Anti-Cancer Foods... Part 3

What a comfortable though uneventful weekend!

Last night I made my first attempt at an anti-cancer food meal. I steamed 1 cup of brussel sprouts with mushrooms, onion, fresh cut garlic and orange peppers. Right away I realized that as a non-veggie eater I have no idea how long to steam... so I punted and steamed until fork soft. In the process, I ran out of water in the pan and burned the pan... sigh. This veggie thing is a real pain. Nonetheless, I sallied forth. I split the sprouts into two groups. The first group I smothered in butter and lemon juice. Not bad but still tasted like brussel sprouts so I heated up some of Pat's Peanut Sauce and dipped away.... mmmm mmmm good. The second group I used in Cindy's Spaghetti Sauce. Gold Star to Cindy. That IS good. It has an interesting texture without any of the nasty sprout flavor. Then I fried up some rice in butter, tumeric and hot peppers. Faaaantabulous. I finished dinner with a cup of green tea.... steeped 8 minutes. I'm so healthy, I can hardly stand it!

Back to phytochemical school. 

Berries are full of plant polyphenols that have antioxidant action. 

Just what the heck are antioxidants anyway? We hear about them all the time. Time for a mini-biochemistry lesson from a non-biochemist so expect it to be way simplified. 

"Antioxidants are molecules that inhibit oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation reactions can produce 'free radicals' which can start a chain reaction that causes damage or death to the cell. Oxidative damage in DNA (genetic material) can cause cancer."

I looked that up. Very unhelpful so let's simplify. Cells use an energy source called ATP just like a car uses gasoline. When the ATP is combusted, using oxygen, a waste product, 'free radicals', are produced just like a car produces exhaust. This waste product damages cells just as car exhaust pollutes our environment. The antioxidants render the 'free radicals' harmless so there is less cell damage just as our DEQ car equipment is supposed to decrease the amount of pollutants our cars exhaust. Sorry for the car analogy... it's the grease monkey in me coming out.

The interesting thing about all this is that most life on Earth need oxygen to live, yet oxygen itself is toxic. As a result, Earthling creatures have developed this cool antioxidant network that allows the necessary level of oxidation but not so much as to permanently damage the cells' DNA, proteins and lipids (fats). As with so many things in life, it's a balancing act.

So why not just take antioxidant supplements? There are tons of them out there. Unfortunately, studies have shown no significant benefit to taking them and suggested that excess supplementation is harmful. Aging studies have shown that antioxidants alone have no impact on aging and no clear effect on the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. There is clear evidence that people who eat fruits and veggies have a lower risk of several diseases. This would seem to suggest that the health benefits come from a complex mix of substances within these products. CRAP! You really do have to eat the whole thing. Luckily, I like fruits.

• strawberry
• raspberry
• hazelnuts (I know it's a nut... they put it on the list, not me)
• pecans (again... see above)
• blueberry
• cranberry 

As you might imagine, we will continue our conversation tomorrow.

Ah, before I go. While researching antioxidants, I learned that curcumin (Tumeric) is a pro-antioxidant. A precursor, as it were, that acts as a chemoprotector. It blocks the transformation of abnormal cells into cancerous cells, and can even kill the cancer cells. Way cool! I'm liking this spice more and more every day.