Raw Food Diet - Healthy or Not?Written by Deborah Wilson
Raw foodism is a way of eating that has grown in popularity in recent years. Celebrities such as Woody Harrelson, Carol Alt, and Alicia Silverstone have gone raw. So what's story? Raw foodists believe that cooking anything over 120 degrees destroys essential food enzymes needed for proper digestion. So is it myth or fact that raw food is better for you? As with so many things, jury is still out. Whenever you make drastic changes to your diet, it's important make sure you're receiving all nutrients you need. Those who incorporate more raw food in their diets such as fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, and raw nuts often see a huge improvement in overall health and well-being. It may not be necessary to be so extreme as to eat everything raw in order to reap benefits. If you decide to "go raw," how far you decide to take your raw diet is up to you. Many people choose to eat their morning and afternoon meals raw and then eat a cooked dinner. Forget fads and do what feels right to you. Adding more raw fruits and vegetables to you diet never hurt anyone. As for health benefits, proponents of raw diet claim it can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improve eyesight, heal skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis, and even aid in reversing chronic disease and cancer. While there is no research to back this up, more and more doctors and scientists are becoming interested in what raw food can do.
| | Could Getting Spicy Aid Your Treatment of CancerWritten by Rusty Ford
Could Getting Spicy Aid Your Treatment of Cancer July, 2005 Wow, as a two time survivor of cancer I found it amazing that I might be able to eat my self free of cancer. Well, that is an over statement but new research is showing that Curcumin to have strong cancer fighting properties. Curcumin also called turmeric is compound that gives curry its yellow tint. Curcumin has long been known for its antioxidant properties and is being studied now for it benefits in treating several different diseases. Cancer researchers have taken an interest in Curcumin because many countries with curry-rich cuisines have lower cancer rates than Western countries have. Researchers from University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center found Curcumin, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers. The study was published in August 15, 2005 issue of American Cancer Society journal “Cancer”. The study tested varying doses of Curcumin on three melanoma cell lines. It showed that Curcumin stops laboratory strains of melanoma from proliferating and induced apoptosis (programmed cell suicide). The results were same for high concentrations of Curcumin over short periods of time and smaller doses over longer periods of time. In a study published in 2002 in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention”, researcher gave three groups of mice different amounts of Curcumin extract for 15 weeks. The results showed that group of mice given largest amount of Curcumin found a reduction of 40 percent in benign tumors that were caused same gene that causes mot types of colon cancer. A similar study was published in “The Prostate” in 2001. Again three groups of mice were used. All three were injected with human prostate cancer cells. One group was a placebo group that received no treatment. One group was given Curcumin when injected with cancer cells. The other group was given Curcumin two weeks after cancer injection. After 6 weeks tumors in two groups give Curcumin were to percent smaller than in placebo groups.
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