Tips To Be Cancer-Proof

Here, am going to share with you some tips you need to know in order to prevent that deadly disease called cancer. Cancer is one of the most common diseases killing million of people across the countries ranging from oral cancer, prostrate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer among others.

Like a wise saying, prevention is better than cure, which I belief we can start now to reduce the menace.

Some of the tips are enumerated below:

1.  Try to avoid or reduce the consumption of Processed Foods: Numerous studies have shown that processed foods and sugar can significantly increase the risk of cancer. Running from these kinds of food is one of the important doors of escape of that disease.

2.  Garlic intake as part of Your Meals: Garlic has very powerful antioxidant properties. It also strengthens the immune system and helps to prevent cancer.

Researchers believe that there are many factors in garlic's ability to fight cancer. One factor is the many compounds found in garlic, including allyl sulfur.  Allyl sulfur can slow down damage the progress of cancerous cell growth.

3. Do Some Exercise:  the significant of exercise cannot be overemphasized, an inactive lifestyle with no exercise can drastically increase the odds of cancer. Regular exercise strengthens the immune system and helps in the regulation of chemicals, enzymes and hormones in the body. Therefore, it has become a necessary thing to do in order to live healthy.

4. Effects of fruits: An analysis of dietary data from more than 400,000 men and women found only a weak association between high fruit and vegetable intake and reduced overall cancer risk, according to a study published online April 6, 2010 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It is widely believed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer

5. Control overweight - "More than 90,000 cancer deaths a year occur due to being overweight. Carrying as little as 10 extra pounds may increase your production of sex hormones like estrogen, raising your risk for breast and uterine cancers.

6. Eat more fat from plants than from animals. In studies that looked at fat and prostate cancer risk, fats from animals were most likely to be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Animal products that contain fats include meat, lard and butter. The prostate cancer is with more than 240,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2012. Therefore, reduce animal fat intake.

7. Alcohol, cigarettes and other recreational drugs can trigger cancer - Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for cancer causing 22% of global cancer deaths and 71% of global lung cancer deaths.

The more you cut down on alcohol, the more you reduce your risk of cancer. Drinking and smoking together are even worse for you. Obviously, not everyone who drinks will develop cancer. But on the whole, scientists have found that cancer is more common in people who drink alcohol than people who don’t.

The research work continues.

Eating Tomatoes Can Reduce the Risk of Strokes

Tomatoes are linked to a decreased risk of stroke in men, a new study finds.
Some evidence suggests that lycopene quells inflammation, limits cholesterol production and inhibits blood clotting. But first and foremost, lycopene is a carotenoid, an antioxidant that stops an unstable molecule in the body called free radicals – agents that can induce DNA damage, kill cells, attack proteins and contribute to blood vessel disease.
 Lycopene acted as an antioxidant, reduced inflammation and prevented blood clotting

New research shows that the compound lycopene, found in tomatos, helps to lower the risk of a stroke by more than 50%.

This study further supports the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables rather than nutritional supplements in the prevention of conditions like stroke and heart disease, said Dr. Lori Mosca, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

The study, published Monday in the journal Neurology, involved more than 1,000 Finnish men between 46 and 65 who never had a stroke before.
These men had their blood levels of lycopene — a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes — tested at the beginning of the study.  They were followed over an average period of 12 years to see if they developed strokes.
The researchers found that men with the highest blood levels of lycopene were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke, compared to those with the lowest levels.  These results held up even after adjusting for the age of the men.
Dr Jouni Karppi, from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, said: "This study adds to the evidence that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of stroke.
"The results support the recommendation that people get more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which would likely lead to a major reduction in the number of strokes worldwide, according to previous research."
Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, says Tomatoes could contribute to reducing stroke in other ways
because they are a good source of potassium, which is known to reduce blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure is major risk factor for stroke.    
Therefore, eating tomatoes will lower the risk of strokes. "This is one more reason to consume fruits and vegetables - at least 5 a day - and it's good to include tomatoes in that mix," Willett said.

Plantain and Its Nutritional Value

Plantain belongs to the Musacace family and is cultivated in many tropics and subtropical countries of the world. It ranks third after yams and cassava for sustainability in Nigeria.

Plantain (Musa Paradisiaca) is a rhizomatous perennial crop used as a source of starchy staple for millions of people in Nigeria. Mature plantain pulp is very rich in iron, potassium, vitamin A and ascorbic acid but low in protein. Plantains do not contain any fat, sodium or cholesterol, making the fruit heart-healthy, a serving of plantains also has 2g of fiber and 1g of protein.

According to "Medicinal Uses of Fruits and Vegetable’ unripe plantain contains special dietary fibre called pectin, which increases the number of calories ingested thus can shed weight or treat obesity.

According to the Produce for Better Health Foundation, regular consumption of fruits like plantains helps prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. The beta carotene content in plantains helps protect your eyesight.

Unripe plantain meal is usually consumed by Nigerian diabetics to reduce postprandial glucose level. This is because the propensity of individuals to develop diabetes and obesity is due to the increased consumption of carbohydrate rich foods with a high Glycemic index.

The benefits of plantain are just unparalleled. They are usually cooked and consumed; plantain is known to benefit health in more one way.

Plantain juice can be effectively used to treat sunburn, ulcers, scalds and burns. It is treated as an effective substitute for aloe vera.

It is very effective for treating liver sluggishness and inflammation of the digestive tract too.

Plantain is also used as a vulnerary to treat cuts and wounds.

It is touted as a wonderful blood cleanser. It is also an effective cure against venomous snake bites and scorpion stings.

It can be consumed in the following ways

1.    Boiled plantain

2.   Roasted plantain (popularly called “bolae” or “bolle” in southern Nigeria.

3.    Fried plantain

4.    Boiled and pounded plantain 

5.    Plantain flour

The roasted plantain meal had the lowest Glycemic index for dietary staples to control and reduce hyperglycemia is essential in the treatment of diabetes. It controls spikes in blood glucose levels.

How to prepare plantain and cow tail
Wash the plantain and peel off the skin. Scrape the strands off the peeled plantain and keep aside to be used as thickener.

Chop the plantain into big chunks. Blend a lot of crayfish and clean the dried fish. Cook the cow tail. Place the plantain in a pot and add a little quantity of water. Add the onions, pepper, and salt, cubed seasoning and allow cooking till the plantain is a bit soft.

Add the crayfish and dried fish and the cow tail. Add a bit of groundnut oil; but in the absence of that, you could use vegetable oil. Allow to cook thoroughly to remove the raw taste of the groundnut oil. Stir. Add the shredded scent leaves and allow simmering for a while. Then serve to be consumed.

Have you eaten plantain today?

High Blood Pressure, the Silent Killer.

Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on the artery walls by the pumping blood. The heart pumps blood around the body through the blood vessels.

High blood pressure (hypertension) means that the blood is pumping at a higher pressure than normal through the arteries, it exists where the pressure at which blood is pushing against blood vessel walls is consistently above average. Blood pressure is measured using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer.

In as many as 95% of reported high blood pressure cases in the U.S., the underlying cause cannot be determined but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development, some are:

1. Smoking - smoking is such a powerful risk factor in increasing high blood pressure.

2. Overweight or obese - as body weight increases, the blood pressure rises, being overweight increases the risk of high blood pressure. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m (it can be calculated with this formula: weight (kg) / [height (m)]²)

3. Insufficient physical exercise – not doing a regular body exercise can cause high blood pressure, it means there will be high tendency to have excessive weight which is one of the risk factor for high blood pressure.

4. Too much salt in diet -high consumption of sodium (salt) has tendency of increasing the blood pressure, increase consumption of fast foods and processed foods contain particularly high amounts of sodium which may contribute to high blood pressure.

5. Alcohol consumption- taking more than 2 drinks of alcohol per day in man and 1 in woman can increase it.

6. Stress – being under a lot of stress can ginger high blood pressure.

7. Older age – the older we become, the risky we are to have high blood pressure due to some many factors like less work or exercise, more time to be alone or at home without being involved in a productive activity.

8. Genetics – if it runs in the family, it implies there is a risk of being victim.

9. Family history of high blood pressure- it has an important role to determine the risk of having high pressure. If the father or mother has high blood pressure, it shows there is tendency to be victim but if proper measure is taking it can be managed.

And others that may not be included which can be traced to its causes.

Research has shown that certain drugs can cause hypertension or make controlling hypertension more difficult. These drugs include:

o   The combined contraceptive pill

o   Some nasal drops and sprays

o   Some cough medicines, eye drops and appetite suppressants

When a direct cause for high blood pressure can be identified, the condition is described as secondary hypertension. Among the known causes of secondary hypertension, kidney disease ranks highest.

If not managed over a period of time it can ginger many illnesses, which may include -

o   Heart attack

o   Heart failure

o   Kidney disease

o   Stroke

Control or measure

The blood pressure can be controlled by having an improved life style, taking for instance someone smoking and drinking excessively can reduce the rate at which the blood pumping is pushing the vessels walls, if he quits smoking and drinking.

Likewise, regular body exercises can help in controlling or preventing its causes.

Reducing the sodium (salt) intake can also be of help in managing the blood pumping rate.

Guard Against That Cancer

Do you that you will guard yourself against cancer? If you take these foods, Try it today and boost your immunity.

Oranges and Carrots -  

Oranges and carrots are rich, respectively, in the antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene - which appear to protect cells by neutralizing free radicals, molecules that cause damage that can lead to cancer. A diet high in fruits and vegetables has been linked to reduced levels of lung and other cancers.

Tofu  -

The isoflavones contained in soy beans have a gently estrogen-mimicking effect in the body. This may help block the effects of stronger estrogens, both natural and those from environmental chemicals from sources such as plastics and pesticides. This may reduce the risk of hormone-linked cancers in both women and men.

Green Tea –

 Is a powerful antioxidant that appears to stop damage at a genetic level in lab cultures. In studies with animals it also stops tumors from forming their own blood supply network, which means they can’t grow. Green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea or coffee, but drinking large amounts can still lead to problems such as trouble sleeping and nausea

Garlic -  

The smelly compounds in garlic are potent anti-cancer agents. All of the onion family, including leeks and shallots, contain these compounds, too. In lab studies, chemically induced cancers were interrupted by the active compounds formed from allicin (which comes from garlic). Studies in humans show a lower risk of several common cancers in those who eat lots of garlic, to get the most out of garlic, chop or crush the clove and eat it raw or cook it lightly.

Whole-Grain Cereals  

Fiber found in whole-grain bread and cereal is important for digestive and hormonal health. The fiber gives the colon something "to work with" and also promotes activity of good bowel bacteria. Grains are rich in several other compounds that have been linked to reduced cancer risk

Yogurt –

Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria found in live yogurt, promote good digestive health and may boost the performance of the immune system. Regular yogurt intake has been shown to increase levels of immune anti-cancer compounds such as interferon and natural killer cells

Tomato Sauce –

The compound in tomatoes thought to be key is lycopene, a potent free-radical scavenger. Lycopene inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells in lab studies and is associated with lower prostate cancer risk in men with high intakes of tomato products; blood levels of lycopene are much higher when tomatoes have been cooked than when eaten raw.