LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND LET MEDICINE BE THY FOOD

Daily discoveries are being made around the world which proves that vitamins, minerals and food compounds have the ability to both prevent prostate disease and to actually target and kill prostate cancer cells. Many of these nutrients are needed in therapeutic doses, amounts which make it necessary to isolate these compounds and take in supplement form. This said however, we simply don’t know enough about all the properties of a particular plant to isolate one or two compounds and get the synergistic effect of the whole plant. There are over 20,000 known bioflavonoids and 800 carotenoids, of which only a hand full have been studied. This makes it very important not to rely on supplementing alone as the answer to your nutritional needs.

AMINO ACIDS

Amino acids are the building blocks our bodies rely on. The body uses twenty two amino acids, it gets from the protein we eat, to construct over fifty thousand protein structures. More than five thousand amino acid complexes are used by the immune system. Glutathione for instance is composed of three amino acids and is one of the bodies primary means of controlling free radicals which damage the cells of the body. Whey protein taken as one tablespoon of cottage cheese will increase the glutathione levels in the prostate by 60% and this is only one of the 5,000 protein structures the body utilizes in the immune response. It is extremely important to completely break down the protein we ingest into individual amino acids, this can happen only if adequate protease enzymes are present in the digestive tract. Partially digested protein is known as peptides. Peptides severely limit the body’s ability to fully utilize protein so make sure to get enough enzymes in your diet. Protein does have a down side in the fact that it acidic, sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol and soft drinks are also acidic. This causes our body’s to become so acidic that it creates an ideal environment for cancer and other degenerative diseases. We therefore caution that you get adequate protein in the diet, but excessive amounts are to be avoided, as are the use of other foods which are acid forming to us.

Recommended protein foods: Lean cuts of beef, chicken and turkey (limit any fat from meat fed with grains such as corn and wheat), wild game, cold water fish, beans (any plant based protein), eggs (especially omega 3 enriched), soy milk (all soy products), goats milk, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, nuts and protein supplements/ amino acids.

Protein foods to avoid: Pork, fatty cuts of domestic livestock, dairy, most cheese and peanuts (alpha toxin mold). DO NOT BURN OR COOK MEAT AT HIGH TEMPERATURES.

FATS

A shift that is taking place is the recognition that fats are essential for us, every cell uses fat for the structure of the cell wall. The body utilizes fat for many other purposes and should be furnished from a number of sources in order to insure that the many and varied needs for fats are being met.. Cod liver oil and flax seed oil are excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids which are absolutely essential for good health. Other sources of omega 3 are wild game, grass fed cattle and cold water fish. Due to the pollution of all bodies of water, all fish have some degree of contamination. Mercury is at the head of the list and large ocean dwelling fish have toxins such as mercury, the larger the fish the more it is contaminated. Be careful that you don’t consume fish without taking selenium, a mineral shown to chelate mercury and other heavy metals. Many contaminants we consume act as xenoestrogens and should be removed regularly. An excellent way of getting omega 3 fatty acids without getting the contaminants is to take a quality cod liver oil. We would also refer you to the research of Dr. Joanna Budwig, she used flax seed oil and cottage cheese with great results in treating cancer. Another reason for consuming omega 3’s with EPA’s and DHA’s is they help inhibit the cox 2 enzyme, which causes inflammation, a contributing factor in prostate cancer.

Omega 6 fatty acid is essential as well and can be obtained from borage oil, evening primrose oil, corn oil, soybean oil and any meat which has been grain fed. Unlike omega 3 oil that most people are deficient in, the average person gets too much omega 6 fatty acid and this causes unpleasant reactions in the body. Too much omega 6 has also been linked to cancer, as it is metabolized into 5-hete acid. Many researchers feel 5-hete is a primary fuel used for tumor growth. As with most nutrition, the body needs the correct ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 to function best. This ratio should be no more than 4 grams of omega 6 to 1 gram of omega 3. The average American has a ratio of 40 to 1. To further add insult to injury, there are several sources of omega 6 that we are not getting, such as evening primrose oil, these sources provide components of omega 6 which are beneficial but not found in grains. Almost all omega 6 we get comes from corn, wheat or soybean. One component of omega 6 we get from grains, is metabolized into archidonic acid. An enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase (5-lo) is used to metabolize arachidonic acid into the aforementioned 5-hete.

Other oils such as olive and canola for example are very nutritious and should be incorporated into the diet. Many of these are Omega 9. We will not take the time here to get into the debate about the saturation of oils, but we do believe that if you limit your intake of omega 6 and use olive oil for cooking and salad dressings, you will be much healthier. The Mediterranean Diet is recognized as being very healthy, it uses fish, vegetables and olive oil as the main staples.

Caution should also be taken to keep fats from going rancid. Just as precaution should be taken prior to consumption, taking antioxidants to protect fats in the cells and fats found in the blood stream is just as important. This can be accomplished with colorful fruits, berries and vegetables as well as antioxidants in supplement form. One last caution about fat, and that is heterocyclic amines. When you super heat any oil (frying), or when you char meat on the grill, you alter the composition of the fat into these compounds (heterocyclic amines) which are known carcinogens.

Recommended oils: Cod liver oil, flax seed oil, olive oil and butter (use sparingly), grape seed oil and virgin coconut oil.

Oils to avoid: Any oil with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, corn oil, soybean oil, lard, any oil which has been used for frying and margarine.

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

Vegetables, grains and sugars are our source of carbohydrates; the body utilizes carbohydrates primarily for energy. The main problem with carbs is that we have abused them. Processing of grains, refining of sugars and juicing of fruits causes the rapid absorption and conversion of carbohydrates into glucose. This elevated glucose enters the blood stream and causes the body to release insulin in order either to drive the glucose into the cells to be used for ATP (energy) or to be stored for later use as fat. Sugar and insulin are closely linked to prostate cancer and problems only occur when excess is involved . When the modern American diet is consumed, excess is inevitable. This makes the elimination of sugar, high glycemic fruits and fruit juices essential, as is elimination of other simple carbohydrates such as flour, white rice, white potatoes and most breads. Another problem with carbohydrates is that when they are heated to high temperatures in the cooking process, they form a carcinogen known as acrylamides. When eating fruits, vegetables or grains, it is a good idea to eat with as little processing and cooking as possible. This helps preserve nutrients and enzymes. There are exceptions, vegetables can often be juiced to remove fiber and increase the available nutrients, and tomatoes which have been cooked will have more available lycopene content than fresh tomatoes. A good salad dressing to use is flax seed oil and cottage cheese, noni juice might also be added to the mixture.

Recommended vegetables: Eat all with exceptions listed below, Especially important are cabbage and cabbage juice (especially cabbage juice), all cruciferous vegetables as well as sprouted broccoli seeds, garlic, tomatoes ( paste and sauce especially), millet and brown rice.

Vegetables to avoid: corn (especially corn meal), wheat (especially flour), white potatoes and carrot juice.

Recommended fruits: all berries, lemons, whole oranges (one per day max), grapefruit, apples (one per day max) and any other high fiber low glycemic fruit, make sure to eat them whole in order to retain the fiber and slow absorption of sugar.

Fruits to avoid: all fruit juice, high glycemic fruits ( peaches and tropical fruits for example) and melons.

Recommended breads: Ezekial (sprouted grain)

Breads to avoid: all breads (especially those made with white flour), crackers, and chips

BEVERAGES

The body is estimated to be 70% water and staying properly hydrated is extremely important. If you are not consuming adequate amounts of pure water you must start immediately. Tap water is most definitely not pure; it has more chemicals, heavy metals and bacteria than is safe for a healthy person, much less someone with a health challenge. Many researchers feel that chlorinated water is unsafe to drink, bath in or even to breathe (steam). We recommend that you get a whole house water filter and a reverse osmosis filter for your drinking and cooking water. There is some controversy as to whether distilled water is good for you over the long term. This is due to the fact that water is a very strong natural solvent. This means that it will try to absorb anything it comes in contact with, if you add sugar to it, it becomes sweet or add tea leaves and you get tea. When water comes into contact with even minute traces of a chemical compound such as a pesticide or herbicide and you get water with the ability to give you cancer. Distilling water can remove any suspended particulates from water to make it pure, but it then becomes what is termed as hungry water and it also becomes acidic, around 5.5 ph. We would highly recommend you to add a liquid mineral complex such as Agape Living Water or add enough baking soda to neutralize the ph and lessen waters likelihood of leaching vital minerals from the body.

Recommended beverages: water that has been thru a reverse osmosis filter, distilled water (distilled water is especially good for cleansing), black tea, green tea, ginger tea, essiac tea, soy milk, goats milk raw organic cow milk and vegetable juice (especially cabbage). If you are habited to coffee, one cup per day is allowed, provided you add enough baking soda to neutralize the acid.

Beverages to avoid: ALL ALCOHOL, ALL SOFT DRINKS, fruit juices, milk, spring water and tap water.

Whether you have a health challenge, or you want to maintain your health, diet is a critical component in your overall strategy. Eating the right foods, properly prepared can be a tremendous ally or the wrong foods can actually make you sick. Clean water is just as important. Digestive enzymes are another factor to consider. Until a food has been properly digested it will not aid your health. One last nutrient you need to be concerned about is salt. You are an electrical being, when electricity stops you die. Your bodily fluids have the same salinity as the ocean and it is vital you get enough salt (sodium chloride) to maintain this salinity. The problem arises with what is sold to us for salt. It has been striped of all nutrients except sodium chloride and additives are added to allow it to flow. We recommend your return to a more natural salt to meet your requirements for this vital nutrient. Books have been written on each of the topics we discussed here and this information should be only a rudimentary understanding of what you need to do in order to be and stay healthy. It is more than a little coincidental that the foods listed in the bible are being confirmed today by new scientific methods as being healthy. Many herbs and oils the bible mentions are also being proven to have medicinal value.