ARTICLE:
Cancer Diet – Minerals
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DESCRIPTION
A
diet for cancer must contain the minerals that are essential for healthy
bodily functions. This article
discusses the minerals we all need, plus natural sources from our foods.
ARTICLE
A
cancer diet needs a good balance of minerals because minerals are needed by
all cells for proper function.
Patients are often found to be mineral deficient, so this is an area
of the diet that needs particular attention.
There
are two classes of minerals. Macrominerals, such as the well known calcium,
magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus, and microminerals,
such as boron, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, germanium, sulfur, silicon,
vanadium, zinc, manganese and molybdenum.
The
good news is we will get most of the minerals we need, provided we are
eating a diet based on a wide variety of fruits and veggies, with the
addition of nuts, seeds and grains.
Where
we can get in to trouble is that minerals are washed out of soils with
constant rain, and modern fertilizers don't usually contain the wide
variety of minerals we need. Organic
gardeners usually use rock minerals on their soils and this
results in organic produce have a much higher and broader range of
minerals.
Germanium
is one micromineral that cancer patients are
often low on. It is essential for
immune function and is critical to tissue oxygenation. Cancer grows rapidly where there is low
oxygenation of cells. Germanium is
found in broccoli, celery, garlic, onions, rhubarb, sauerkraut and tomato
juice as well as aloevera and ginseng.
Iodine
deficiency has been linked to breast cancer in more than one study. Seasalt
contains iodine and a variety of minerals rather than the isolated highly
processed iodine additive in table salt.
Asparagus, garlic, lima beans, soybeans, sesame seeds all contain
natural iodine along with the nutrients needed for good absorption.
Large
amounts of brassicas eg brussels
sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, along with peaches, pears and spinach can
block absorption of iodine, so ensure there is a balance of iodine rich
foods in your diet.
Selenium
has been linked to cancer. Selenium
and Vitamin E work together to attack free radicals. Selenium is critical for pancreatic
function, and pancreatic enzymes are critical to the bodies
ability to fight tumour activity. This mineral is generally found in meat
and grains, however countries such as New
Zealand and much of America is known to have
selenium deficient soils.
As
there have been several studies showing that good selenium levels have
significantly reduced the risk of cancer, this is one mineral you want to
have enough of.
Food
sources that should be included frequently in a cancer diet are: brazil
nuts, broccoli, brown rice, brewers yeast, chicken, kelp, onions, salmon,
seafood, tuna, wheatgerm
and whole grains. Garlic, chamomile,
ginseng and parsley are all easy to use concentrated forms that can be
added to the diet daily.
A
couple of warnings:
Be
very careful about self-dosing with minerals as several of them will block
absorption of others if the dose is too high.
Again,
eating a variety of foods, with particular notice taken of those that have
high mineral levels is the safest way to go. If you wish to explore mineral
supplementation further, talk to your naturopath or nutritionist. But whatever you do, don't ignore the
importance of these vital elements to your well being.
(Marilyn's partner Glenn was
declared cancer-free after 11 months using a nutritional approach. She
spent many hours researching an alternative to the barbaric surgery offered
as Glenn’s only hope. Needless to
say he never did have the surgery. They are now on a mission to "spread
the word" about the many things they discovered we can all do to fight
cancer. For more crucial, potentially lifesaving information please visit www.cancer-einfo.com)
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