NUTRITION
FOR PROSTATE HEALTH
Daily
discoveries are being made around the world which proves that vitamins,
minerals and food compounds have the ability to both prevent prostate
disease and to actually target and kill prostate cancer cells. Many of these
nutrients are needed in therapeutic doses, amounts which make it necessary
to isolate these compounds and take in supplement form. This said however,
we simply don’t know enough about all the properties of a particular plant
to isolate one or two compounds and get the synergistic effect of the whole
plant. There are over 20,000 known bioflavonoids and 800 carotenoids, of
which only a hand full have been studied. This makes it very important not
to rely on supplementing alone as the answer to your nutritional needs.
AMINO ACIDS
Amino acids are the building blocks our bodies
rely on. The body uses twenty two amino acids, it gets from the protein we
eat, to construct over fifty thousand protein structures. More than five
thousand amino acid complexes are used by the immune system. Glutathione for
instance is composed of three amino acids and is one of the bodies primary
means of controlling free radicals which damage the cells of the body. Whey
protein taken as one tablespoon of cottage cheese will increase the
glutathione levels in the prostate by 60% and this is only one of the 5,000
protein structures the body utilizes in the immune response. It is extremely
important to completely break down the protein we ingest into individual
amino acids, this can happen only if adequate protease enzymes are present
in the digestive tract. Partially digested protein is known as peptides.
Peptides severely limit the body’s ability to fully utilize protein so make
sure to get enough enzymes in your diet. Protein does have a down side in
the fact that it acidic, sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol and soft
drinks are also acidic. This causes our body’s to become so acidic that it
creates an ideal environment for cancer and other degenerative diseases. We
therefore caution that you get adequate protein in the diet, but excessive
amounts are to be avoided, as are the use of other foods which are acid
forming to us.
Recommended protein foods: Lean
cuts of beef, chicken and turkey (limit any fat from meat fed with grains
such as corn and wheat), wild game, cold water fish, beans (any plant based
protein), eggs (especially omega 3 enriched), soy milk (all soy products),
goats milk, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, nuts and protein supplements/
amino acids.
Protein foods to avoid:
Pork, fatty cuts of domestic livestock, dairy, most
cheese and peanuts (alpha toxin mold). DO NOT BURN OR COOK MEAT AT HIGH
TEMPERATURES.
FATS
A shift that is taking place is the recognition
that fats are essential for us, every cell uses fat for the structure of
the cell wall. The body utilizes fat for many other purposes and should be
furnished from a number of sources in order to insure that the many and
varied needs for fats are being met.. Cod liver oil and flax seed oil are
excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids which are absolutely essential for
good health. Other sources of omega 3 are wild game, grass fed cattle and
cold water fish. Due to the pollution of all bodies of water, all fish have
some degree of contamination. Mercury is at the head of the list and large
ocean dwelling fish have toxins such as mercury, the larger the fish the
more it is contaminated. Be careful that you don’t consume fish without
taking selenium, a mineral shown to chelate mercury and other heavy metals.
Many contaminants we consume act as xenoestrogens and should be removed
regularly. An excellent way of getting omega 3 fatty acids without getting
the contaminants is to take a quality cod liver oil. We would also refer you
to the research of Dr. Joanna Budwig, she used flax seed oil and cottage
cheese with great results in treating cancer. Another reason for consuming
omega 3’s with EPA’s and DHA’s is they help inhibit the cox 2 enzyme, which
causes inflammation, a contributing factor in prostate cancer.
Omega 6 fatty acid
is essential as well and can be obtained from borage oil, evening primrose
oil, corn oil, soybean oil and any meat which has been grain fed. Unlike
omega 3 oil that most people are deficient in, the average person gets too
much omega 6 fatty acid and this causes unpleasant reactions in the body.
Too much omega 6 has also been linked to cancer, as it is metabolized into
5-hete acid. Many researchers feel 5-hete is a primary fuel used for tumor
growth. As with most nutrition, the body needs the correct ratio of omega 3
and omega 6 to function best. This ratio should be no more than 4 grams of
omega 6 to 1 gram of omega 3. The average American has a ratio of 40 to 1.
To further add insult to injury, there are several sources of omega 6 that
we are not getting, such as evening primrose oil, these sources provide
components of omega 6 which are beneficial but not found in grains. Almost
all omega 6 we get comes from corn, wheat or soybean. One component of omega
6 we get from grains, is metabolized into archidonic acid. An enzyme called
5-lipoxygenase (5-lo) is used to metabolize arachidonic acid into the
aforementioned 5-hete.
Other oils such as
olive and canola for example are very nutritious and should be incorporated
into the diet. Many of these are Omega 9. We will not take the time here to
get into the debate about the saturation of oils, but we do believe that if
you limit your intake of omega 6 and use olive oil for cooking and salad
dressings, you will be much healthier. The Mediterranean Diet is recognized
as being very healthy, it uses fish, vegetables and olive oil as the main
staples.
Caution should also be taken to keep fats from going rancid. Just as
precaution should be taken prior to consumption, taking antioxidants to
protect fats in the cells and fats found in the blood stream is just as
important. This can be accomplished with colorful fruits, berries and
vegetables as well as antioxidants in supplement form. One last caution
about fat, and that is heterocyclic amines. When you super heat any oil
(frying), or when you char meat on the grill, you alter the composition of
the fat into these compounds (heterocyclic amines) which are known
carcinogens.
Recommended oils:
Cod liver oil, flax seed oil, olive oil and butter (use sparingly), grape
seed oil and virgin coconut oil.
Oils to avoid:
Any oil with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, corn oil, soybean
oil, lard, any oil which has been used for frying and margarine.
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
Vegetables, grains and sugars are our source
of carbohydrates; the body utilizes carbohydrates primarily for energy. The
main problem with carbs is that we have abused them. Processing of grains,
refining of sugars and juicing of fruits causes the rapid absorption and
conversion of carbohydrates into glucose. This elevated glucose enters the
blood stream and causes the body to release insulin in order either to drive
the glucose into the cells to be used for ATP (energy) or to be stored for
later use as fat. Sugar and insulin are closely linked to prostate cancer
and problems only occur when excess is involved . When the modern American
diet is consumed, excess is inevitable. This makes the elimination of sugar,
high glycemic fruits and fruit juices essential, as is elimination of other
simple carbohydrates such as flour, white rice, white potatoes and most
breads. Another problem with carbohydrates is that when they are heated to
high temperatures in the cooking process, they form a carcinogen known as
acrylamides. When eating fruits, vegetables or grains, it is a good idea to
eat with as little processing and cooking as possible. This helps preserve
nutrients and enzymes. There are exceptions, vegetables can often be juiced
to remove fiber and increase the available nutrients, and tomatoes which
have been cooked will have more available lycopene content than fresh
tomatoes. A good salad dressing to use is flax seed oil and cottage cheese,
noni juice might also be added to the mixture.
Recommended vegetables:
Eat all with exceptions listed below, Especially important are cabbage and
cabbage juice (especially cabbage juice), all cruciferous vegetables as well
as sprouted broccoli seeds, garlic, tomatoes ( paste and sauce especially),
millet and brown rice.
Vegetables to avoid:
corn (especially corn meal), wheat (especially flour), white potatoes and
carrot juice.
Recommended fruits:
all berries, lemons, whole oranges (one per day max), grapefruit, apples
(one per day max) and any other high fiber low glycemic fruit,
make sure to eat them whole in order to retain the fiber and slow absorption
of sugar.
Fruits to avoid:
all fruit juice, high glycemic fruits ( peaches and tropical fruits for
example) and melons.
Recommended breads:
Ezekial (sprouted grain)
Breads to avoid:
all breads (especially those made with white flour), crackers, and chips
BEVERAGES
The body is estimated to be 70% water and
staying properly hydrated is extremely important. If you are not consuming
adequate amounts of pure water you must start immediately. Tap water is most
definitely not pure; it has more chemicals, heavy metals and bacteria than
is safe for a healthy person, much less someone with a health challenge.
Many researchers feel that chlorinated water is unsafe to drink, bath in or
even to breathe (steam). We recommend that you get a whole house water
filter and a reverse osmosis filter for your drinking and cooking water.
There is some controversy as to whether distilled water is good for you over
the long term. This is due to the fact that water is a very strong natural
solvent. This means that it will try to absorb anything it comes in contact
with, if you add sugar to it, it becomes sweet or add tea leaves and you get
tea. When water comes into contact with even minute traces of a chemical
compound such as a pesticide or herbicide and you get water with the
ability to give you cancer. Distilling water can remove any suspended
particulates from water to make it pure, but it then becomes what is termed
as hungry water and it also becomes acidic, around 5.5 ph. We would highly
recommend you to add a liquid mineral complex such as Agape Living Water or
add enough baking soda to neutralize the ph and lessen waters likelihood of
leaching vital minerals from the body.
Recommended beverages:
water that has been thru a reverse osmosis filter, distilled
water (distilled water is especially good for cleansing), black tea, green
tea, ginger tea, essiac tea, soy milk, goats milk raw organic cow milk and
vegetable juice (especially cabbage). If you are habited to coffee, one cup
per day is allowed, provided you add enough baking soda to neutralize the
acid.
Beverages to avoid:
ALL ALCOHOL, ALL SOFT DRINKS, fruit juices, milk, spring water and tap
water.
Whether you have a health challenge, or you
want to maintain your health, diet is a critical component in your overall
strategy. Eating the right foods, properly prepared can be a tremendous ally
or the wrong foods can actually make you sick. Clean water is just as
important. Digestive enzymes are another factor to consider. Until a food
has been properly digested it will not aid your health. One last nutrient
you need to be concerned about is salt. You are an electrical being, when
electricity stops you die. Your bodily fluids have the same salinity as the
ocean and it is vital you get enough salt (sodium chloride) to maintain this
salinity. The problem arises with what is sold to us for salt. It has been
striped of all nutrients except sodium chloride and additives are added to
allow it to flow. We recommend your return to a more natural salt to meet
your requirements for this vital nutrient. Books have been written on each
of the topics we discussed here and this information should be only a
rudimentary understanding of what you need to do in order to be and stay
healthy. It is more than a little coincidental that the foods listed in the
bible are being confirmed today by new scientific methods as being healthy.
Many herbs and oils the bible mentions are also being proven to have
medicinal value. In closing, do not forget the words of Hippocrates, the
acknowledged father of modern medicine, who said
LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND LET
MEDICINE BE THY FOOD.
