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Cancer Diet - Minerals
By Marilyn Bennett
A cancer diet needs a good balance of minerals because minerals are
needed by all cells for proper function. Patients are often found to be
mineral deficient, so this is an area of the diet that needs particular
attention.
There are two classes of minerals. Macrominerals, such as the well known
calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus, and
microminerals, such as boron, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, germanium,
sulfur, silicon, vanadium, zinc, manganese and molybdenum.
The good news is we will get most of the minerals we need, provided we
are eating a diet based on a wide variety of fruits and veggies, with the
addition of nuts, seeds and grains.
Where we can get in to trouble is that minerals are washed out of soils
with constant rain, and modern fertilizers don't usually contain the wide
variety of minerals we need. Organic gardeners usually use rock minerals
on their soils and this results in organic produce have a much higher and
broader range of minerals.
Germanium is one micromineral that cancer patients are often low on. It
is essential for immune function and is critical to tissue oxygenation.
Cancer grows rapidly where there is low oxygenation of cells. Germanium
is found in broccoli, celery, garlic, onions, rhubarb, sauerkraut and tomato
juice as well as aloevera and ginseng.
Iodine deficiency has been linked to breast cancer in more than one
study. Seasalt contains iodine and a variety of minerals rather than the
isolated highly processed iodine additive in table salt. Asparagus, garlic,
lima beans, soybeans, sesame seeds all contain natural iodine along with
the nutrients needed for good absorption.
Large amounts of brassicas eg brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower,
along with peaches, pears and spinach can block absorption of iodine, so
ensure there is a balance of iodine rich foods in your diet.
Selenium has been linked to cancer. Selenium and Vitamin E work
together to attack free radicals. Selenium is critical for pancreatic
function, and pancreatic enzymes are critical to the bodies ability to fight
tumour activity. This mineral is generally found in meat and grains,
however countries such as New Zealand and much of America is known
to have selenium deficient soils.
As there have been several studies showing that good selenium levels
have significantly reduced the risk of cancer, this is one mineral you want
to have enough of.
Food sources that should be included frequently in a cancer diet are: brazil
nuts, broccoli, brown rice, brewers yeast, chicken, kelp, onions, salmon,
seafood, tuna, wheatgerm and whole grains. Garlic, chamomile, ginseng
and parsley are all easy to use concentrated forms that can be added to
the diet daily.
A couple of warnings:
Be very careful about self-dosing with minerals as several of them will
block absorption of others if the dose is too high.
Again, eating a variety of foods, with particular notice taken of those that
have high mineral levels is the safest way to go. If you wish to explore
mineral supplementation further, talk to your naturopath or nutritionist.
But whatever you do, don't ignore the importance of these vital
elements to your well being.
About the Author
Marilyn Bennett's partner Glenn was declared cancer-free after 11 months using a nutritional approach. They are now on a mission to "spread the word" re the many things they discovered we can all do to fight cancer. Please visit http://www.cancer-einfo.com
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/17079.html
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| Some other articles by Marilyn Bennett | What is the Cause of Cancer?
Following my partner, Glenn's, diagnosis with an aggressive form of cancer, my hours of research led me to discover a series of medical researchers who have come to the conclusion that cancer is a metabolic disease.
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A cancer diet needs particular emphasis on the following vitamins.
Vitamin A
Role: as an anti-oxidant and important for healing.
Natural sources: green and yellow fruits and ...
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