|
|
|
|
Nutrition—A Cancer Battle Plan
|
Where Do We Go From Here?
Now that we’ve mentioned the highlights and some of the rules, we can go into more depth and discuss the whys and wherefores of the cancer diet, and point out those foods that prevent and fight cancers.
Juice Fasting
If your immune system is compromised and your body is running down hill fast, there is no better quick nutritional lift than a juice fast. But you must make your juices fresh every day and drink them right away. If something is left overnight in the refrigerator, throw it out. Max Gerson recommends a juicer that comes in two parts, a grinder and a press and advises against a singular processing unit, though he doesn’t give his reasons. Others recommend some of the many juicers available on the market. You will want to juice those foods that fight cancer, and if they are unpalatable, add some fruit juice to sweeten them( e.g., broccoli and pineapple).
Juicing will break down the fibers and supply you with the nutrients and enzymes your body needs. Some naturopaths feel juicing is analogous to getting an IV, for your blood stream feels the benefits of drinking fresh vegetable juices 
within fifteen minutes. Enzymes are destroyed by cooking, and enzymatic therapy is a must on a cancer diet. (See below for more on enzymes.) Top
Macrobiotics
The rules for a macrobiotic diet go far beyond the scope of this article, so get a book (see below under References and Further Reading). Many have found that a macrobiotic diet battles any immune system dysfunction, and there are numerous case histories of complete reversals of degenerative diseases on this diet. One of the best books on this subject is: The Cancer Prevention Diet by Michio Kushi who is considered one of the top nutritional specialists in Macrobiotics.
Superfoods
Any of the superfoods used on a daily basis is also highly recommended, and they can combined with your beverages and juices. They are filled with minerals, nutrients, vitamins, and chlorophyll and can help your body detoxify. Superfoods are: alfalfa, barley, and wheat grasses, spirulina, chlorella, blue green algae, and certain sea weeds.
Sugars
All sugars are out (although some centers allow the more complex sugars in moderation while others forbid them entirely). Cancer loves sugar and your liver hates it. Sugars put a terrible strain on your liver. The only recommended sweetener is Stevia. Stevia, interestingly enough, was outlawed for internal use by the FDA right about the same time they okayed Aspartame (NutriSweet®, Equal® ). However, grass roots campaigns have forced the FDA to allow Stevia to be sold in the US again. Stevia has been used for decades with no side effects, and can be purchased at most health food stores. If you must use a sugar, use it sparingly, and make sure it is an unrefined form, such as Sucanat or Florida Crystals (both are registered trademarks). Avoid all other sugar substitutes: your liver hates them.
Enzymes
There is hardly a center we’ve contacted that doesn’t use enzymatic therapy. Enzymes are needed for every chemical process in our bodies and are highly specialized. Dr Balch points out in Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing that overloading the system by making it produce digestive enzymes detracts from our ability to make other enzymes for metabolic and/or immune system processes.
An article from Bestways, May 1979, entitled "Dr Edward Howell: A Man With an Urgent Message," by Ron Rendleman points out that we are a nation with an enzyme starved diet. Dr Howell is quoted: "Cancer specialists are discovering certain enzymes are completely lacking in the blood and urine of [their patients]." He goes on to say that because of our overcooked diets, our digestion must "steal" enzymes from other organs setting up a competition for enzymes among various organ systems, "The resulting 
metabolic dislocations may be the direct cause of cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes and many other chronic incurable diseases." Lack of digestive enzymes, according to Dr Howell, is responsible for enlarged pituitary glands (the one that regulates all the others) and enlarged pancreases.
Dr Howell also points to toxemia as the final result of our lack of digestive enzymes combined with our high meat diets, for our foods take longer to pass through our system, ferment, cause gas, heartburn, headaches and colon problems. Colon therapists estimate that the average middle-aged American might carry around five to fifty pounds of hard, toxic, fecal matter lodged in their colons.
Adding digestive enzymes to your system keeps it from getting overloaded. Cancers of the liver and pancreas demand the supplementation of digestive enzymes because these are the organs that are supposed to produce them in the first place.
To protect your pancreas, pancreatic enzymes are a must. Dr William Kelly in One Answer to Cancer recommends taking them with your meals and in between meals, and especially in the afternoon between 2 and 3 when your system is most alkaline, and at 3:30 in the morning when your system again is most alkaline. A few references we found disagree on this point (exactly when your system is most alkaline) and some recommend taking them upon waking. Again, you will have to check with your nutritionist for recommendations based on your particular body chemistry.
Each vegetable contains the enzymes needed for its own digestion. Eating raw foods unburdens your system by supplying you with digestive enzymes. Bananas, mangos, and avocados are rich in enzymes, but for the richest source, you’ll have to eat your sprouts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: International Wellness Directory Home Page Copyright © 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 International Wellness Directory Contact us You may copy, print, reprint, and/or transfer this entire article, if and only if it is unmodified and in its complete state with this copyright notice attached and all the links work properly
This article was added: May 27, 2009
Tidbits & Stuff was born on Thursday, March 9, 2006
© 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Felicia A. Williams
Contact Us | Writing Guidelines| Privacy Policy
