The Medicine on Your Plate

What would you think if you left your doctor’s office with this type of prescription?:  

• Eat one cup of blueberries per week

• Eat 2-3 cups of tomato sauce per week

• Eat a handful of walnuts every day

And that’s just for starters.  Dr. William Li, a leading cancer scientist and physician, who also serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, has taken the notion of “food is medicine” to a whole new level.  

His book Eat to Beat Disease looks at the different types of foods that can make a difference in staving off cancer - and to which level those foods need to be consumed in order to have an impact.  It is pretty compelling.

While this may sound a bit extreme, when you get right down to it -  

Every morsel of food has the ability to prevent disease … or create disease.  It has the ability to amp up, or amp down, bad genes.  

So …

One cup of blueberries per week is preventative against breast cancer. Their composition of phytochemicals and nutrients has shown to increase antioxidant activity in the blood and potentially prevent DNA damage.

Two-three cups of tomato sauce, high in lycopene, can slow or stop the unwanted growth of blood vessels - which can fuel new cancers.  Tomato sauce has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men by 30%.

Walnuts, an omega-3 powerhouse, boost the immune system and promote brain health, and are a great source of B vitamins and magnesium. They are particularly effective in the prevention of colorectal cancer. 

I find this approach to health fascinating.  Our bodies are complex systems and networks and when we delve into how everything works, it just seems miraculous. 

March is National Nutrition Month … and I'd like to use this newsletter to peel back the onion on what nutrition really means.  We might see the headline National Nutrition Month, and use it as a reminder to add an incremental serving of vegetables to our daily regimen.  

But do we ever think of why this is?  Intuitively we know good whole food is good for us … but we rarely take it to the cellular level - where the food we eat is triggering so many responses within our bodies. 

Dr. Li talks about the body's 5 defense systems and their role in the body for keeping us safe and protecting us from disease.  

Without getting into too much detail, I wanted to share a high level view of these defense systems.  When you think about how intricate our body's systems are, we realize the importance of every little action that we can take to ensure that our defense systems are functioning at their optimal level.

Our 5 defenses systems include:

1. Angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels)  

Did you know we have 60,000 miles of blood vessels in our body?  They serve as our body's roadways to deliver oxygen and nutrients to our organs. 

But if abnormal vessels start to grow, they can nourish microscopic cancers. Another interesting fact:  we all have cancer cells in our body … but hopefully we don’t give our body ammunition to turn them on and activate them. 

2. Stem Cell Regeneration  

Dr. Li likes to call our stem cells our “Special Forces.” In his words, they “gather intelligence, conduct reconnaissance and execute missions to keep organs in optimal shape.” 

When we are injured or get sick, our stem cells are activated to repair or regenerate dead or damaged cells.  

3. Gut Microbiome

Our gut microbiome houses trillions of bacteria that aid in digestion, influencing our immune system, and even producing hormones that impact brain function. 

Gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in the microflora of the gut) can lead to a huge number of diseases, all the way from Alzheimer’s and cancer to diabetes and depression.   

4. DNA Protection System

Our DNA serves as a protection/repair system that keeps damage caused by stress, environmental toxins, and radiation at bay. 

5. Immune System 

Did you know that 70% of our immune system is in our gut?  

When our immune system is at peak performance, the simplest things that it enables is healing our skin when we have a cut, or preventing us from picking up a cold when we’re sitting next to someone who is coughing. 

But its ultimate power?  It can prevent cancer cells from spreading by destroying them in their track.  

Bottomline, it’s in our power to ensure our body’s defense systems are operating optimally.  And how do we do this?  

By being sensitive to eating healthy, moving our bodies, getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night, and minimizing stress.  

We all have those times where we’re running on empty … burning the midnight oil and feeling loads of pressure assaulting us on every front.

This of course typically leads to minimal exercise and grabbing food that is fast and convenient. 

When this happens, our defense systems move into a weakened state.

So as an example, if we get exposed to that person who is coughing near us, there’s a pretty good chance that we may just get that cold.

Bottomline, the best way to keep our bodies’ defense systems humming along is to just be mindful and intentional about doing the best we can to eat healthy … exercise … sleep … and manage stress.  

It's really just the basics.  But today's modern lifestyle has gotten us far away from the “basics," in many ways. 

For a refresher, you can go here to read a little bit more about these health foundations.

None of us are ever perfect … but if we can try to be mindful of doing what we know is best for our health most of the time, we create a strong foundation with bolstered defense systems that can protect us every day.  

As I always tell my clients, so much is in our control.  We just need to think and be aware of our options, and decide the best and healthiest way for us to move forward.   

As always, I'm here if you have any questions or concerns.  Let me know how you are doing!