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• Personal Growth

February 2008

By Dr Anjali Mukherjee

Food plays a powerful role in preventing cancer. so chomp right into these fruits and veggies, and romp home with great health

It is possible to prevent cancer. You can decide not to get it. Food has finally begun to get recognised as an important healing force. All that you need to do is acquire a new attitude towards your health. Food in its natural form has tremendous healing properties. Every bite of a fruit or vegetable contains a rich stew of plant chemicals which can block, retard or suppress any carcinogen, lower cholesterol, and boost your immunity. Strawberry and tomatoes, for instance, have red pigment lycopene which reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer. There is evidence that betacarotene found in carrots, sweet potatoes, papaya and other yellow fruits and vegetables helps shrink tumours. It reduces free radical activity and steps up the enzyme activity to fight cancer. You can get adequate cancer-fighting ammunition by drinking at least two glasses of carrot and spinach juice every day. It is one of the best vegetable juices against cancer.

Carrot and spinach juice
Ingredients
Carrots 6 (large)
Raw spinach (10 to 12 leaves)
Pinch of rock salt
Dash of lime juice

Method
• Wash and cut the carrots.
• Push them through a juicer to extract juice. Keep aside.
•Wash and chop the spinach leaves.
• Blend them in a mixer with very little water.
• Add this paste to the extracted carrot juice.
• Add black salt and lime.
• Drink within 20 minutes of extraction.

Wheat grass juice
Part of the strength of food against cancer comes from their effect on your immunity. Wheat grass juice has an abundant supply of chlorophyll and phytochemicals which help boost immunity and keep the body in an alkaline state. It helps fight anaemia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver disorder and has been extensively used against cancer by naturopaths. Wheat grass can be grown at home, or you can purchase organically grown wheat grass from suppliers who deliver it at your doorstep.

How to grow wheat grass at home:
• Select seven shallow (4-5 inches deep) pots for growing wheat grass. Fill it with earth and manure.
• Soak 100 gm of wheat in water for about 12 hrs. Then tie it in a wet cloth and let it sprout for another 12-14 hrs.
• Now spread the sprouted wheat on the soil bed. Keep the grains close to each other and cover them with a thin layer of earth.
• Sprinkle some water on it once a day.
• Prepare only one pot per day. On the seventh day you will find that the wheat grass in the first pot has grown to approximate five inches.
• Cut the grass when it is 5-6 inches tall. Do not allow it to grow beyond 7-8 inches as it affects nutrient density, softness of the leaves and taste.

You can extract its juice by chewing its leaves or by using a mixer. Blend 100 gm of wheat grass with water in a mixer. Strain and drink immediately (within 20 mins. of extraction). I strongly recommend wheat grass juice as something that can revolutionize your health.

Tossed vegetables with tofu
Ingredients
Tofu – 80 gm
Onion – 1 large
Capsicum – 2 (nos)
Garlic – 1 tsp (crushed)
Carrot – 1 large
Olive oil – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Pepper – as required
Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
Method
In a pan, heat some olive oil and toss the onion and garlic. Stir fry on medium heat for 30 seconds. Then add the sliced carrot, chopped capsicum and stir for another 30 seconds. Lastly, add the chopped tofu and toss for 30 seconds. Then add the pepper, soya sauce, cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from fire and serve hot.
NB:
Garlic, tofu, onions, carrot, capsicum all have cancer-fighting properties. Tofu has antioestrogenic, anticancer and cholesterol-lowering properties. It thwarts the development of hormone-related cancers. Tofu has chemical compounds, which block the formation of the most deadly nitrosamines (carcinogen), which can lead to liver cancer. Nitrosamines are found in smoked and cured fish and meats. Grilling and barbecuing meats also produce them.

Foods that encourage cancer
Your health depends not only on what you eat, but also on what you choose not to eat. Most cancers are a result of the things we do to ourselves.

We love late nights, eat too much fatty foods, drink alcohol, gorge on sweets, smoke, overwork ourselves, sunbathe, eat chemicalised food, eat insufficient vegetables, and get agitated over petty issues.
Clearly, avoiding these is in your hands and indeed you can do it. So here’s to your health!

Dr. Anjali Mukerjee is a nutritionist and founder of Health Total, a nutrition counselling centre.
You may direct your questions to query@health-total.com.

For further information, visit www.health-total.com
Contact numbers: 2673 2883 / 5604 4001