I was going to write a blog later in my series of blogs on toxins and stress and disease from the studies that I have been reading for the last month. But since a comment was made about stress and whether it has a correlation to disease to the previous blog I wrote on toxins and stress creating disease in our bodies, I will jump ahead and share some research I found on the relation of stress and disease. A relation to stress and disease has been researched by many doctors, psychologists, and medical research facilities and conclusions are that stress does several things to the body causing it to shut down in areas that can effect the body with disease and illness.

Do the common phrases, Tension Headache, Upset Stomach, Shaky Nerves, Tight Chest, ring a bell? Studies showed that work place stress has created an increase in heart disease and high blood pressure as well as making the body more susceptible to flu and viruses. It also has shown that stress can be related to Type 2 Diabetes as well as obesity. "Stress in general can disrupt the body's ability to process glucose, especially in people whose genetics make them vulnerable", said Richard Surwit of the Duke University Medical Center in a research article in the November/December issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

I discovered a website called Quackwatch. The website's mission is to be a guide to health fraud and making intelligent decisions.

As a cancer survivor I was bombarded with well meaning people telling me about different alternative therapies, a cure they heard on television, a diet that can keep your body alkaline instead of acidic to kill the cancer, and a place you can go to cure cancer that you can only receive treatment somewhere in Mexico.

I can't blame anyone for bringing these things to my attention but most of this information is not scientifically proven. I know that even if its not scientifically proven it can still be of benefit, however stories about one person who say this or that cured their cancer does not mean much to me.

I went with conventional therapy. I do think there is a place for alternative treatments so I'm not bashing them. However, we all know that there are those out there who are going to prey on a cancer patient's need for help. Those that write false books and make false claims to make money. It's unfair that we have to deal with this but that is why we need to be careful about what we believe when we read or see something on television that claims to be a quick cure.

One book that really angers me is a book written by Kevin Trudeau called Natural Cures "They" don't want you to know about. I didn't read the book but I did see the infomercial. They really do try and make it look like a legitimate setting of two professionals discussing a new book.

Just one soft drink per day or a meal with little vegetables and a large piece of meat can cause our body's to become so acidic that it creates an ideal environment for cancer and other degenerative diseases. I recommend that you get adequate protein in the diet, but excessive amounts are to be avoided, as are the use of other foods which are acid forming to us like sugar and dairy products.

Lean cuts of beef, chicken, and turkey (preferably organic), wild game, cold water fish, beans (any plant based protein), eggs (especially omega 3 enriched), soy milk and all soy products, goats milk, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and nuts (except peanuts) are all recommended protein foods. Proteins to avoid are pork, fatty cuts of domestic livestock, dairy, most cheese and peanuts.

Cancers have an appetite for glucose and the amino acid glutamine. Excess consumption of sugars tends to promote cancer growth as does glutamine and red meats have a high dietary source of glutamine. This is one reason why excess consumption of red meats and other concentrated sources of protein tend to promote tumor growth. So the best diet is one with a small amount of meat and proteins, approximately 20 percent, and the rest vegetables and fruits, about 80 percent. Do not overcook the meat making it harder to break down and digest. Learn to eat meats in 4oz servings with the bulk of foods on your plate being vegetables and fruits. Try to cut down soft drink consumption to one a8oz glass a day and drink a lot more green tea and water. I highly recommend drinking water and making tea with water that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis system.

It's summer time, it's hot, and most back yard cookouts have an ice cream maker churning away making that creamy frozen dessert that everyone loves.  Why not put a healthier more nutritional dessert on the table that even children will love? A diet high in fruits is likely to be linked to a decrease in the risk of cancer of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, lung, colon, rectum and possibly other cancers. Eating large amounts of fruits has been clearly linked to a decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating fruits may also help improve bone health, diabetes control, and the maintenance of a healthy body weight. The consumption of fruits may strengthen the immune system, which is the body's defense against various diseases including cancer.

Three weeks ago one of my dalmatians developed a lot of bacteria in her stomach and my veterinarian reminded me of the healing powers of the cultures in yogurt.  She loves a couple of spoon fulls in her dry food. Tonight while I was on a fruit binge in the grocery store to fulfill my dedication of going back to my alkaline based diet, I remembered this salad recipe mixing the best of both worlds. I wasn't even tempted to pause at the frozen foods section to gaze longingly at my favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream.  By the way all of these ingredients are on the alkaline side of the food spectrum except for yogurt.  But your best diets contain 70 percent alkaline and 30 percent acid. So this salad is perfect.

Vicki's Mixed Fruit and Vanilla Yogurt Salad (with a minty twist)
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup diced strawberries
1 cup green grapes (slice them in half)
1 peach diced
1 pear diced
1 Granny Smith apple diced
1/3 cup sliced raw almonds
3 or 4 fresh mint leaves finely chopped.
1 6 ounce container vanilla yogurt

Mix everything but the mint in a large mixing bowl stirring gently so not to crush the raspberries and strawberries.  Sprinkle a pinch of the freshly chopped mint on the top of the individual servings.  It looks fancy and gives the dessert a little extra zing. This recipe serves 6 to 8 people. But remember if you have left overs to store them in an air tight container and then use them in the morning on your cereal or granola or for an added dessert treat at lunch.

Every year many Americans are faced with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. What do a lot of these diseases have in common? The way we as a society chose to eat and treat our bodies. Now I don't want to start a major debate on factors like heredity, environmental issues and the like but we need to face facts that we have become a fast food, fast-paced society dealing with a lot of stress and bad eating habits and are paying less attention to a well balanced diet and the necessary exercise to stay fit. I am as guilty as the next person.

Eating raw vegetables as snacks instead of chips, nuts, pretzels, cheese and crackers and more, will not only help you lose weight but it will help you with digestion and will help your body maintain a more alkalized ph balance where disease can not live. As your body becomes more acidic the acid wastes build up in tissues and stored fat. If your body is in an alkaline state it is like heaven for normal cells and like hell for cancer cells. Cancer cells thrive and multiply when your body reaches a low enough PH level. Even eating slightly steamed or grilled veggies is better than fully cooked.