Filed under: Diets , Worthy Wisdom It's not necessary to travel all the way to Tucson, Arizona or Lenox, Massachusetts for a little health enlightenment -- although I highly recommend it. Canyon Ranch professionals are not stingy with their health secrets. They offer a website for all to view, complete with all sorts of diet and fitness tips and and even an opportunity to sign up for an e-newsletter. In a binder I brought home from my trip to Tuscon in May, I've found even more resources, these specific to cooking. Take a look. Recommended Magazines Cooking Light (www.cookinglight.com) Eating Well (www.eatingwell.com) Fine Cooking, (www.finecooking.com) Recommended Cookbooks Canyon Ranch Cooks (1-800-726-8040) Canyon Ranch Cooklets (available at canyonranch.com)

• Salad & Appetizers
• Soups
• Fish & Seafood
• Poultry
• Vegetables & Vegetarian
• Desserts
• Mexican
• The LPGA Cooks with Canyon Ranch

The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison & Edward Espe Brown Jamie's Dinners by Jamie Oliver How to Cool Everything by Mark Bittman There you have it -- a good start for getting started on healthy and light cooking. Enjoy. Thanks, Canyon Ranch , for sharing your resources.

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Bone Cancer , Diets , Cancer prevention foods , Blogs , Books , Cancer Survivors

Filed under: All Cancers , Diets , Nutrition With cancer being more and more understood as a result of genetic and environmental variables, it's quite surprising to see that half of all citizens in Britain do not understand the links that occur between one's diet and the possibility (or even treatment) of cancer. This from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), which recently conducted a poll that concluded with the percentage of those that were unfamiliar with the connection between unhealthy foods and cancer -- a staggering 46% of those polled in Britain. I'm sure that same percentage (or even higher) would exist in the U.S. Lifestyle choices are so varied these days (from extremely good to incredibly bad) that it's no surprise the cancer rate in industrialized countries is soaring. Education is then action is key, not staying uninformed and in the dark. What will you do? Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: All Cancers , Diets , Nutrition , Cancer prevention foods , Vitamins and nutrients Dr. Richard Wender, president of the American Cancer Society, took questions from readers as part of the New York Times feature on cancer last week. Here is an interesting question from a reader about the role of antioxidants. Leanne asks about the use of antioxidants and other supplements during cancer treatment, specifically whether they are harmful and whether they can reduce the effectiveness of some chemotherapies. Dr. Wender responds that "the same steps that help to prevent diabetes and heart disease also help to reduce your risk of cancer. First, maintain a healthy body weight and engage in regular exercise. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a good idea, but it is not as effective in preventing cancer as having a normal weight. Avoid tobacco and excess sun exposure." "Although studies of supplements have hinted at some value for certain cancers, the overall value appears to be much smaller than the lifestyle steps I have listed." For more Q&As with Dr. Wender, please see here . Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Thought for the Day Cancer made me tired. It's a common side effect of the disease and its accompanying treatments, and it's been known to linger long after therapy stops. In order to combat my own drowsiness, I get plenty of sleep at night, I exercise just about every day -- physical activity, even when you feel too pooped to lift a finger, can increase energy levels -- and I try to eat only the healthiest foods, nothing that might make me feel sluggish. I'll take a stab at anything that might give me a boost. Maybe even lemonade, if I can find one low in sugar. Research indicates that the taste of lemons can fight fatigue by stimulating a nerve in the nose, which then sets off "wake-up" sensors in the brain. So next time you need some extra pep in the morning or a lift during the afternoon, think about about sipping on some lemonade. And then let us know if it works. Source: Family Circle, July 2007 Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: All Cancers , Environment , Diets , Exercise , Smoking , Sunday Seven Who knows which pieces of cancer information floating around out there are actually true? I don't. Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes, some say no, I say I'm confused! Luckily, I happened upon this Discovery Health article that highlights a variety of myths and then offers the lowdown on each one. Here are seven of them: Myth #1. There is currently a cure for cancer, but the medical industry won't tell the public about it because they make too much money treating cancer patients. Chalk this up to urban legend. And consider this: doctors, laboratory scientists, and their families and friends die of cancer at the same rate as everyone else in the United States. How about this: medical breakthroughs happen all the time and are quickly applied. Think about antibiotics and vaccines -- like the polio vaccine -- that have transformed health care. How about this? Not too long ago, less than one in 10 kids with leukemia survived 10 years. Now, the cure rate is nearly 80 percent. Seems like progress to me. Myth #2. Electronic devices, like cell phones, can cause cancer in the people who use them. Although very few studies suggest a link between rare types of brain tumors and cell phone use, the consensus among most research is that there is no consistent association between the two. The same goes for microwaves and related appliances that emit low-frequency radiation. Myth #3. Treating cancer with surgery causes it to spread throughout the body. This belief may have started many years ago when most patients already had very advanced forms of cancer at the time of surgery. Doctors may have detected a widespread disease that could not be successfully treated. When the patient died a short time later, some may have believed the surgery caused the cells to spread and kill the patient. The truth, however, is that doctors have long known how to safely take biopsies and remove tumors without causing any spread. In many cases, surgery is essential for survival. In cases where cells could be dislodged, doctors take proper precautions. For example, in testicular cancer cases, the entire testicle is removed to prevent this scenario. Myth #4. Regularly eating meat cooked on a charcoal grill won't increase cancer risk. Chemists have determined that grilling meats creates chemicals linked to cancer in animals, and you can increase your cancer risk by eating too much grilled red meat or chicken -- or even meat pan-fried at a very high temperature. So stay away from meat or chicken that is well-done or burnt. And try to eat grilled meats only occasionally. Myth #5. The risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing. Nope. Sometimes cancer figures are reported out of context, but the actual number of people dying from cancer is dropping. Cancer diagnoses and deaths have been decreasing since the early 1990s -- and less than half of those diagnosed with cancer today will die of the disease. Myth #6. What someone does as a young adult has little impact on their chances of getting cancer later in life. Lifestyle choices that begin early in life can increase the risk of developing cancer. The use of tobacco, diet, exercise, and exposure to the sun all have a cumulative effect, and most cases of cancer are consequences of many years of engaging in risky behaviors. More than two-thirds of all fatal cancer cases could have been prevented with simple lifestyle changes. Clearly, what we do early in life can come back to haunt us. Myth #7. You can prevent skin cancer by putting on one application of sunscreen at the start of each day. Slathering on sunscreen on a daily basis can give a false sense of security. It simply must be reapplied -- and even then, it offers on a certain level of protection. To make sure your skin is safe from UV rays, keep that sunscreen around, but also gather up some hats, long-sleeved shirts, and sunglasses -- and use them. And try to hide from the sun between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Filed under: Diets , Worthy Wisdom Ever heard that the white stuff we eat is not so healthy? I've heard it, time and time again. I was reminded of this fact while at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona this past April. My Ranch nutritionist confirmed it. And the foods I ate while at this health and healing institute derived from the whole wheat, whole grain, whole goodness family. There wasn't a slice of white bread in sight. No white pasta either. Or white rice. I did have a white baked potato one night for dinner -- but it was the smallest white baked potato I'd ever seen. It's not so hard to transition from white to non-white. Just search your grocery store aisles for the healthier alternatives -- and buy them. Or make your own varieties of nutritious stuff. Like whole-wheat pizza crust. Remember when I wrote about eating pizza once a week ? Instead of ordering it, why not make your own? Here's how you might start: Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust Makes six pizza crusts, each containing 175 calories, 36 gm. carbohydrate, 1 gm. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 6 gm. protein, 150 mg. sodium, and 4 gm. fiber Ingredients 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon olive oil 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1. Mix water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil in large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer with a dough hook, add flour slowly and mix on medium low until dough separates from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour if too sticky. You can also mix by hand, then turn out on a floured board and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. 2. Form into a round ball and place in a medium bowl lightly coated with olive oil. Cover and let sit in a warm place for one hour. 3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat baking sheet with olive oil. 4. Punch down dough and lightly knead for 30 seconds. Divide into six three-inch balls. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out dough to six-inch rounds, flouring lightly to keep rolling pin from sticking to balls. 5. Place crusts on a greased baking sheet and add toppings. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until crust is golden.

Filed under: Prevention , Diets I like to be in control sometimes -- not always, but sometimes. I don't ever wish to be the top boss in any work scenario. I prefer to have a job and do it well without the stress of managing a whole operation. But I do like to be in charge of my schedule, my kids, my thoughts and emotions, the way my life progresses. Cancer? I'd love to have direct supervision over this pesky subject. Sadly, I don't. So I do my best at controlling the factors that might increase my risk of cancer recurrence. I do it through exercise and diet. Recently, I realized that controlling my diet is best done at home. I can buy the most nutritious foods at the grocery store, bring them home, prepare them in a healthy fashion, and concoct the perfect portion sizes. Take me out of this home element and I get a little scared. The other night, my husband and I went to Red Lobster for dinner. We had a gift card and were eager for a night out. Before we escaped our crazy kid household, though, we went online to investigate the nutritional values of Red Lobster dishes. We were shopping for the healthiest options, and we were quite shocked to learn there aren't so many. Now we knew the all-fried fish platters would top the charts in calories, fat, and such. But fresh fish and veggies? Also fairly high in these same categories. We surmised it's the butter and oil used to cook our normally healthy fares that compromised these items and while we weren't so happy about the situation, we still went and did the best we could. That's all we can do as we try to control our lives -- the best we can. There are always outside forces that get in our way. It may be a disease that sneaks up on us, despite our best intentions; it may be deceptive cooking techniques.

Filed under: Diets , Exercise I'm writing today to share with you a victory -- a diet and exercise victory. Let me begin with a little background. I've always been in the normal weight range for my height. I am about 5'7" and prior to each of my two pregnancies, I weighed 142. For me, that translates into size eight clothing, size six for some oddly made-garments. I've always been generally happy with my weight, and I've never obsessed about the numbers on the scale. Yet there's been one area that's bothered me ever since my first baby was born -- my tummy. Now I like to use the excuse that my babies were big -- 10 pounds, nine ounces and 10 pounds, two ounces -- but clinging to this explanation did nothing to remove the loose skin from my middle. And for years, I guess I wasn't ready to work at whittling it away. Enter cancer. Research shows many breast cancer patients gain weight during treatment -- sometimes up to 30 pounds. And while I never did gain this much, my weight has increased over the past almost three years. Perhaps it was hormones, the chemotherapy drugs, the anti-depressant I just stopped taking. Regardless, I didn't like the extra weight. So I tried to do something about it -- and about that pesky tummy too. And herein lies the victory. Just two months ago, I weighed 150. Then I cut out soda, sweets, foods high in sugar, and foods high in fat. I began eating healthy meals, healthy snacks, and more fruit than usual. I learned how to eat to fill my stomach, not stuff it. And I continued exercising like I've always done, several times per week. Today, I stood on the scale at my local grocery store and watched this number flash before my eyes: 142. And when I walked the aisles of the store, picking up my fruit, veggies, fish, chicken, and low-fat cheese, I noticed all the items I would have normally thrown in my cart -- potato chips, cereals, candy, junk. This stuff is loaded with sugar and fat. It feels good to be rid of it. And it feels good to be slimmer, more fit, and most important, healthier. It may have been the breast cancer that contributed to my extra pounds. But I suspect it was also my diet. This suspicion leads me to encourage you to make a few healthy changes in your own eating habits. And then witness the victory of positive change.

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Colon and Rectal Cancer , Kidney Cancer , Prevention , Esophageal Cancer , Research , Diets , Exercise , Obesity , Smoking , Daily news