After recently attending a continuing education session at the Greater New York Dental Meeting about “Cancer Prevention in the 21st century” I was happy to learn that we do have some control of our own destiny for better health. The speaker, Dr.Tieraona LowDog, discussed dietary factors and the role they play in cancer prevention. Obesity is considered a contributor to cancer.
Dr LowDog suggested some things we can all do:
· Eat a diet that has less sugar. Many carbohydrates convert to sugar so carb intake should be reduced as well; many of them raise our glycemic level/index which is more beneficial if we keep it at a low level.
· The glycemic index is an indicator of the ability of different types of foods that contain carbohydrates to raise the blood glucose levels within 2 hours. Foods containing carbohydrates that break down most quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic index. Best to keep the level low.
· Get in 30 minutes of exercise a day. Exercise keeps our digestive system working well, helps in more rapid passage of waste, and may reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. It also lowers our hormone levels, which elevate the risk for breast and endometrial cancers.
· Portion control matters as well; as nation we eat portions that are too big! Too many calories increase our weight.
· 70% of our diet should be from plants…fruits and vegetable…and whole grains; more of a Mediterranean-style diet. For example berries, in particular strawberries and raspberries, are rich in ellagic acid as well as vitamin c and fiber. Blueberries contain antioxidants.
More to come in another blog.
About Tieraona Low Dog, MD
Dr. Low Dog’s extensive career in studying natural medicine began more than twenty-five years ago. She studied midwifery, massage therapy, and was a highly respected herbalist, serving as President of the American Herbalist Guild and running a teaching clinic in Albuquerque, before going on to receive her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Tieraona opened and ran a successful integrative medical clinic in Albuquerque, NM before joining the faculty of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona where she currently serves as the Director of the Fellowship.
Dr. Low Dog is an internationally known speaker on topics ranging from the responsible use of herbal medicine and dietary supplements to integrative approaches to women’s health with more than 30 publications to her credit.
Kathi Schulman RDH
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