Food For Life: DOUBLE Cancer class!

DOUBLE CLASS!

Introduction to How Foods Fight Cancer

Certain diet patterns seem to have a major effect in helping people diagnosed with cancer to live longer, healthier lives. The National Cancer Institute research shows that as much as 33 percent of cancer risk may be related to diet. In this class, you will learn about the right food choices that can help reduce the risk of developing cancer as well as prevent a recurrence.

Discovering Dairy and Meat Alternatives

When cancer researchers started to look for links between diet and cancer, one of the most noticeable findings was that people who avoided meat and dairy products were much less likely to develop the dis- ease. Consuming dairy products causes worrisome biological changes in the body, including an increase in the amount of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the bloodstream. Scientific studies have shown elevated IGF-1 levels to be a catalyst for the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells. Meat is another food that may be linked to cancer and other illnesses. This link is in part due to the high-fat, high-iron, and fiber-free characteristics of meat compared to plant foods, as well as the formation of carcinogens when meats are cooked. These cancer-causing chemicals, called heterocyclic amines, tend to form within the meat tissue when exposed to high temperatures. In this class, you will explore a variety of vegetarian sources of protein, all of which are low in fat, high in fiber, and loaded with cancer-fighting nutrients.