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FOODS FOR BREAST CANCER – EASY-PEASY GAZPACHO

September 18, 2015 4 Comments

gazpacho

It’s a sad fact that most of us know someone affected by breast cancer. 1 in 8 women face the prospect of getting breast cancer, making it by far the most common cancer in females.  But medics and scientists now believe diet and life style can play an important role. And some of the most interesting findings are coming from a UK study at the University of Westminster, involving 3000 breast cancer patients.  It’s the biggest UK study to investigate the links between diet and breast cancer and although it’s only three years into a five year study, enough evidence has been found for one of its leaders, Professor Keshtgar, to produce a Breast Cancer Cook Book – published this week.

As you can imagine, Ms’s Kale & Cocoa were particularly eager to review the Prof’s findings and see his food recommendations.  Professor Keshtgar says the Westminster study has already shown strong evidence that breast cancer recurrence rates can be reduced – and survival rates improved – when patients adopt a healthy lifestyle.  He also believes that as many as nine per cent of  cases could be prevented by dietary changes and says his colleagues in the medical profession are confident the Mediterranean diet (read more here) can reduce the risk of breast cancer, particularly in post-menopausal women.  The key, he says, is plenty of fruit and veg – their anti-oxidants prevent the process of oxidation which can lead to cancer. A report from the University of Navarra in Spain, published this week, also suggests that extra lashings of extra-virgin olive oil can also help fend off breast cancer. Catch up at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/299412.php

But not all fruit and veg are equal. The Prof is (like us) a big fan of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale and cabbage have all been shown to prevent the formation of cancer cells and inhibit the spread of cancer).  Like us, he’s a believer in dark leafy vegetables (spinach, kale and chard are chock full of B vitamins which strengthen your DNA, thus reducing the risk of cancer). Lastly, he’s a big advocate of pulses – apparently the fibre can help your body repair the damage done by cancer treatments.

But he has six star ingredients women should be eating more of:

SESAME SEEDS

We’re big fans of all nuts and seeds but Prof Keshtgar highlights the minerals and phytoestrogens in the sesame seed that help regulate the body’s oestrogen production and are known to obstruct the production and spread of certain tumour cells.

SOY/EDAMAME BEANS

Susan wrote about soy beans last week as a good source of vitamin D, but Keshtgar highlights their phytoestrogens, which, like sesame seeds, inhibit the growth of cancer cells.  He also points out that they’re the only vegetable to contain all nine essential amino acids.

BEETROOT

Beetroot contains betacyanin, a compound shown in studies to have anti-carcinogenic properties and the ingredient that makes beetroot purple. I like James White Organic Beetroot Juice. And my kids go wild for the super speedy beetroot soup coming to the blog soon…

SAGE

Sage is rich in phytochemicals and it’s this that experts think may help prevent the formation of cancer and/or supress its development.

TOMATOES

A powerful source of the antioxidant lycopene (we wrote about lycopene last year), which scientists think could inhibit breast cancer by stopping cancer cell growth. Lycopene becomes more effective after cooking – and is even more potent in sundried tomatoes and watermelon.

SALMON AND OILY FISH

We’re always banging on about oily fish so it’s good to see Prof Keshtgar get behind us! Salmon is the Prof’s favourite – it’s thought to contain natural chemopreventative agents that can inhibit or impede cancer. Check out my favourite salmon recipe on the blog here.

But what about foods to avoid?  If you’ve been following our blog you’ll know we’re trying to reduce the amounts of red meat, sugar and processed food in our larders. And these are exactly the foods that Professor Keshtgar says we should reduce or avoid altogether.  He also warns against alcohol – consumption of which has been linked to an increase in both the risk of developing breast cancer and the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence (and that includes light drinkers too!)  Apparently three or more alcoholic drinks a day can increase your risk of breast cancer by 40–50 per cent.  Wow! A report published in August suggested that anyone with a family history of cancer should consider abstaining from alcohol altogether. Read more at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/298303.php

Finally, the Prof cites several studies linking exercise to a reduced risk of breast cancer.  Apparently five percent of cases could be avoided by doing nothing more than staying slim. It seems that exercise lowers oestrogen levels which affects how we process and store the food we eat.

After eating far too much on holiday, I’ve been preparing a weekly quantity of easy-peasy Gazpacho which not only fills me with vegetables (and lots of cooked tomatoes to help keep breast cancer at bay) but helps keep the weight off.  It also reminds me of sunshiny days as autumn gets its claws in… And because there’s no skinning of tomatoes or peeling of cucumbers, it takes a mere five minutes to prepare. Try topping it with cooked soy beans for an extra boost of phytoestrogens…. And don’t forget the generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil!

EASY-PEASY GAZPACHO (serves 4)

  • 680g jar tomato passata
  • 1 small red onion, roughly chopped (or 2 spring onions)
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 cucumber, seeds removed and roughly chopped. Keep the skin on!
  • 1 red or yellow pepper, seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic (or as much as you like)

Put everything in the blender (you’ll need a powerful liquidiser rather than a food processor if you want it really smooth) and wizz.

Season to taste and top with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Make it your own by topping extravagantly with chopped herbs (I like fennel fronds, basil and chives), edible flowers, baby nasturtium leaves, chopped dandelion leaves, watercress or spring onions.  And, of course, a handful of soy beans (put frozen beans into boiling water, turn off the heat and leave for ten minutes).

Add some croutons if you’re craving carbs.  Otherwise eat and go!

Annabel

 

  • Conditions: Cancer
  • Ingredients: Olive oil, Tomatoes
« BOOSTING BONE STRENGTH AND THE SIMPLEST FISH PIE
FEWER WRINKLES? YES PLEASE! AND CHIA SEED PARFAIT »

Comments

  1. A Ozcurumez says

    September 23, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    I would like to receive the latest info on ageing
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      September 23, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      If you’ve signed up you should receive our weekly emails. Hope you enjoy them!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. FEWER WRINKLES? YES PLEASE! AND CHIA SEED PARFAIT - Kale & Cocoa says:
    September 26, 2015 at 6:40 am

    […] (try our pea and soya bean salad) lycopene is found in watermelon and cooked tomatoes (last week’s gazpacho is perfect), Vitamin C in oranges, Vitamin E in avocados and omega 3s in nuts (our almond dipping […]

    Reply
  2. WHY WE SHOULD SIT LESS AND FIDGET MORE – WARM SQUASH SALAD - Kale & Cocoa says:
    October 2, 2015 at 7:54 am

    […] apple salad which gets you five portions of fruit and veg in one go and is full of cancer-busting sage to mark the beginning of Cancer Awareness […]

    Reply

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Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points to a time (for women at least) in their mid-60s when the chronic conditions of ageing, like diabetes, heart disease and dementia, are - statistically - more likely to kick in. 

And we know that our reproductive hormones do so much more than prepare us to have periods and babies, we have receptors for them throughout our bodies and brains. 

Oestrogen, in particular, helps keep bones strong, blood vessels flexible, brains firing and inflammation levels low. Essentially, it wraps us up in a cosy protective cloak to keep us safe and healthy while we're able to reproduce, but once the eggs have run out - we're on our own! 

Between the average age of menopause at 51, and that time in our 60s when the chronic conditions of ageing are more likely to kick in, we have a decade or so in which it’s vital to focus on our health.

And how to do that? It’s on the blog - link in bio

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If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic he If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic health you might want to thank your Mum today. Recent studies have found that women who move around during their reproductive years and during pregnancy and then breastfeed for a bit pass on a compound in their milk called 3SL which provides lifelong protection against poor metabolic health. The offspring of moving, breastfeeding Mums appear to have a lower lifetime risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic disease. Even gentle strolling during pregnancy and while nursing can produce this compound. So today we thank our Mums for that - as well as everything else.  Susan’s mum in the hat. Annabel’s mum in the pony tail. 

#mothersday #mothers #move #agewell #goodhealth #longevitylifestyle #longevity #walk
There’s been lots of good news for walkers recen There’s been lots of good news for walkers recently. A study published last month found that over-60s who walked between 6000 and 9000 steps a day cut their risk of heart disease (including strokes and heart attacks) by 40-50 percent, when compared to a more typical 2000 steps a day. In fact this study found that for every additional 1000 steps walked, the risk fell still further. 

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A big hug from us to you to mark International Wom A big hug from us to you to mark International Women’s Day! 

The campaign this year reminds us to embrace equity as a way to recognise that each of us has different circumstances, and we need different resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome. Of course, this is as vital in ageing and health outcomes as in every other field.  

So we’re embracing our age and hoping to grow older in a more equitable society ❤️

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If you’re not sure how to start or are worried about looking silly (we were) - there are lots of tips on the blog, link in bio. 

If you’re a backwards walker, let us know in comments below! 

If you’re planning to start, save this post for when you’re ready for some reverse walking 

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