If you're in the mood for upping your antioxidant levels -- antioxidants can cancel out the cell-damaging effects of free radicals, thus lowering the risk of cancer -- here's one quick and easy tip for you: keep your watermelons warm.

Research shows that watermelons stored at room temperatures have much higher levels of antioxidants (beta-carotene and lycopene) than those kept chilled in the fridge. Warm watermelons are even better than fresh-picked melons.

One caution: once cut, watermelons must refrigerated. So try to enjoy your watermelons as soon as you slice and dice them. Then keep your leftovers cool.

Source: Good Housekeeping, July 2007

We're lead to believe that if we eat our fruits and veggies, we should be just fine healthwise. But despite all the antioxidants, fiber and nutrients, a major study recently found that those who consumed a diet high in produce and low in fat fared no better when it came to cancer than those who ate a less healthy diet. This news, to me, is both liberating and disappointing -- on one hand, I don't have to wallow in guilt when I cave to my pizza craving, but on the other, if our diet doesn't have an impact on our chance against cancer, what does? Are we doomed?

Barbara Ehrenreich's blog says the answer might lie in your attitude, and I wholeheartedly agree. Those who are optimistic and determined to beat what ails them have a must better chance of coming out on top. Faith, hope and laughter are what keep us going, even when facing cancer. Do you agree?

I'm always skeptical about the connection between certain foods and cancer. There's just so much back and forth -- the lycopene found in tomatoes prevents cancer and then it doesn't, for example -- that I don't base any life decisions solely on so-called cancer prevention foods. I simply do what is best for my health. If it happens to keep cancer at bay, then I consider it a bonus.

I eat fruits and vegetables because I know they're good for me. It was nice, while it lasted, to think I was also cutting my risk of cancer recurrence but when it comes down to it, fruits and veggies are better than sweets and candies and junky carbohydrates. So they'll remain a staple in my life -- even though a large, seven-year study published in today's Journal of American Medical Association dashes all hopes that a diet low in fat and jam-packed with fruits and vegetables prevents the return of breast cancer.

Five daily servings of fruits and veggies are recommended in the United States. This is more than most Americans get yet still doesn't make a difference for those trying to minimize their chances of breast cancer recurrence.

Scientists have long believed that the carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables have a cancer preventive effect. In particular, epidemiological studies have found that as the consumption of tomato products increases, risk of certain types of cancer decreases.

Vicki's Tomato, Cauliflower, and Tempeh Salad.
1/2 head cauliflower
1 block tempeh crumbled and cooked crisp
2 medium tomatoes chopped
10 to 12 scallions sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Lettuce leaves for serving (optional)

Put the cauliflower through a food processor with the shredding disk or finely chop by hand. Put in boiling water, cover and reduce heat and let sit for 2 minutes then drain water and place cauliflower in large salad bowl.

Crumble the tempeh into a skillet on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chili powder and garlic powder and sautee for 7 minutes getting the tempeh crunchy. Add to the cauliflower along with the chopped tomatoes and sliced scallions.

Combine the mayonnaise and lemon juice to make dressing and pour over salad and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over a bed of lettuce leaves. Makes 4 to 6 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.

Blogger Martha Edwards wrote about it on June 4 -- the fact that cancer cases are soon to explode in Asia, despite the obvious health benefits of Asian-based diets.

It's not the Asian diet influencing rising cancer rates, though. It's the bad Western habits Asians are adopting that will inevitably lead these folks down a dangerous road.

Smoking, drinking, and consumption of unhealthy foods -- all contributors to various cancers -- will drive Asian cancer rates up by 60 percent by the year 2020. Larger aging populations and lack of prevention and treatment in developing countries will also drive this trend.

When you go grocery shopping, do you mainly buy frozen and processed foods? While I've studied the effects of modern (western) nutrition on various types of cancer, I'm a big believer in consuming fresh fruits every day just based on all the cancer-fighting nutrients many fruits possess inside. Plus, fruits taste so darn good.

Think about this:

Resveratrol (in grapes) and vitamins and minerals (in most fruits) are great for human health and from an antioxidant perspective, they assist in getting certain potential maladies wiped out inside the body -- before cancer can get a grip.

Although vegetables are every bit as good as fruits from this point of view, many people are not heavy vegetable eaters due to the lack of taste. One thing is for sure, though: there is rarely a lack of taste from almost every fruit I can think of. The best way to eat those fruits? Raw or after having been blended (as a smoothie).

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:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, says conventional wisdom. But if it is broken, then by all means -- fix it.

Many of us have broken pantries. Pantries full of chips, cookies, candies, oils, sugars, and well, let's just name it: junk. Our pantries are broken because they don't work in a world where health and wellness and prevention should be on everyone's menu. They are ineffective, insufficient, and downright bad for us.

My pantry has been in disrepair for a long time. Now, however, thanks to a build-your-pantry cheat sheet I brought home from Canyon Ranch, it's on the mend. Yours can be too. Just borrow from this abbreviated list next time you're in the grocery store and in no time, your pantry will be lookin' good. So will you.

Post-menopausal women: stay away from barbecued and smoked meat. Or at least increase your intake of fruit and vegetables.

Why?

Because a new study found that post-menopausal women who ate the most grilled, barbecued, and smoked red meat over a lifetime have a 47 percent higher risk of breast cancer. Those who additionally skimped on fruits and veggies had a 74 percent increase in risk.

Think about this:

If a desire for healthy eating is anywhere present in your mind, I have a suggestion for you. Next time you head into your local grocery store in search of goods to fill your cupboards, your shelves, your refrigerator, I want you to try this: steer clear of the inside aisles of the store.

Think about this:

The healthiest foods, the freshest foods, the whole foods are housed on the outside walls of grocery stores. Fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, dairy, and often times the organic department border the aisles filled with cookies, candies, colas, crackers, cereals, dressings, and a whole host of other preserved items. So see if you can shop without entering the less-healthy regions of your store. And if you must make a detour, shoot for the most natural foods you can find. If your search is for cooking oil, opt for canola oil instead of vegetable oil. If peanut butter is your thing, pick up natural nut butters. If you must have mayonnaise, reach for reduced fat or soy versions.

Staying on the perimeter of your store still requires some thinking -- meats should be lean, breads should start with the word whole, cheeses and dairy should be low in fat, and juices should be free of sugar. But still, this is the healthiest place for your next grocery store stroll.

Researchers have found a link between intake of fruits and vegetables and decreased risk of developing head and neck cancer. The study results were presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

The study included more than 490,000 individuals aged 50 or older. Over a five year period, 787 participants developed head and neck cancer. Individuals with higher intake of fruits and veggies were less likely to develop head and neck cancers. Overall, vegetables appeared to offer more protection than fruit.

Plant groups that were linked with a reduced risk included string beans, peas and dried beans. Apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears and strawberries were the important fruits.

We all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us. This is just one more study to prove that eating a diet with fruits and veggies can help us to prevent cancer.

Don't delay. There's no better time than the present to get your weight in check. Especiallly now that The American Cancer Society is reporting that maintaining a healthy weight is at the top of their cancer prevention list.

"We know that obesity is related to a number of different cancers, breast cancer among post-menopausal women, colon cancer, esophageal, kidney cancer," says Colleen Doyle of American Cancer Society spokeswoman.

This makes the ACS recommendations more urgent than ever.

The ACS urges individuals to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and to exercise at least five days per week.

There are no guarantees, of course, that these practices will hold off cancer. But "the good news is that a lot of people think they don't have any control over their risk of cancer and we're here to tell people that absolutely you do have some control," says Doyle.

It is estimated that poor diet and lack of physical activity cause about one-third of cancer deaths each year, about the same number of cancer cases caused by smoking.

A high intake of vitamin C has been shown to reduce the risks for virtually all forms of cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers as well as sex hormone related cancers like breast, prostate, cervix, and ovarian cancers. Vitamin C is your body's first and most effective line of antioxidant protection. Vitamin C protects cell structures like DNA from damage and it helps the body deal with environmental pollution and toxic chemicals. Vitamin C enhances immune function, and it inhibits the formation of cancer causing compounds in the body (such as the nitrosamines, chemicals produced when the body digests processed meats containing nitrates).

Dr. Douglas Brodie states in the book, Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, "Each one of us produces several hundred thousand cancer cells every day of our lives. Whether we develop clinical cancer or not depends upon the ability of our immune systems to destroy these cancer cells. That's because cancer thrives in the presence of a deficient immune system."

Here is a list of foods high in vitamin C. Adding these foods to your daily diet will help boost your immune system which will aid you in fighting off many diseases as well as cancer.
Fruits and vegetables are both high in Vitamin C. The highest are papaya, raw red and green peppers, oranges, cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, baked potato, cabbage, green peas, kiwi fruit, and kale.

There are a few good vitamin C supplements on the market but one that I particularly am using at present to super charge my immune system is Emergen-C Super Energy Booster which has 1,000mg of vitamin C along with vitamin B and 32 mineral complexes.

If your mom was one to harp on you about eating your vegetables, it was likely because she knew how good veggies are for the body. Moms everywhere now have research on their side.

A large study of 500,000 American retirees has shown that increasing consumption of fruits or vegetables is enough to reduce the risk of head and neck cancer. Specifically, eating six servings of fruit and vegetables per day per 1,000 calories cut the risk of these cancers by 29 percent compared to eating one and a half servings.

"It may not sound like news that vegetables protect from cancer, but there is actually some controversy in the literature," says Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the cancer prevention program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Clearly, diet plays a role in cancer. Experts believe that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases stem from lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of exercise, and diet. So keep crunching those carrots and growing those green beans. You'll make your momma proud.