Good nutrition plays a crucial role in cancer prevention. Though cancerous mesothelioma is not caused by bad nutrition, improving nutritional with a cancer diet rich in antioxidants can allow asbestosis mesothelioma patients to better fight the cancer, as well as ease symptoms and treat side effects.

Although a few other causes of malignant mesothelioma have been determined, the primary cause is exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was used in a number of military and industrial applications throughout the 20th century. Symptoms don’t usually become noticeable until as long as 50 years after primary exposure. Unfortunately, the cancer is typically diagnosed in later stages when treatment options are limited.

One of the most frequent side effects of mesothelioma and cancer treatment is nausea. There are a number of nutritional changes that can be made to help this problem. Dry foods such as crackers and toast can calm an upset stomach and bland foods help with nausea and acid reflux problems. Dark green leafy vegetables can also be beneficial when treating mesothelioma, because they’re rich with essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help fight cancer. Dark leafy greens contain antioxidants and phytochemicals, which are powerful enzymes that help clean the body of cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) and block enzymes known to activate carcinogens.

Mesothelioma patients can also benefit from the cancer-fighting nutrients found in berries. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries and loganberries are known to contain cancer-fighting phytonutrients, such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid, pterostilbene and resveratrol. In fact, extracts of six types of berries were tested in one laboratory study to determine whether they could prevent the growth and proliferation of different types of cancer cells. Each berry type was found to have unique phytonutrient combinations and extracts of all of them killed cancer cells.

Also, garlic produces a chemical called allicin which can be beneficial for mesothelioma patients. Garlic appears to have the greatest affect on stomach cancer and prostate cancer in men, but affects have been noted in all types of cancer and on different carcinogens.

This health article describes how you can gain weight the healthy way!

Nowadays it seems like everyone is looking for a solution to weight loss. But if you’re reading this health article, you might actually be looking for a solution to the opposite problem: You want to know how to gain weight and build muscle in a healthy manner without having to resort to harmful drugs or expensive weight gain supplements that don’t work.

In a nutshell, weight gain can be achieved with the combination of good nutrition and a consistent weight training program. When it comes to nutrition, it’s essential to have a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and good fats if you want to add weight. Proteins are necessary, because they repair and rebuild muscles after a workout. The average person should take in 1/2 gram of protein per pound of body weight to be healthy. But if you want to gain weight, you should consume about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Red meat, eggs, fish, poultry are great sources of protein that also provide important amino acids that aid in healthy weight gain.

And don’t leave out the carbohydrates, which the body stores in the muscle tissues and liver in the form of glucose. When your body needs energy, it turns to these stored carbs for fuel. If you don’t have enough carbohydrates, your body will convert protein into carbohydrates to get energy, thereby robbing your body of the proteins it needs to help you gain weight.

Carbohydrates are comprised of three types: simple, complex and dietary fiber. Simple carbohydrates can be obtained from sources like fruit juices; complex carbohydrates come from potatoes, oats, brown rice, whole grains and pasta; and dietary fiber comes from vegetables such as sweet corn, black beans and broccoli, among many others. The best approach is to get your calories from eating raw foods, but this is not always possible for people who have trouble gaining weight. For them, meal replacements can be important tools.

To implement a weight gain program, it’s imperative that you eat several smaller meals a day rather than three larger meals. Why is this important? Because as the frequency of meals increases, so will nutrient absorption rates. More frequent nutrient delivery also means your body will be in a better position to regulate insulin levels, which factor into weight gain. The problem is that if you’re like most people, you probably don’t have time to prepare six meals a day. Meal replacements, which are commonly referred to as as MRPs (meal replacement powders), can provide a solution.

As the name suggests, MRPs are supplements that replicate the effect of having eaten a meal. MRPs don’t do anything more than a good, healthy meal; they just make eating more convenient and portable. You might think MRPs would be a grim and tasteless option. But the good news is that as more people have used and become knowledgeable about them, they have forced nutrition companies to come up with palatable products that really work. Quality MRP brands like Prolab, EAS, Met-Rx and Optimum Nutrition not only taste good; they contain an assortment of vital proteins and vitamins. (That’s not always the case with MRPs you find in the grocery store, so buyer beware.) You don’t need a kitchen to prepare an MRP; all you need is water or juice and a shaker. It’s almost like having a personal chef who provides nutritional meals at your command, any time of the day.

There are a few things to consider before you head out to the store and buy your first can of MRP. By far the most important criteria is the taste. No matter how nutritious it is, if you don’t like how it tastes, it isn’t going to help you. Next are the upgrades. Beware of companies that add extra whey protein or glutamine because these are rip-offs.

Photo by Laura Nubuck

I hope you enjoyed this health article! Please see the sidebars for health articles, healthy recipes and our herbal supplement encyclopedia.

You cook healthy recipes, take a multi-vitamin, eat enough vegetables to stock a small produce stand (or so it seems) and drink plenty of water. You also make sure you get enough sleep, and you rarely skip a day at the gym. Still, you have low energy and are frequently sick. What’s the problem?

It might be your enzyme levels.

Enzymes help the body with a number of specific tasks — digesting food, stimulating the brain, providing cellular energy, and repairing all tissues, organs, and cells. Our bodies get these valuable enzymes by naturally producing them and by receiving them through food. As we age, however, it becomes increasingly difficult for our bodies to manufacture all the enzymes necessary for proper functioning.  Additionally, enzymes are destroyed by certain cooking processes and chemical additives in food, as well as when we expose our bodies to pollution and environmental toxins. And when our enzyme levels run low, our risk of illness increases.

Home Off the Range

Almost all food today is cooked and processed. When food is cooked, however, many of the vital enzymes are destroyed by heat, as they are by the chemicals in processed foods. This places a burden on our digestive systems because when enzymes aren’t received through the food we eat, our bodies are responsible for manufacturing the enzymes necessary for digestion. And as the body directs all its attention to digesting food, other organ systems are compromised — vital enzymes that could be used for keeping our bodies healthy are diverted to the digestive system. The result? Illness and chronic disease.

One logical solution to this problem is to eat more raw foods. Food enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118 F, whether the food is baked, broiled, steamed or microwaved. When we eat a diet that consists mainly of cooked and processed foods (as many of us do), we’re setting ourselves up for health problems.

Foods in their natural uncooked state contain all the enzymes necessary for their own digestion, and that, in turn, makes it easier for us to assimilate the nutrients. The more raw foods we eat, the more enzymes we get; and the more enzymes we get, the healthier we are.

A Simple Solution

Of course, what’s good in theory isn’t always practical — or palatable. Some of us can’t imagine eating a raw potato or an uncooked ear of corn; some of us just like cooked vegetables. But the choice doesn’t have to be to either eat “rabbit food” or compromise our health. Besides which, while most fruits and vegetables have enough enzymes to digest themselves, they don’t contain the necessary extra enzymes for helping to replenish the body’s enzymes supplies that are depleted by eating cooked food. Unless we eat a totally raw diet, we need help, and enzyme supplements are a simple solution to the cooked food vs. raw food dilemma. Enzyme supplements not only assist the digestive process, they ensure our bodies have enough enzymes to enhance our immune systems, help prevent and reverse disease processes, and give us energy and vitality.  And we can still bake those potatoes.

You might also be interested in these healthy recipes:

• Asparagus Recipes
• Blueberry Recipes with Antioxidant Power
• Broccoli Recipes
• Garlic Recipes with Antiviral Power
• Pasta Recipes to Boost Your Immune System
• Recipes to Control Blood Sugar
• Recipes to Help Your Vision
• Recipes to Keep Anemia at Bay

You might be tempted to have coffee or soda to give you a caffeine lift, but there are consequences that come with that kind of energy: caffeine can affect brain function, hormone balance and sleep patterns. And don’t go for the sugar high of a candy bar or cookies. Sweets raise your blood sugar level, which does provide a short burst of energy, but after about 20 minutes your glucose level will rapidly drop and you’ll be more tired than you were in the first place.

Instead of those questionable methods, try using natural rejuvenators instead. The following suggestions are safe and effective ways to give yourself an energy boost:

Breathe
Getting oxygen into your bloodstream is a great energy-booster that can make you feel more calm at the same time. Breathe in slowly until your chest is expanded to its full capacity; then exhale slowly. The more often you do this, the better you’ll feel.

Try peppermint
The aroma of peppermint may help release tension and alleviate fatigue. Sniff peppermint oil or drink a cup of caffeine-free peppermint tea.

Drink water
Dehydration drains your energy. Studies show that if your body has as little as 1/2 cup less water than it needs, your brain and your body start to lag. Try to drink eight glasses every day — more if it’s hot or you’re exercising — to make sure you are always well-hydrated.

Eat a starchy snack
A complex carbohydrate snack (e.g., a whole wheat bagel or toast, a banana) provides a sustainable source of energy. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and so the release of glucose into your bloodstream is gradual (rather than the quick burst that comes from a candy bar), which helps fight energy dips.

Give yourself acupressure
Sometimes considered as acupuncture without needles, acupressure uses gentle finger pressure in specific areas. Give yourself an energy boost by rubbing your ear lobes between your thumb and forefinger, or by pulling your second toe (the one adjacent to your big toe) and then vigorously rubbing it.

Get moving
Taking a brisk walk, performing stretching exercises or jogging in place is a good way to increase the oxygen content in your blood, which helps to rejuvenate you.

Take a bath
Fill the tub with warm water and add sea salts or essential oils. The scent of orange, rosemary or lavender extract is especially rejuvenating.

Use nutritional supplements
Certain supplements can improve your energy:

• Bee pollen helps increase physical strength, stamina and energy. Ginkgo biloba improves blood and nutrient flow to the brain for enhanced alertness and mental clarity.
• Co-Q10 provides an energy boost by increasing metabolic efficiency.
• Ashwaganda, also known as Indian ginseng, improves energy and calms the response to stress.
• Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and Reishi mushrooms restore and enhance energy.

Take a shower
Stand under a warm shower for a couple minutes and then alternate the water temperature between warm and cool. This stimulates your circulation and is a refreshing pick-me-up. (Note: This technique is not advisable for anyone with high blood pressure or a heart disorder.)

Take a nap
Don’t overlook the obvious: A 20-minute snooze will revitalize both mind and body. Elevate your feet with pillows so they are higher than your heart. That way, extra blood will get to your brain and you won’t feel groggy when you wake up.

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

Every year, 1 million Americans aged 20 years or older are diagnosed with diabetes, a disease characterized by high blood sugar levels. According to the National Institutes of Health, an additional 16 million people suffer from impaired glucose tolerance, or IGT, a condition in which the blood glucose levels are elevated, although not high enough to be classified as diabetes. With our typical high-sugar American diet, it’s no surprise that incidences of diabetes and IGT are on the rise.

Fortunately, keeping your blood sugar levels in balance is often as simple as adjusting your eating habits. While foods high in simple sugars (e.g., candy, soda, peanut butter, canned soup) can increase your blood glucose, research shows that fiber-rich diets that include vegetables, whole grains and fruits can help control blood sugar levels in most people, and may prevent health complications (such as heart disease or kidney disease) in those who already have diabetes. It’s also a good idea to take a nutritional supplement that contains, in particular, the vitamin C, as well as vitamins E and B-complex, and the mineral chromium, all of which are thought to help maintain blood glucose balance. And choosing dishes that are high in fiber can make a world of difference to your blood sugar levels.

The following side-dish recipes offer a delicious way to eat your way to good health:

Fruity Salad
Makes 4-6 servings

The fruit in this salad has natural sugar, but the fiber content of unpeeled fruit helps keep blood glucose levels in balance.

4 red apples (for example, McIntosh, Cortland or Ida Red)
2 Bartlett pears
1/2 pound red grapes
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon apple juice

1. Wash and core apples and pears; cut into one-inch chunks.
2. Wash grapes and cut in half.
3. Combine fruit and walnut pieces in a mixing bowl.
4. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, nutmeg and apple juice with yogurt.
5. Pour yogurt mixture over fruit and nuts, stirring to coat evenly.
6. Chill before serving.

Sweet Potato Bake
Makes 3-4 servings

One medium sweet potato has 3.5 grams of fiber; one cup of raisins has 4 grams of fiber.

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup sun-dried raisins
2 tsp. butter
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Spray a medium-sized baking dish with non-stick spray.
3. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch slices.
4. Arrange layer of potatoes in the baking dish; then dot with butter and sprinkle with raisins.
5. Repeat Step 4 until all potatoes and raisins are used.
6. Blend orange juice, lemon juice and nutmeg; pour over potatoes and raisins.
7. Bake at 350° F for about 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
8. Serve hot.

Garlic-Onion Bean Dip
Makes 6-8 servings

Scientific studies indicate that members of the onion family, such as garlic and scallions, help regulate blood sugar. This recipe’s added perk: One cup of pinto beans has a whopping 12.2 grams of fiber.

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
One can (15-½ oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
4-½ tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
Dash cayenne pepper

1. Saute garlic and onion in one teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Place beans, garlic and onion in a food processor.
3. Add remaining ingredients; process until well blended but not entirely smooth.
4. Serve with wheat crackers or assorted fresh vegetables.

We hope you enjoy these healthy recipes that will help control your blood sugar levels!

You might also be interested in these other recipes:

• Beet Juice Recipes
• Blueberry Recipes with Antioxidant Power
• Broccoli Recipes
• Asparagus Recipes
• Garlic Recipes with Antiviral Power
• Pasta Recipes to Boost Your Immune System
• Recipes to Help Your Vision
• Recipes to Keep Anemia at Bay