Green Tea ~ 6 Ways It Fights Cancer

I LOVE coffee. I mean I like the taste—never ruined it with sugar (yeah, even me a former sugar addict). So when I found I needed to eliminate coffee from my diet, I was devastated—kind of describes how I felt about many things I needed to stop eating/drinking.

Reading the book Nature's Cancer-Fighting Foods by Verne Varona started me on my healing diet, which I attribute to the cure for my hereditary curse. Green tea was one of several things I added to fight cancer, which tended to grow in my colon.

Most are familiar with the addictive properties of caffeinated coffee—just try a day without it and get smacked with a whopper caffeine withdrawal headache. But did you know that coffee, regular and decaf, is very acid in the body? When the body becomes acidic due to a bad diet (consumption of processed foods with artificial ingredients and sugar), it becomes a cancer-producing, inflammatory environment.

Green Tea: A Better Beverage
Even though green tea contains some caffeine, it averages 30 to 40 mg compared to 75 to 155 mg for an equal amount of coffee. But the real issue is acid vs alkaline. Coffee is acidic in the body while green tea is overall alkaline. Acid/alkaline balance is critical to cancer prevention and achieving optimum wellness. Just remember these two things: cancer thrives in an acid environment and cannot exist in an alkaline environment.

Cancer thrives in acid environment.

Cancer cannot exist in alkaline environment.

Aside from the alkalizing benefits of green tea, here are more plusses to consider:

1. Contains EGCG one of the few substances that kill cancer stem cells, which contribute to metastatic cancer.
2. Suppresses the protein urokinase that contributes to the growth and spread of cancer.
3. Studies show it offers help against breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.
4. Contains other catechins—powerful anti-oxidants effective at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, lowering cholesterol, improving lipid (fat) metabolism and fighting bacterial infections.
5. Inhibits the abnormal formation of blood clots.
6. Fights the cause of allergies in your body.

Seriously, if you want to be cancer-free—effectively help your immune system rid your body of cancer, you should drink green tea as part of a daily regimen.

I drink about 20 oz. of green tea each morning. We infuse the loose leaf green tea in a ceramic tea pot. With no tea bag you get the full flavor of the tea. Otherwise, I find I can taste the bag—even 100% unbleached cotton bags or silk.

Here are detailed brewing instructions for loose leaf tea. We buy our loose leaf tea in bulk quantities from Mighty Leaf. They offer a number of wonderful green tea blends and have regular sales. My favorites include Green Tea Tropical and Citron Green. Remember you can re-use high quality tea 2-3 times before the flavor and benefits are depleted.

I consider green tea an important ingredient in my cancer-fighting regimen. Maybe you should too.

What's your preferred morning beverage? Scroll down and leave a comment.

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Acid vs Alkaline in the Body—Is it Important?

Why should I be concerned about foods that make my body acidic?

Does that mean I shouldn't eat oranges or lemons?

What's this acid vs alkaline thing all about anyway?

It's likely the last time you heard the word pH was in high school chemistry and it set your head spinning. You've probably never heard that your body's pH level is important for good health. So let me try to make the subject clear for you.

1. You want your body to be alkaline. A neutral pH is 7.5 (neither acidic nor alkaline). Anything below that is acidic and not good for your body. The foods you eat contribute to your body being either acidic or alkaline.
2. Your body strives to be alkaline. Your body seeks to be alkaline by drawing on alkaline-forming minerals. Where does your body get these alkaline-forming minerals?... Your bones! Calcium is leached from your bones to balance the acidic environment, attempting to become more alkaline. Not a good scenario—can you say osteoporosis?
3. An acidic body is susceptible to disease. An acid body puts stress on your system, disrupting sleep, decreasing cellular energy and increasing free-radicals. Bacteria and viruses love an acid environment—they thrive and grow. Been sick lately?
4. Research shows cancer cannot survive in an alkaline body. Wondering why the war on cancer has failed miserably? It's the acid-forming diet, the Standard American Diet (SAD) consisting of too much meat, dairy and artificial ingredients.
5. Eliminate acid-forming foods. The number one cause of an overly acidic system is acid-forming foods. It contributes to America's primary health issues—excessive weight and inflammation, which is the genesis of all disease.
6. Eat more alkaline-forming foods to increase pH. It's easy to make healthy choices to eat alkaline-forming foods. If you concentrate on eating mostly a plant-based diet you'll be on target.

Alkaline-forming Foods

• Vegetables: Asparagus, Beets, Bell peppers, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Cucumbers, Leafy greens, Sprouts (all types), Zucchini
• Pseudo-grains: Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth, Wild and brown rice
• Fruit: Lemons, Limes, Mangos, Apples, Melons (all types), Avocados, Papayas, Pomegranates, Bananas
• Seeds: Flax, Hemp, Chia
• Nuts: Almonds, Chestnuts, Coconut
• Dairy: Goat milk/cheese, Breast milk
• Drinks: Green tea, Herbal tea, Lemon water
• Condiments: Extra virgin olive oil, Apple cider vinegar

Acid-forming Foods

• Meat: Cold-water fish, Beef, Venison, Pork, Wild game, Poultry, Shellfish
• Dairy: Cow milk (raw or pasteurized), Cow cheese, Butter/cream
• Grains: Bread, Corn, Pasta, Wheat, White rice
• Miscellaneous: Synthetic vitamins, Coffee, Margarine, Peanuts (roasted), Prescription drugs, Soft drinks, Soy protein isolate, Sugar (real or artificial) Whey protein isolate

This list is not exhaustive by any means, but it gives you a guideline to start making healthy eating choices. Does everything you eat have to be alkaline-forming? No. Think balance and be mindful of your eating, always eating more alkaline-forming foods than acid-forming foods.

For those chemistry geeks who want to learn about the body chemistry at work here, check out Understanding Blood pH And Its Critical Role In The Prevention of Cancer.

One more point to clarify. In answer to the question "Can I eat oranges or lemons?" Yes. Alkaline-forming refers to the effect foods have once digested, not the pH of the food outside the body. So eat all the lemons and citrus you like. It's very good for you.

If you're interested in learning more, I recommend The pH Miracle by Robert and Shelley Young.

What new food will you start eating to increase your body's pH to alkaline? Scroll down to leave a comment.

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Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
Top seven alkalizing vegetables: Spinach, Kale, Cucumber, Celery, Bell Peppers, Avocado and Broccoli. You should eat one or more every day.

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Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
Suppress your appetite with an alkalizing drink of water with fresh lemon juice before your meal. You'll eat less.

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Diagnosis: Osteoporosis

Too many of my friends are getting a diagnosis of osteoporosis. I fear that most women (and men) will get that dreaded diagnosis unless they take action to make a few changes in their life. Current estimates state that worldwide over 200 million women suffer from this disease.

Osteoporosis is the thinning of bone tissue and the loss of bone density over time. Our bones have a structure much like a sponge. Osteoporosis will make that "sponge" look thin—tiny cells become larger—making the "sponge" weaker.

By 2050, the worldwide incidence of hip fractures in men is projected to increase by 310% and 240% in women.

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The Benefits of Green Tea

I LOVE coffee. I mean I like the taste—never ruined it with sugar (yeah, even me a former sugar addict). So when I found I needed to eliminate coffee from my diet I was devastated—kind of describes how I felt about ALL the things I needed to stop eating/drinking.

Reading the book Nature's Cancer-Fighting Foods by Verne Varona started me on my diet, which I attribute to the cure for my hereditary curse. Everyone is familiar with or knows about the addictive properties of caffeinated coffee—just try a day without it and get smacked with a whopper caffeine withdrawal headache. But did you know that coffee, regular and decaf, is very acid in the body? When the body becomes acidic due to a bad diet (consumption of processed foods with artificial ingredients and sugar), it becomes a cancer-producing environment.

Continue Reading

Acid Reflux or Heartburn a Problem?

Many people suffer from acid reflux and heartburn. For a simple remedy, squeeze a quarter of a lemon into eight ounces of filtered water and drink first thing in the morning.

Lemons provide electrolytes (potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous) to balance your system. You don't get that kind of benefit from those unnatural-colored, sugar-filled, artificial ingredient-laced sport drinks. Plus, lemons are alkalizing in the body. The typical diet of red meats and processed, sugary foods makes your body acid—cancer and disease thrive in an acid environment.

Try a lemon in the morning and report back to me.

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