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: All Cancers , Diets , Television , Daily news , Thought for the Day If eating junk food and watching television lead to obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and a road marked by diminished health and increased illness, then kids living in Britain are about to get a whole lot healthier. Think about this: According to the March 19, 2007 issue of TIME magazine, British broadcasting regulator Ofcom will phase out all commercials on children's programming that promote junk food containing high fat, sugar, and salt. The ban will begin at the end of the year. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prevention , All Cancers , Products , Daily news Don't give up that daily cup of coffee just yet. Studies show drinking coffee may reduce your risk of developing Parkinson's disease, diabetes , cirrhosis of the liver, and colon cancer. It's even been linked to a decreased risk of inflammatory and cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Why? According to an article in the March 2007 issue of Ladies Home Journal, it's because coffee contains large amounts of flavonoids and antioxidants -- and these combat a whole bunch of illnesses. Now drinking too much coffee can have adverse side effects, like restlessness, anxiety, and headaches, but limiting yourself to one to four brewed cups per day seems to be a safe practice. Although for those with high blood pressure, consuming between two to four cups per day maybe a bit risky because coffee causes blood pressure to rise immediately after consumption. And all coffee drinkers should fight the urge to add sugar, flavored syrup, and whole milk to to their beverages. A daily cup of tea seems to be healthy too. Researchers are investigating its use in the prevention of cancer, and we already know both black and green tea have significant quantities of disease-fighting flavonoids -- although not as much as coffee. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: All Cancers , Research Can a spoonful of sugar treat cancer? No. Actually, the lack therof, might prove a valuable tool in halting the spread of cancer. Leading scientist Dr Robert Falconer is trying to develop new drugs based on the knowledge that there exists on the surface of cancer cells 200 identical simple sugars that make up a long molecule called polysialic acid -- and the more polysialic acid on cancer cells the easier the spread of cancer cells. And if you are thinking -- well -- that sounds like a rather simplistic explanation of the science behind the research Dr Falconer is involved in regarding the study of sugars on the surface of cancer cells -- you might be right. Then again, according to Dr Falconer, it might be rather simple and yet largely ignored as it has been in preference of research that has focused more on the proteins found on the surface of cancer cells. The surface of cells carries a complex mixture of proteins and sugars. The Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) thinks Dr Falconer might be on to something, as they are providing funding for three years of additional research into finding new molecules to stop the increased polysialic acid production cancer cells seem to count on before their move beyond the original tumor location. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: All Cancers , Research Can a spoonful of sugar treat cancer? No. Actually, the lack therof, might prove a valuable tool in halting the spread of cancer. Leading scientist Dr Robert Falconer is trying to develop new drugs based on the knowledge that there exists on the surface of cancer cells 200 identical simple sugars that make up a long molecule called polysialic acid -- and the more polysialic acid on cancer cells the easier the spread of cancer cells. And if you are thinking -- well -- that sounds like a rather simplistic explanation of the science behind the research Dr Falconer is involved in regarding the study of sugars on the surface of cancer cells -- you might be right. Then again, according to Dr Falconer, it might be rather simple and yet largely ignored as it has been in preference of research that has focused more on the proteins found on the surface of cancer cells. The surface of cells carries a complex mixture of proteins and sugars. The Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) thinks Dr Falconer might be on to something, as they are providing funding for three years of additional research into finding new molecules to stop the increased polysialic acid production cancer cells seem to count on before their move beyond the original tumor location. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Pink products , Fundraisers , Cancer prevention foods I am struggling to find healthy lunch items for my kindergartner who has been a picky eater since the day he was first introduced to food. He won't eat a sandwich -- well, he will eat a peanut butter sandwich but for some reason he thinks it must be warmed in a microwave. But microwaves are not available in his school cafeteria, so peanut butter sandwiches won't work -- nor will anything else that must be heated to satisfy Joey's picky palate. And he won't eat lunch meat or cheese or tuna fish or anything that seems to fill most kids' lunch boxes. He does eat fruits and vegetables -- which is primarily what I send him with to school -- but it seems he needs something more. Something with a kick of protein. But I'm stuck. So today I went to the grocery store in search of the magic item that will both satisfy Joey and satisfy even the smallest of nutritional needs. I ended up with yogurt. I have never been a huge fan of yogurt because it's loaded with sugar. But yogurt does contain some vitamins and some calcium and a little bit of protein -- 5 grams -- and I opted for the light, fat-free variety which makes me feel better about my purchase. And tomorrow, my experiment begins. If the yogurt container is missing when I open Joey's lunch box after school, I will assume he has eaten the yogurt. If the container is still in the lunch box -- and is still full of yogurt -- I will start back at square one. And I'll just hope he doesn't figure out that he can toss the whole unopened yogurt container right into the trash. Surely, a five-year-old wouldn't think of that. Okay, yes he would. Even though Joey may not take to my yogurt idea, something good has already come from my purchase of 10 servings of Yoplait Yogurt -- each one features a lid reading Save Lids to Save Lives with a pink breast cancer ribbon printed on the pink foil top. I didn't even notice this until I was in the check-out line, but now I know that for every pink lid I send in, 10 cents will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation . Yoplait will contribute up to $1.5 million and guarantees a $500,000 donation. So regardless of Joey's decision regarding the yogurt, someone will benefit from this purchase -- if only I can convince Joey to save the lids. And so somehow, helping fund a cure for breast cancer seems easier than convincing my child to try new foods. Both are difficult ventures. And hopefully, a remedy will one day surface for both. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Prevention , All Cancers , Research , Diets , Obesity , Nutrition , Cancer prevention foods , Vitamins and nutrients

Filed under: Prevention , Politics , Obesity , Nutrition , Cancer prevention foods In television ban on junk food ads , I posted about UK's Food Standards Agency, FSA, recommendation for a ban on television advertising of junk foods in an effort to curb the continuing weight gain of children. The Telegraph UK is reporting that the FSA will be taking the ban one step further by suggesting that the ban extend to all forms of media, including websites, computer games, cinemas, packaging and school sponsorship. This is a brainstorming effort of potential actions that might be taken in the campaign against childhood obesity. Other suggestions being batted about is a store loyalty card that rewards consumers for choosing healthy foods over junk food containing high levels of salt, fat and sugar. According to the Telegraph UK, there was a White Paper published two years ago in which the government promised to take action against food advertisers who target children by early next year. In what has been called a draconian regime, the FSA has devised a system of nutrient profiling to identify offending food products. The obesity issue is real. Is this the answer? Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Prevention , Pregnancy and cancer , Research , Diets , Exercise When I was pregnant, I struggled with gestational diabetes. Seven years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer takes a number of years to show obvious signs, such as the lump I found. I read with interest a new report by Dr. Shelagh I. Dawson, from the University of Otago in Christchurch, New Zealand, that suggests there might be a link between mild sugar problems during pregnancy and the increased risk of cancer . According to the study, the more impaired women were in controlling sugar levels during pregnancy, the greater their risk of cancer. Women with the worst control were up to 5 and 11 times more likely to develop cancer. I believe the link between diabetes and cancer, especially breast cancer, is a new area of research inquiry. The first person I found who discussed this link at length was Dr. Bob Arnot, in his book The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet. The link between blood sugar levels and cancer are certainly an issue worth keeping in mind. Had I known there might be a link, I would have been far more proactive in breast cancer prevention concerning my diet and lifestyle after pregnancy -- rather than assuming the gestational diabetes a health issue limited to pregnancy. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Alternative Therapies , Prevention , All Cancers , Diets , Exercise , Non-toxic alternatives , Nutrition , Cancer prevention foods , Vitamins and nutrients