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.

Bok Choy is low in calories, fat and is high in calcium, potassium and Vitamin C and A. Bok Choy also contain glucosinolates, which may help prevent cancer by eliminate carcinogens. Bok Choy is used in a lot of stir fry recipes but I personally like to make a soup that allows me to drink all of the nutrients in the broth. It is simple and quick to make and packed full of flavor and nutrition. If you add diced tofu to the recipe, it will also give you protein.

Chef Vicki's Bok Choy Soup

3 cups vegetable broth
(you can use three cups of water and 3 vegetable bouillon cubes)
1 celery stalk diced
1/2 white onion diced
6 button mushrooms sliced
6 Bok Choy leaves chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 block Extra Firm Tofu cubed in 1/2 inch pieces (optional)

Bring broth to boil and add celery, onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Boil for 2 minutes and lower heat to medium. Add Bok Choy and tofu and simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher died Saturday of complications from a recent bone marrow transplant. Her health concerns began three years ago when she was diagnosed with polycythemia vera -- a rare disease that causes bone marrow to produce excess blood. Then last winter, she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her subsequent bone marrow transplant on May 16 cleared her system of cancer. But she developed graft-versus-host disease -- where transplanted cells start attacking the digestive system. A fever, a change in her potassium level, and a trip to intensive care prompted her husband to write on his blog Friday of her condition. He reported that if she remained stable, she would return to her previous hospital room and would work on recovering. But sadly, Butcher did not recover.

Butcher dominated the 1,100-mile sled-dog race from Anchorage to Nome in the late 1980s and brought national attention to the grueling competition. She won the 1986 race and became the second female champion -- and then won again in 1987, 1988, and 1990. She finished in the top four through 1993. Butcher also made headlines in 1979 when she helped drive the first sled-dog team to the 20,320-foot summit of Mount McKinley -- the highest peak in North America.

Butcher, who ran her last Iditarod in 1994, grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was married with two daughters -- ages 10 and five. Butcher was 51 years old.

Chemotherapy is a good remedy for killing cancer cells -- and I hope every day that it did its job and killed all cancer cells that may have floated away from my original breast cancer tumor. But one not-so-good side effect of this good remedy is the beating that healthy cells take in the process of this life-saving treatment. It will be a red-letter day when chemotherapy can target only cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unaffected. And this day may be a bit closer for patients in Taiwan who find they are in the early stages of relapse with nasopharynx cancer.

On Wednesday, National Taiwan University Hospital introduced a new high-tech laser procedure -- potassium-titanyl-phosphate or KPT -- to vaporize cancer cells. Doctors use a small endoscopic camera and easily manipulate the laser to precisely eliminate the cancer cells in the back of the nose and the soft roof of the mouth -- without harming healthy cells. The procedure takes roughly 90 minutes and requires a two-day stay in the hospital. This procedure should only be used in the early stages of relapse, though, and first-time cancer patients should still seek chemotherapy. And while those in later stages of relapse can still receive the treatment, it will only relieve discomfort without solving the problem.

To date, there have been 16 successful KPT treatments for this disease that about 1,000 people in Taiwan contract each year.

Say what you will about medicine or alternative therapies -- but I say research, research, research -- and look at everything with a critical eye and cynical perspective. Be determined but never allow yourself to become desparate about any situation you are faced with in life. Because it will keep you more safe than sorry. Here's a cautionary tale I want you to remember.

Thai authorities have arrested an Austrian man, claiming to be a doctor, accused of injecting terminally ill Australians, a New Zealander and other foreigners with bogus chemical cancer cures. Hellfried Sartori, 67, the quack of a doctor who was stripped of his medical license in the 90's and jailed several times in the states, is now being charged with fraud and practicing medicine without a license overseas.

How did the people who came to him to be injected with potentially lethal substances in hopes of curing cancer find him? On the internet! He advertised his ozone treatments on the internet. Not only did he advertise he could cure cancer, but according to investigators, the man said he could cure AIDS, allergies and hardening of the arteries.

According to a news report in the Bangkok Nation, one Australian cancer patient, Kathleen Preston, died last summer in a Thai hospital. An autopsy report found an excessive amount of potassium in her blood. Her death is under investigation.

According to the National Cancer Institute, asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, one of the body's most potent cancer fighters. Additionally, asparagus is high in rutin, which is valuable in strengthening the blood vessels and is great for the heart.

Asparagus is packed with nutrients and easy to prepare ahead for a crowd. One serving of asparagus is low in calories, very low in sodium and is a great source of potassium. Asparagus is an excellent source of folic acid and is a fairly significant source of Vitamin C, Thiamin, and Vitamin B6. It contains no fat or cholesterol of dietary significance.

Vicki's Sesame Ginger Asparagus Salad

2 lb. fresh asparagus cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces.
5 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. sesame seed oil (I prefer toasted sesame oil)
2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1 tbsp. minced garlic

Cover asparagus in salted boiling water (1 tablespoon sea salt). Cook until tender. Rinse immediately in cold water to stop cooking process and pat dry. Mix other ingredients in small mixing bowl and pour over asparagus. Can serve hot or chilled.

I love oysters any way and every way, and if I could every day. But as a cancer survivor and also a lupus patient I have to listen to the warnings my mother and the medical professional give me. Especially my mother.

Cancer patients including lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkin's disease are at risk for getting seriously ill or even dying when eating raw or under-cooked oysters. Vibrio vulnificus bacteria is without a doubt something that affects at risk people including cancer patients, people with liver disease including alcoholism, stomach disorders, and people with low immune systems. The illness is characterized by fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, a sharp drop in blood pressure, intractable shock and possibly death. The majority of patients also develop painful skin lesions. The skin appears red then blisters develop quickly and erode into necrotic ulcers.

So do I have to cut out eating my favorite morsel from the sea? You can avoid Vibrio vulnificus bacteria by either not eating oysters or by eating them fully-cooked. Oysters are a good source for calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin A -- one of the antioxidants believed to help prevent cancer and protect against bacterial infections. Because of their copper and manganese content, oysters are credited with the prevention and treatment of anemia.

I choose to go the fully-cooked method. Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Spicy Asian Cooked Oysters

1 quart fresh shucked oysters, any size
2 T. butter
1 T. minced garlic
1/2 chopped onion
1 T. Worsheshire Sauce
1 T. Thai Chile Sauce
1 T. Oyster Sauce
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
2 stalks thinly sliced celery
1 C. sliced red & green peppers
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp finely chopped lemon grass
3 chopped green onions
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
black pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, boil one quart of salted water. Add oysters, stir gently for 2-3 minutes. Remove oysters from pan, wash and rinse, set aside. In a large sauté pan, heat sesame oil and butter, add garlic, onion and lemon grass and sauté approximately one minute. Add oysters and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring gently until heated through. Add cilantro and green onions and stir well. Serve over steamed rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Bon Appetit!