Incredible Cruciferouse Vegies!

I’m honored to have Dr. Joel Fuhrman guest blog for us here on The Kind Life. Dr. Fuhrman is a member of PCRM and author of numerous books about nutritional medicine. Today he tells us all about the wonders of cruciferous veggies. Enjoy!

 Cruciferous Vegetables are Anti-Cancer Foods
By Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Nutrition scientists have shown over and over that people who eat more natural plant foods – vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc. – are less likely to be diagnosed with cancer. But are all vegetables equally protective? If we wanted to design an anti-cancer diet, we would want to know which foods have the most powerful anti-cancer effects – then we could eat plenty of these foods each day, flooding our bodies with the protective substances contained within them.

So, which foods have the most powerful anti-cancer effects? Cruciferous vegetables.

This family of vegetables is named for their flowers, having four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross, from the Latin word ‘crucifer’ meaning ‘cross-bearer.’ These are the cruciferous vegetables:

    Arugula
    Bok choy
    Broccoli
    Broccoli rabe
    Broccolini
    Brussels sprouts
    Cabbage
    Cauliflower
    Collards
    Horseradish
    Kale
    Kohlrabi
    Mache
    Mustard greens
    Radish
    Red cabbage
    Rutabaga
    Turnips
    Turnip greens
    Watercress

All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables are unique – they contain compounds called glucosinolates which are responsible for their pungent or bitter flavors. When cell walls are broken by blending or chopping, a chemical reaction occurs that converts glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (ITCs) – compounds with proven anti-cancer activities. The many ITCs work synergistically to remove carcinogens, kill cancer cells, and prevent tumors from growing. Some ITCs can even help the body excrete estrogen and other hormones, reducing the risk for hormonal cancers.

Cruciferous vegetables are twice as powerful as other plant foods. In population studies, a 20% increase in plant food intake generally corresponds to a 20% decrease in cancer rates, but a 20% increase in cruciferous vegetable intake corresponds to a 40% decrease in cancer rates.

Cruciferous vegetables are not only the most powerful anti-cancer foods in existence, they are also the most nutrient-dense of all the vegetables. Although the National Cancer Institute recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for cancer prevention, they have not yet established specific recommendations for cruciferous vegetables. I recommend six fresh fruits and eight total servings of vegetables per day, including two servings of cruciferous vegetables – one raw and one cooked. Remember: chopping, chewing, blending, or juicing cruciferous vegetables allows for production of ITCs. Consuming a large variety of these ITC-rich cruciferous vegetables within an overall nutrient-dense diet can provide us with a profound level of protection against cancer.

For your next cruciferous vegetable dish, try one of these great recipes!

Dr. Fuhrman is a best-selling author, nutritional researcher and board certified family physician specializing in nutritional medicine. Learn more by visiting his informative website at DrFuhrman.com and his blog at Diseaseproof.com, and following Dr. Fuhrman on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you Dr. Fuhrman!

For all you superheroes, remember to go easy on the fruit, and choose those that are in season and grown locally. In macrobiotics, excessive fruit consumption is believed to weaken the blood, so superheroes should try not to eat more than one piece per day. For more on this, reread the superhero section of The Kind Diet (p. 97).

What do you Kind Lifers think? What are your favorite cruciferous veggies, and how do you like to prepare them?

8 Simple Nutrition Rules You Should Stick To

Your looks bespeak the kind of food you take. Unhealthy food are known to deprive you of muscle mass and energy while giving you much fats, digestive problems, and skin conditions. A lot has been said about what you should eat and reasons for doing so but you can whittle them down to eight. Here are eight rules that can help you bulk up, lose fat, and grow stronger.
1. Eat breakfast

If you energize yourself at your waking hour, you’d find yourself less ravenous throughout the day. So get into the habit of eating breakfast. It sets a trend for the day as it compels you to choose healthier meals thereafter. Go for omelets, cottage cheese, and smoothies. Here are a few more healthy breakfast ideas and tips.
2. Eat every 3 hours

In addition to your three square meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), eat two meals, one after workout and one before bed. Eat two snacks in between too. Be sure to stick to a schedule for these meals, to train your body to become hungry at the appointed time. Example: 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm, and 10 pm.

Consequently, you’d be less hungry and have fewer cravings. Unlike taking in a few large meals, plenty of small meals can slim down your waistline. You’d be satisfied faster. Overlong intervals between meals tend to make you overeat.
3. A protein for each meal

To build and keep muscle, you need protein. It is also a great weight loss aid because it has the highest thermic effect and makes you feel full longer.

“How much protein should I eat?” you ask again. Aim for a gram per pound of your body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, then eat 200 g daily.

To meet your requirements ever day, choose whole protein sources for your meals. Good choices include red meat like beef, lamb and pork; eggs; poultry like chicken and turkey; fish like tuna, sardines and salmon; and dairy like milk, cheese and yogurt. Whey is not really needed but it makes for a good post-workout shake. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you can research for other protein sources.
4. Never forget fruits and vegetables

Incorporate fruits and vegetables into every meal. Calories are the least you have to worry about; fruits and vegetables are most certainly low in them. eat them to the hilt without having to worry about weight gain. They will help you gain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants instead.

Great fruit and veggie choices are apples, bananas, beans, berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, oranges, pineapple, pumpkin, roman lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes chicory.
5. Only eat carbs after workout

You cannot completely boot out carbs from your diet. You still need it for energy. Just don’t exceed what you need. Eat whole grain and avoid white carbs. The best carb blocker is non other than Meratol – blocking up to a massive 82% on carb intake. If you’re scrawny, eat carbs not only immediately after workout but also post-workout, more if necessary.
6. Eat healthy fats

Fats of the nutritious kind hasten loss of fats and improve your fat loss dividends. As they are slow to digest, fats can be satiating, not to mention affordable. Stay away from margarine and trans fats.

Conversely, go for saturated and monounsaturated fats. The former, e.g. real butter, red meat, and whole eggs, is known to improve levels of testosterone, which is needed for muscle building. The latter, e.g. extra virgin olive oil, olives, and mixed nuts, guards you against cancers and cardiovascular ailments.

Polyunsaturated fats may also help you raise testosterone levels, lose fat, and reduce inflammation. Fish oil and ground flaxseeds are best choices.
7. Hydrate

Since weight training gets you to lose so much water from sweating, interrupting muscle recovery, make sure to drink water. Other than preventing dehydration, drinking water can also avert hunger since it fills your stomach somehow.

Strive to drink a gallon of water daily. Drink a cup first thing upon rising from bed. Have two more cups in every meal. Also drink lots in the course of the workout.

Then again, you should be on your guard against water intoxication. Don’t go overboard like guzzling three gallons of H2O in 20 minutes.
8. Almost all of the time, eat whole food

Eat whole food 90% of the time. Whole food refers to unrefined, unprocessed fodder or one close to its most vigorous state. On the contrary, processed foods are what they are, usually with sugar, trans fats, sodium, corn syrup, and chemical additives. Example: fruit bars, pizza, sausages, and frozen meals.

You need not eat healthy 100% of the time. The difference in health benefits between eating healthy 90% of the time and all the time is middling. So feel free to eat 4 unhealthy meals out of 42 meals every week, for the same reason you can down sweet beverages and alcohol 10 percent of the time.
Sample Diet

Ignore portion sizes and calorie counts. Only take care to eat your belly full. So long as your food choices are healthy and you exercise, you won’t fatten up. Using the aforementioned healthy lifestyle rules, here is a diet template:

Breakfast: eggs with vegetables, orange, green tea

Morning snack: pear, mixed nuts

Lunch: tuna, olives, roman lettuce, olive oil

Afternoon snack: cottage cheese, apple

Post-workout: ground round, quinoa, banana, spinach

Dinner: chicken, spinach, baby carrots, pear

Pre-bed snack: cottage cheese, berries, ground flaxseeds, fish oil

Since you probably have no time to cook six times daily, try preparing all your meals for the day in the morning.