HealthyBody NYC

Is Teflon A Cancer Risk?

Just read an article at Amy's blog, Chatteringmind asking what we think about teflon pans.  Now that's right after I heard Dr Joseph Mercola rant on Alex Mandosian's fabulous Virtual Seminar Week about how dangerous teflon is and that we should throw away every pan we own.  I found more on his site:

"I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. It took me a few years to become convinced, but once you are aware of this truth you simply have no logical choice but to throw those pans out and never buy another one.

Do not leave them in your home or you will be tempted to use them. Please believe me; I am absolutely convinced they are very dangerous and you should not be exchanging the convenience for the health damage."

To read more of what Dr Mercola says, go here and find more news on the dangers of teflon and the compound PFOA in teflon go here. 

Well I got rid of my teflon pans years ago and use brillo on the stuck stuff in the pan.  Not thrilled about that but would be less thrilled to hear the words again, "oh you have a malignancy, so when do you want to start your chemo treatments?" 

NO THANKS!  Teflon is definitely off my list Amy.  I'd rather suffer with the brillo anyday.

Beans & Legumes Lower Cancer and Heart Disease Risk

Here's to your health..  Eat Beans! 

Karen Collins, R.D. writes that 4 servings a week of beans or legumes     can lower your cancer risk.  "Two new studies suggest that eating beans could lower your risk of developing a colon adenoma, a non-cancerous tumor that can progress into colon cancer.  Previous studies link greater consumption of legumes (dried beans and peas) with lower risk of heart disease",  Collins reports.  To read more,  go here.

  Trish Ross has been researching the world of beans for over 10 years and is the author of Easy Beans and More Easy Beans, two bestselling bean cookbooks.  Ross talks about beans and legumes as being an important part of a healthy diet and why.  Read more here.

Just Can't Give Up those Anti-Cancer Greens

In the past week I wonder why I've avoided shopping for my favorite greens- red leaf lettuce, romaine, broccoli sprouts, kale, collard and dandelion. The first two lettuces, as they are so commonly referred to, are really for fluff or to make me feel good while I'm eating the hard core, 'good for you' greens, good not only according to holistic nutritionists and naturopaths but even the USDA.  In fact, broccoli sprout seedlings are rich in sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting compound.  To check out a short video about sulforaphane, go here.

So if all this is so 'good for me' and I am such a health nut why have I avoided making salads this past week.  I forgot about seasons and what our bodies require. Or maybe my body was confused since the temperature got cooler and then went up again.

The season for huddling, cuddling and seeking foods that comfort is soon approaching.  According to Drew DiVittorio, a practitioner of Chinese Medicine and holding a degree from the School of Classical Taoist Herbology, every season has a correlating organ in the body. In winter, that organ is the kidney, and we must produce warmth to nourish and protect it.  We crave more fatty foods because fat creates warmth. We also long for comforting teas and tend to favor root vegetables such as cooked beets, potatoes and turnips over cold salad greens.  To read more of Drew's conversation about food, warmth and your kidneys, go here. Well that's traditional Chinese medicine for you. 

By the way, if you still want to eat those cancer fighting greens, even when the outside temp goes down, steam them for 60 seconds, drip a bit of olive oil and lemon(mixed with garlic and spices) on top and your immune system will get a boost in the winter months, really yummy! 

I don't think I will give up those greens for the heavy root warming vegetables just yet. Back to Perelandra, one of my favorite health food stores, to pick up more healthy greens.

Myrna Weinreich
Connecting you to your healthier self
http://healthybodynyc.com