Did you know that food can be a source of inflammation? One of my medical heroes was David Servan-Schreiber M.D., Ph.D. who wrote the book Anti Cancer. At the age of 31, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. As a western-trained scientist, he chose the route with which he was most familiar: surgery, radiation and chemo. His cancer went into remission but then returned.
That caused Dr. Servan Schreiber pause for reflection and he considered a healing path somewhat outside the scope of allopathic medicine. That included exercise, meditation and following a diet that was not inflammatory. He then extended his life well beyond what his doctors had predicted. More on lifestyle changes in a future newsletter.
What foods are inflammatory and therefore to be avoided? White sugar and white flour top the list. One should avoid foods with a high glycemic index so that really includes sugar, white or brown, honey, syrups (maple, fructose or dextrose) Unfortunately, so many commercially produced foods, including salad dressings, contain sugar or sugar by any other name. Why? Because sugar is addictive. The food industry has much to answer for. So, it is important to start reading ingredient labels.
One should avoid white or bleached flours, white bread, white rice, white pasta, muffins, bagels and croissants. Potatoes also are to be avoided.
Cornflakes, Rice Krispies and most other bleached or sweetened breakfast cereals are out as well as jams, jellies and fruit cooked in sugar or fruit in syrup. Sweetened drinks, commercial fruit juices and sodas are off the list as well as alcohol. There is the redeeming proviso that a glass of red wine with a meal is fine.
So what is acceptable? For sweeteners, low glycemic index ones such as agave nectar or stevia are OK. Dark chocolate with more than 70% cocoa is good. On Dr. Servan Schreiber’s list are mixed whole-grain cereals: multigrain bread (not just wheat) or leavened (sourdough) bread, rice (wholegrain brown, basmati or Thai), pasta and noodles that are preferably multigrain, quinoa, oats, millet and buckwheat.
He also recommends incorporating into your diet lentils, peas, beans, sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal (porridge) and muesli. Fruits in their natural state, particularly blueberries, cherries and raspberries help regulate blood sugar levels. As a beverage, he includes water flavoured with lemon, thyme or sage, and green tea.
At the back of the book are several tables of many different cancers including Colon, Brain, Lung, Prostate, Breast cancer. Topping the list for essential foods to incorporate in a diet for all of these is garlic, onions, and shallots because, when mixed with other food, they help to lower insulin peaks.
I find this all very interesting because much of what the author writes applies to those who are either diabetic or pre diabetic. Although diabetes may not be a cancer, this disease has reached epidemic proportions and can be equally fatal if left untreated. Obviously that particular disease requires modifications, although the avoidance of a high glycemic diet holds true.
What I have written in this newsletter barely scratches the surface on the field of nutrition and I would recommend anyone faced with a medical challenge to consult with a qualified nutritional counsellor.
