Eating an orange every day can not only boost your vitamin C but it can help get rid of a strain of the H. pylori bacteria that causes peptic ulcers and can lead to stomach cancer. Researchers in San Francisco found that infected people with high levels of vitamin C in their blood were less likely to test positive for the cancer causing strain. Here is a delicious, colorful, and healthy salad to serve your family. Remember to always buy organic when available.

Vicki's Citrus/Dijon Salad Dressing
4 tbsp. Orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. Lime juice
1 tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
Whisk together to make citrus salad dressing

Vicki's Orange and Avocado Salad
1/2 of a 10 oz. bag of mixed salad greens
1/2 of a 10 oz. bag baby spinach
1 Ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 Oranges peeled, seeded, and cut into slices
1 Cup grape tomatoes
1/2 Cup shredded carrots
3 Green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
Mix ingredients and toss in a large bowl then drizzle with the citrus salad dressing.
Serves 4.

Time to test your smarts -- about sleep, sun, food, and alcohol.

Just read the following questions, pick an option and then scroll down to determine if you really know what's best for your health.

• Is it healthier to sleep an extra hour or force yourself out of bed in the morning to exercise?

• Is it healthier to spend 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen or two hours in the sun wearing SPF 30?

• Is it better to have a second glass of wine at dinner or a sinful dessert?

I'm not a big sports fan. But everyone in my family is, and I live in Gainesville, Florida -- home of the Florida Gators -- so by default, I've come to know a bit about sports. And I tend to get caught up in the orange and blue spirit that lives in this town. It's contagious.

I am thrilled that the Gator football team beat Ohio State Monday night, earning the 2007 National Championship title. But I am even more thrilled that one player -- safety Reggie Nelson -- gets to claim this victory, for himself and for his mother, who passed away on December 21 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.

It must have been a bittersweet win for Nelson, who talked with his mom on the phone prior to each of his games. She was his biggest fan and one of his toughest coaches. She cheered him on and offered critiques all the same.

But there was no phone call Monday night -- before Nelson's biggest game ever. But his mom was surely present to witness the wonder and glory of her son. And Nelson surely made every move on that field in honor of her.

"My mom's my life and my best friend," he said prior to her death. "Everything I do is because of her. She's always in my mind."

Nelson did not speak to the media between the time of his mother's death and his match-up with Ohio State. According to the BCS contract, all players must be made available to the media during media day. But the University of Florida struck an agreement with the BCS to waive the clause for Nelson so he could begin to heal from his loss, without the stress of the Arizona media frenzy.

It's been a difficult time for Nelson who is now speaking out about his mom.

"A person never gets over losing his mother," Nelson said on the field Monday night, as confetti fluttered on the national champs. "I'm a Momma's boy at heart. All I wanted was to make her proud."

Previous posts about Reggie Nelson and his mom are as follows:
Florida Gator Reggie Nelson loses mom to breast cancer
Florida Gator would trade football for family

One day, look for these enhanced food products to appear on supermarket shelves, because more and more, consumers are demanding that the food they buy offer health benefits beyond what has been traditionally offered, and scientists are discovering ways to make that happen. Recently, University of Maryland researchers created, and patented the process, of transforming wheat, corn and rice flours into antioxidant powerhouses in the newest offering of functional foods. They have also devised a means of developing a flour based on fruit seeds that were discarded in the making of fruit juice.

The researchers assure that the process of enhancing flours is environmentally friendly -- which is another concern of many consumers. We want to be eat for good health, but we also want to be good to the earth. Antioxidants are known to offer cancer prevention benefits and are naturally found in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and berries. Using antioxidant-enriched flours will be one more way to incorporate antioxidants into our daily diet.

This finding, along with the news of mandarin orange juice liver cancer prevention benefit, will be presented during the four-day conference Functional Foods and Health, at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Drinking eight ounces of mandarin orange juice a day might have the ability to decrease the risk of developing liver cancer, according to researchers in Japan.

Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine researchers conducted a small one-year study involving participants with chronic viral hepatitis and found that none of those who drank mandarin orange juice developed liver cancer. In the group that did not drink mandarin orange juice, a small number of participants did go on to develop liver cancer. In the same study, researchers indicated that drinking mandarin orange juice might also have a positive health protective effect for atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

Interestingly, Japanese researchers followed this inquiry after noticing that residents of a Japanese town noted for its high consumption of mandarin oranges suffered lower rates of liver disease, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

These findings, along with several others showing the health benefits of functional foods, will be presented during a four-day conference Functional Foods and Health, at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer is devastating enough, then to find out you have one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer is even more frightening.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had never heard of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). What is shocking to me now is the fact that I have come in contact with many breast cancer survivors who are not aware of inflammatory breast cancer. This leads me to believe that if some breast cancer survivors don't know about IBC then the general public probably doesn't know much about it either.

IBC is a rare form of breast cancer. Breast cancer is not just one disease, there are many different types. I was diagnosed with one of the more common types called invasive ductal carcinoma. It wasn't so common however that I was diagnosed at the age of 31.

Only about one percent to four percent of newly diagnosed breast cancers will be inflammatory breast cancer. The scariest thing is the fact that IBC is often mistaken for a breast infection which can delay diagnosis of the disease.

Watercress is one of the richest sources of dietary phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). PEITC has been shown to inhibit phase 1 enzyme activation. Effectively it stops potential carcinogens becoming carcinogenic. Watercress is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family that includes broccoli, kale and mustard greens. Watercress leaves are tiny and glossy green with a peppery taste and pack a powerful punch of cancer fighting agents especially cancers related to smokers like lung and esophageal. This simple salad is packed full of nutrients and vitamins and is easy to prepare. As always remember to buy organic products when you can.

Vicki's Watercress and Orange Salad
1 Bag or bunch of watercress rinsed well and patted dry
1 bunch of fresh asparagus cut in 1" pieces
2 cups orange wedges peeled
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Vicki's Simple Citrus Dressing:
1/4 Cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey

In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and chill for 5 minutes. Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 3-5 minutes keeping it crisp but a little tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl mix the watercress orange wedges, craisins, and asparagus and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top and serve immediately.

Scallops contain a variety of nutrients that can promote your cardiovascular health, plus provide protection against colon cancer. Scallops are a good source of vitamin B12. A high intake of vitamin B12 has been shown to be protective against colon cancer.In addition to their B12, scallops are a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of magnesium and potassium, three other nutrients that provide significant benefits for the cardiovascular system.

Scallops are classified in two broad groups. The larger sea scallops, which can be 1 1/4 to 2 inches in diameter, and bay scallops which are usually about 1/2 to 1 inch in size. When buying scallops look for those with a pearly, off white or pale golden color. Bright white scallops may have been treated with phosphates to keep them fresher longer and should be avoided. Scallops should also have a sweet fresh smell. A spoiled scallop smells sulfurous. Don't overcook scallops or they will become rubbery. Cooking time for scallops should only be about 3 minutes.

Vicki's Scallops with Orange Caper Sauce
16 medium scallops cleaned
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
salt & black pepper
3 tablespoons of capers
1 orange squeezed
1/2 lemon squeezed
1 tablespoon of butter
 
Wash and pat dry the scallops. Heat a medium sized pan and brush with the oil. When pan begins to smoke add the scallops and turn heat back to medium. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute on one side and then turn the scallops over and cook for one minute giving them a light brown sear on each side. Add the capers and butter along with the orange and lemon juice and cook for two more minutes shaking the pan constantly so not to stick. Serves 2

Serve with brown rice and a fresh veggie of your choice for a low fat, nutritional meal good for the heart and health.

Oranges are already well known for their high vitamin C content but recent research in the food sciences has shown that oranges are also rich in many other potent anti-cancer compounds. Investigators have now found that oranges contain more than 170 photochemicals, including more than 20 from the potent carotenoid family alone. In addition, compounds called limonoids, which give citrus fruit their slightly bitter taste, appear to be highly active anti-cancer agents as well. Regular consumption of oranges is associated with significantly lower lung and stomach cancers. Here is a fancy looking dessert that is easy to prepare and full of flavor. It will impress your family or any guest you have over for dinner. This recipe serves 4.

Vicki's Orange and Mozzarella Salad
4 oranges sliced into 1/4 inch slices and remove outer peal
12 Romaine lettuce leaves
12 Radichio leaves
12 1/4 inch slices of fresh mozzarella
12 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped orange zest

Vicki's Orange Vinaigrette
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Whisk together and salt and pepper to taste

Julienne the basil leaves. Place 3 lettuce leaves and 3 radichio leaves on a salad plate. Place 1 mozzarella slice on lettuce, top with 1 orange slice and a sprinkle of basil. Repeat this step to make three layers. Drizzle with Orange Vinaigrette and sprinkle with fresh orange zest and sliced almonds.

Summertime, watermelon, and the 4th of July all go hand and hand. This fruit seems to be a tradition in almost every back yard BBQ on this holiday. In July this fruit is abundant in every roadside fruit stand, farmers market and grocery store. Watermelon contains the phytochemical lycopene, one of our colorful disease preventing cartenoids that is most known for in tomatoes. That is why they are both red. Studies have shown that a cup and a half of watermelon contains about 9 to 13 milligrams of lycopene. On average, watermelon has about 40 percent more lycopene than raw tomatoes.

The vegetable Jicama has a crunchy texture like that of water chestnuts but with a sweet taste. It is easy to just peel, slice and serve raw. It is a good source of vitamin C as well as dietary fiber aiding in fighting colon cancer.

I like to use these two naturally sweet items in a nutritional salad packed with vitamins, taste, fiber and cancer fighting lycopene.  Here is my recipe.

Vicki's Watermelon & Jicama Salad
1 head Romain lettuce.
1 head radichio
4 tangerines peeled and segmented
1 piece jicama, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices about 2 inches long
1 watermelon   
1 pack feta cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries 
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Vicki's Citrus Vinaigrette
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients.

Tear lettuce and radichio apart rinse well and shake dry. Lightly tear apart into bite size pieces and place the leaves around on individual salad plates so that the texture and colors of the salad are mixed. Scoop out 5 to 6 balls of the watermelon with a melon baller and place onto the center of the salad plates. Then place wedges of the jicama and tangerines around the watermelon. Sprinkle with cranberries, feta cheese, and toasted sunflower seeds. Lightly drizzle with citrus vinaigrette and serve. Will serve 4 to 6 depending on how large you like your salads.

One lucky couple was chosen -- from a pool of more than 450 couples who competed in ESPN's Marriage Madness competition -- as winner of the ultimate ESPN sports wedding. With listeners of the Mike & Mike in the Morning national TV and radio show as voters, Catherine and Jason West, now husband and wife, were married May 26, 2006 on ESPN. Noteworthy is the fact that both Catherine and Jason are die-hard University of Florida Gator fans -- they met at a Gator tailgating party and were engaged at Lake Alice, a popular outdoor spot on campus. The bride wore crystal Gator beadwork on her gown and the groom's tuxedo jacket was lined in Gator orange. The maid of honor wore a Gator blue dress and carried an orange bouquet. The wedding vows included the traditional messages of love, honor, and respect -- but some sports twists were sprinkled in too. The Wests took away a check for $20,000, compliments of hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, and they will soon head off on an all-expense paid sports-inspired honeymoon.

This wedding is inspired not just by sports.  It is also inspired by cancer survival. Catherine -- who became engaged on the one-year anniversary of her first breast cancer surgery -- is now in full cancer remission. And a $2,500 donation was made in the couple's name to the V Foundation, a cancer fund in memory of Jim Valvano, a former North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN broadcaster. This is surely an event to remember.