Brussel sprouts contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fiber. Moreover, they are believed to protect against colon cancer, due to their containing sinigrin. They contain three types of phyto's, all shown to have either protective qualities against cancer, or enzyme producing qualities that have been shown during research to fight cancer cells in different ways.

When boiling foods they tend to lose some of the vitamins and nutrients into the water. So here is a roasted brussel sprout recipe that is very easy to prepare and the brussel sprouts keep their natural nutty flavor.

Vicki's Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 lb Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 onion cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss all the ingredients except for the onions in a large bowl to evenly coat the brussel sprouts. Pour brussel sprouts onto a baking tray and spread apart. Bake for 20 minutes then stir or flip and add the onions and bake for 20 minutes more.

Studies show that diets high in fiber and low in fat can help prevent cancer. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. It has a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins compared to tofu. In the past five years tempeh has grown so much in popularity that it is now available in the refrigerated section of many supermarkets. Here is a simple way to prepare tempeh that both kids and adults love.

Vicki's Spicy Tempeh Soft Tacos
Serves 4

1 block tempeh crumbled
1/2 vegetable broth or water
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (can leave out if you don't want spicy)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked black beans or pinto beans drained
1 tomato chopped
handful chopped lettuce
grated hard soy cheese if you want vegan or cheddar if vegetarian
8 whole wheat tortillas

Recipe directions

Saute the tempeh in the olive oil on medium low heat for about 3 minutes. Add red pepper and onion and continue to saute for about 5 minutes more. Add the spices, 1/2 cup broth or water and the beans and cook for about 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Serve in the tortillas with the chopped lettuce, tomato and cheese.

Since the 1970s, researchers have suspected that diet and nutrition are related to colorectal cancer risk. Numerous studies published since that time have confirmed the connection between what we eat and risk of this cancer. Many health experts agree that a high fiber diet is important for cancer prevention, but questions remain about how much and which types of high fiber foods may reduce colorectal cancer risk most effectively. This has led to interest in specific high fiber foods, especially whole grains.

Start the day with a bowl of whole grain cereal or oatmeal. For cold cereals, choose one that contains at least 6 grams of fiber per serving and make sure you pick one where sugar does not appear first, second or third in the ingredient list. Oatmeal is not only high fiber but studies show that it helps reduce cholesterol. But if you are like me I am not fond of the mushy breakfast food. Until a dear musician friend introduced me to steel oats. Now I can't get enough of these nutty oats and even eat them for late night snacks.

Steel cut oats are whole grain groats which have been cut into only two or three pieces. Which means the the inner portion of the oat kernel is not missing like in rolled oats. They are golden in color and resemble small rice pieces. Steel-cut oats are also known as coarse cut oats, pinhead oats, Scotch oats, or Irish oats. Because the steel cut oats are more natural with less pre-processing, they may be more nutritious than the more popular rolled oats. But to me they give off a more nutty taste and I like the small crunch over the mushy consistency of the rolled oats. The cooking time is longer on steel cut oats but really worth the wait.

When shopping for them in your grocery store, look for canisters much like coffee cans as they are kept in air tight containers.

Preparing your Steel Oats.

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
Fresh Blueberries or other fresh fruits.

Combine oats and other ingredients in medium saucepan and bring water to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from sticking on the bottom. For the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time you will need to stir more frequently as it thickens. Spoon into a bowl and top with fresh fruit. Some people like to add a little milk to the bowl to give them a creamy texture. Makes 4 servings.

In today's world, we worry about carbohydrates. We monitor them, count them, obsess about them, and pare them down to just about nothing in order to lose weight. Yet, quality carbs have a fierce power in the fight against disease. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. They absorb slowly and stabilize blood sugar, appetite, even mood. Carbs don't have to be avoided. In fact, they should be embraced -- in their most healthy forms.

While at the Canyon Ranch resort in Tucson this past April, I observed that all meals are balanced with small-to-moderate portion sizes of carbohydrate foods. Canyon Ranch is all about health and healing. If the experts here say carbs can be good for us, I believe them.

The key to carb management is knowing which ones keep cancer and other disease at bay. It's simple, really. Just think whole fruit, vegetables, beans, and modest amounts of whole grains.

Even though there has been much hype in recent years about the connection between dietary fiber intake to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, results of a large study does not support such a link.

The findings were reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The conclusion came after analyzing more that 291,000 men and 197,000 women ages 50 to 71 years. "Our study did not show any association between how much dietary fiber you eat and your risk of colorectal cancer" said the lead author of the study.

However, the lead author did say that he found consumption of whole grain foods may lower the risk of developing the disease.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is making it easier for consumers to read food labels. With a quick stop at a website called Make Your Calories Count, we can all learn how to better decipher and truly understand the numbers we find printed on the back of food items.

The FDA interactive site, featuring a cartoon character called Labelman, provides consumers with information related to healthful diets and calorie management. There are exercises, quizzes, and a training module available for download and printing.

The program, which presents two nutrients that should be limited (saturated fat and sodium) and two that should be consumed in adequate amounts (fiber and calcium), may be just the resource we need in our pursuits of better health and disease prevention.

The brighter the fruits and veggies, the better they are at fighting cancer. It's the phytochemical compounds -- these give produce its color -- that help the immune system block cancer-causing substances from cycling through our bodies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Produce for Better Health Foundation say we should eat nine to 11 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. Taking supplements is not enough -- we need the complex interplay of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

These are the colors we should include in our diet each day:

I'm no cook. And I'll never claim a recipe is my own. Anyone who likes my taco salad should thank my friend Kim and her mom Kathy. My turkey meatballs: all credit goes to my brother-in-law's mom. The brownies I once whipped up and now have given up: kudos to Betty Crocker. And this recipe I'm about to share comes straight from the pages of the May 2007 issue of Family Circle magazine. It's such a simple recipe -- takes five minutes tops. I probably could have invented it on my own. But I didn't.

Go With The Grain

Top 1 cup whole-grain cereal with:

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup each strawberries and raspberries
1 cup 1% milk

Green peas are bursting with nutrients. They provide very good amounts vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B1 or thiamine, vitamin A vitamin B6, B3, and B2 and lots if dietary fiber, manganese, folate, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and potassium. Green peas are that little food that is supercharged with nutritional and can supercharge your health.

Green peas are one of the important foods to include in your diet if you oftentimes feel fatigued and sluggish. That is because they provide nutrients that help support the energy-producing cells and systems of the body. They provide nutrients that are important for maintaining bone health. With its great source for iron green peas build normal blood cell formation and function. Low amounts of iron can result in anemia, fatigue, decreased immune function, and learning problems.

Vicki's Green Pea Salad
2 cups fresh green peas. (You can substitute with a 16 ounce package of frozen green peas. Rinse and thaw them for use in the salad.)
1 cup chopped fresh cauliflower ( make sure pieces are chopped about the same size as the peas.)
1 - 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts (drain and rinse thoroughly and cut into strips)
1 - 8 ounce container sweet grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1/2 onion minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry dill

Whisk together the lemon juice, dill, and mayonnaise.
In large bowl mix all of the vegetables. Pour in the mayo and dill dressing and toss.

Beets are so healthy for you. But did you know that beets beat cancer? Beets are not only rich in calcium, but recent research has shown that they are also extremely rich in cancer-fighting flavenoids. They are also high in magnesium, folate, potassium, fiber, vitamin C and iron. Here is one of my favorite ways to eat beets in a healthy salad. Arugula and pine nuts give this salad an extra nutty and peppery flavor and make it even more healthy.

Vicki's Arugula & Beet Salad
4 cups young arugula leaves, rinsed and dried
1 jar or can sweet pickled beets rinsed and drained
(reserve the beet juice in a bowl)
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 Bay leaf
2 cloves

In a medium saucepan, combine the reserved beet juice and bring to a boil. Add cloves, bay leaf, and onion, and return to a boil. Remove from heat, strain and chill for one hour. Be sure to take out the bay leaf so you don't eat it. Mix the cooked onions and beets together and stir. Divide arugula into four bowls and divide beet/onion mixture on top of each bowl. Divide pine nuts between the bowls.

The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Fully milled and polished white rice is required to be "enriched" with vitamins B1, B3 and iron.

Brown rice is an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium. For people worried about colon cancer risk, brown rice is a concentrated source of the fiber needed to minimize the amount of time cancer-causing substances spend in contact with colon cells, and is a very good source of selenium, a trace mineral that has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer. Eating brown rice instead of white rice is also better for people at risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Vicki's Brown Rice Pudding
1 cup brown Rice
1/2 cup Rice Syrup
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Cook rice until soft. Drain and let chill in fridge for about 30 minutes. After chilling put rice into a large mixing bowl and fluff with a fork. Stir in both syrups.  Sprinkle spices around on top of rice and then mix it up well. Then add the yogurt, raisins and almonds. This is a creamy delight that is healthier than white rice pudding and does not use sugar but is still satisfying to the sweet tooth.

Eating beans and lentils frequently helps reduce the risks of breast cancer and others due to their rich content of flavonols and fiber. Here is a simple to prepare lentil soup that sold out quickly in my restaurant when we had it as one of our soups of the day. It is delicious, low fat, has lots of vitamins, and is very very healthy for your body and heart.

Vicki's Lentil Soup
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 chopped onion
6 garlic cloves minced
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped oregano
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped basil
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped sweet red bell pepper
1 16oz can diced tomatoes (buy organic if possible)
2 cups dried lentils
4 cups water
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (can leave out if you are spicy food sensitive)

Heat a large soup pot to medium heat and add olive oil, onions, celery, red bell pepper, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Add water and remainder of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered on low for about 15 minutes until lentils are tender. Add more water if you want more of a liquid stock in your soup.

I'm not much of a cook -- I don't like to cook, I don't cook well, and I am never really enticed to spend any amount of time in the kitchen preparing food. So my husband picks up my slack much of the time. Tonight he made turkey meatballs with rice and green peppers -- and some other veggie side dishes too -- and he cooks pasta and grills chicken and can successfully feed our family of four without hesitation or frustration. For me, cooking, hesitation, and frustration all roll into one. And that's why I avoid anything of the culinary persuasion and thank my lucky stars for a husband who doesn't mind cooking endeavors. But sometimes, I am forced to enter the kitchen -- I have two growing boys who need to eat, after all, and I am the one mostly at home catering to their every need. So I do okay -- I try to maintain a healthily family menu and I can handle the basics and no one is really complaining so I guess I'm holding my own. But I'd like to find more pleasure in cooking -- and more variety and more creativity too. Perhaps free weekly recipes sent to my e-mail inbox would be a push in the right direction.

The American Institute for Cancer Research offers this service, and I am just moments away from subscribing to this offering that was started by a cancer group who sends out to anyone who signs up free recipes that are mostly lowfat, high-fiber, and plant-based. Launched just several months ago, this service already has more than 10,000 subscribers -- and many are cancer survivors who have learned to make everything from cherry spritzers to brown rice pudding to sweet potato and peanut chili. A name and e-mail address is all it takes to get the ball rolling -- just visit www.aicr.org and look for the health-e-recipes area.  Soon, simple and nutritious recipes will be at your fingertips. And at mine too. Unless I decide to pass them off to my husband.

Mama's Health recommends eating these healthy foods to help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Herbs, vegetables, dietary fiber and fruits are food items most of us already know are essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some foods that are especially good for preventing cancer and heart disease.

Basil tops the herb list and reduces blood pressure and eases the symptoms of emphysema and bronchitis. In addition, rubbing basil on your skin acts as a natural bug repellent.

Spinach, asparagus, and broccoli top the vegetables most recommended to cut down on heart disease and cancer, giving at least 50 percent of the recommended daily allowances (RDI) for vitamin A, and about 20 percent of the RDI for vitamin C. Spinach is a good source of iron, calcium and folate and asparagus is also high in folate content (20 to 50 percent of RDI per serving). Folate is a nutrient identified as being important for pregnant women. Folate, also known as folic acid, might reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer.

Sweet Bing cherries, pumpkin, strawberries and apricots, are high in vitamin A and C, and provide a good source of fiber. Sweet Bing cherries is a cancer prevention food with the ability to fight the inflammation associated with some cancers. Pumpkin and strawberries are a good source of iron and folate. A substance found in strawberries, quercetin, has been shown to program cancer cells to self destruct. All are low in calories.

Dietary fiber found in whole wheat bread and 100 percent bran cereal along with kidney beans, white beans, and potatoes top the fiber charts for healthy eating to prevent cancer and heart disease. Soy nuts top the healthy snacks and are high in protein and isoflavones.

Some research indicates that how blood glucose levels function can lead to diseases, including the possibility of an interconnected link to cancers. One way to control blood glucose levels is in following the glycemic index diet. The glycemic index is a numerical rating system for carbohydrates. Carbohydrates in food that break down quickly in the bloodstream cause blood glucose levels to spike, or rise rapidly. Carbohydrates in food that break down slowly release glucose gradually into the blood stream. Ideally, you want glucose to be released slowly to maintain optimum health -- and weight for that matter. In addition, fat and fiber can influence how slowly or quickly carbohydrates are converted. For example, a slice of whole grain bread is a low glycemic food, where white bread is a high glycemic food.

If you are interested in learning more about the low glycemic diet, a few places to start are Fifty50 and Shake Off the Sugar, where you will find a glycemic index for some every day foods, educational information, recipes and tips.