cooked greens and vegetable and bean soups would not be very healthy or as healthy.

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It’s the weekend, so why are you reading a blog and not playing outside! Well, hurry up and read, then get outside. Today Eating to Live on the Outside is off to The Coup in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Let’s hope I don’t get picked up by a Mountie.

Alright, after scanning the menu, I see the usual mix, some good stuff and some iffy stuff. Here’s a quick list of food I might order:

Organic Edamame Soybeans

• Soybeans with Himalayan rock salt; I love edamame beans, but I’ll nix the salt.

The Green House Effect Salad

• Chickpeas, sheep feta, toasted seeds, pea shoots, shredded carrot, beets, kalamata olives, organic greens and dressing; pass on the feta, I’m okay with the olives and the dressing is going on the side.

Peanut Satay Salad

• Steamed broccoli, sautéed tofu, organic greens, rice vermicelli and peanut satay sauce; I’m okay with the vermicelli pasta and the sautéing, but again, sauce on the side.

Lotus Root Salad

• Asian greens, lotus root, cherry tomatoes, ponzu sauce, toasted pine nuts and crusted tofu; no problems here, sounds pretty good.

El Taco

• Naturally sweetened beans, avocado, shredded veggies, quinoa, salsa, grilled sprouted tortilla and sheep yogurt or soy yogurt; I’m alright on the tortilla, but I’ll skip both yogurts.

Kinoko Hot Pot

• Seasonal veggies, lotus root, edamame, soba noodles and spicy nori mushroom sesame broth; not too bad.

Pseudo Sushi

• Veggies and fruit rolled up in brown rice; I love sushi!

Field Trip

• Organic greens, sesame date yam dip, curry cream cheese spread, edamame, curry cashew pesto, smoked tahini balsamic eggplant dip and foccacia and lavash; I’m dropping the cream cheese.

Organic Greens

• Greens, pea shots, shredded carrot, beets, seeds and dressing; nice and simple!

Greek Goddess

• Tomatos, sundried tomatoes, red pepper, spinach, red onion, capers, lentils sautéed in lemon tahini sauce, topped with kalamata olives and feta on brown basmati rice; no feta for me.

Wild Rose Stack

• Fresh greens, pan seared portabella mushroom, smoked balsamic tahini, eggplant, quinoa, sautéed greens and shallots and tomatoes topped with sprouts and hemp oil; even with the oil it still looks tasty.

Kinoko Hot Pot

• Veggies, lotus root, edamame, soba noodles in a spicy nori mushroom sesame broth; another good one.

Dragon Bowl

• Steamed and fresh seasonal veggies, stir-fried tofu on organic brown basmati or quinoa topped with seeds and cilantro; I’d go with the quinoa.

Now, if I REALLY had to pick something. I’d go for either The Green House Effect Salad or the Dragon Bowl. Although, the sushi is hard to pass up, I love sushi, fish or veggie, especially octopus!

The Coup works. A lot of tasty looking healthy food, not bad for my first “trip” to Canada, but what do you think? Come on, help a brother out. Look at the menu and let me what you’d order. Can you do that, aye? Peace.

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It’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room. The recession, depression or whatever we’re in. People are worried. Things are bad! And during an economic slump people’s health is at risk, particularly their diets. History shows candy consumption goes up and newer reports reveal people eat more fast food and less fruits and veggies when money is tight.

Resist the temptation! Eat your fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans. And, listen to these tips by a professor from the University of California for staying heart healthy during the recession, such as exercising more, eating lots of fresh simple foods at home, avoiding secondhand smoke, and find ways or activities to reduce stress; via HealthDay News.

And ignore companies like Krispy Kreme who hock free coffee and doughnuts to mark the Great Depression. Oh, you’re broke? Now get fat too!

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