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.

Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables like spinach with its delicate texture and jade green color provide more nutrients and vitamins than any other food. Spinach carotenoid combats cancer. Here is a healthy spinach salad good enough for any lunch main course.

Vicki's Spinach Salad with Fruit.
Fresh baby spinach leaves
1 carrot thinly sliced
1 celery stalk thinly sliced
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped fresh apple
1/2 cup chopped fresh pear
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
6 strips crispy cooked bacon crumbled

Vicki's Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives

Toss all of the salad ingredients except the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing and drizzle over the salad and lightly toss again. Top with the sliced hard boiled eggs.

Isothiocyanates, chemical compounds found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and watercress are able to kill cancer cells that have become resistant to chemotherapy drugs, according to the Free Radical Research Group research team from Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago.

Basically, isothiocyanates drive cancer cells, and the protein Bcl-2 that seems to aid cancer cells in surviving, to apoptosis or in more descriptive terms -- a self-destructing suicide. The researchers are hoping this discovery might lead to the development of cancer-fighting drugs derived from isothiocyanates.

In the meantime, as they work on better cancer-fighting drugs based on beneficial chemical compounds found in foods, it won't hurt us to eat more veggies. Okay, except for the current recall of E. coli contaminated spinach. Right now, don't eat your spinach.

While the study suggests that not all cruciferous vegetable are equal in the ability to kill cancer cells, and specifically refers only to broccoli, Brussels sprouts and watercress -- other cruciferous vegetables include arugula, cauliflower, cabbage, Bok Choy, rutabaga, Chinese cabbage, Daikon, radishes, turnips, kohlrabi, kale, and turnip, mustard and collard greens.

After my post on the nutritional value of spinach, I received a few emails stating that some people had a hard time eating raw spinach and didn't like the feeling that raw spinach left on their teeth. A few even voiced that they didn't like to eat cooked spinach either. Although I highly recommend eating spinach raw for its highest nutritional value, here is a soup recipe of mine that I would like to share that many of the people in my past restaurant did enjoy. It also has the added nutritional value of carrots and the two main ingredients combined have a great vitamin source. Give it a try and see if it will change your mind about spinach.

Vicki's Cream of Spinach & Carrot Soup
1 6oz to 8oz bag fresh baby spinach
1/2 valdalia or sweet onion chopped
1 carrot shredded
1 celery stalk chopped
1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons floor
3 cups water

Saute on med low heat the olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, garlic,and ginger until onions are translucent.  Add 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to boil. Add chopped spinach and parsley and reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add whipping cream and milk and bring back to a soft boil stirring to make sure does not scorch. In a cup whisk together the 3 tablespoons of flour and the 1/2 cup of water making sure there are no lumps. Add the flour and water mixture to the soup and stir briskly making sure that the mixture does not clump and then reduce heat to low.  This will thicken the broth slightly. Add salt and pepper and simmer on low for about 5 more minutes. Serves 4.

Some people like to puree their mixture in a blender but I like to eat spoon fulls of the veggies at a time and find the extra step unnecessary. For an added twist you can also add fresh chopped mushrooms to the recipe.

We should all take a lesson from Popeye and eat more spinach.  It not only gives you iron for energy, it helps protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related related declines in brain function. Spinach also contains anti-inflammatory nutrients. For atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, few foods compare to spinach in their number of helpful nutrients. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, the latter notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. And if all those benefits were not enough reasons to make you eat your spinach then also know that spinach lowers the risk for cancer. Spinach probably won't make you super strong the minute you eat it but it may be able to help you avoid some very serious health conditions.

Vicki's Oriental Spinach Salad
1 1/2  lbs fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 red onion sliced thin
1/2 sweet red bell pepper chopped
1 tomato sliced in wedges
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 teaspoon sugar 
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 
3 tablespoons soy sauce 
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Rinse and clean well the spinach and set aside to drain. In a bowl whisk together the oils, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, Dijon mustard and sesame seeds. Toss the spinach, red sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, and almonds together in a bowl and drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad.

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.

In 2003, a study was published in the International Journal of Cancer which reported that eating pizza, one of the typical foods on the Mediterranean diet menu, was linked to lower rates of stomach and colon cancers. Conversely, pizza crust is made with refined carbohydrates, and refined carbs have been linked to higher rates of colorectal cancer. But the researchers suggested that the other ingredients that go into the making of pizza, like olive oil and tomatoes, offset the adverse influence refined carbohydrates present to cancer prevention. And researchers pointed out, when talking about pizza, they are referring to the authentically Italian pizza, with a thin crust and touch of olive oil. The toppings include generous amounts of pizza sauce made with cooked tomatoes, olive oil, herbs and spices. When it comes to the cheese, use sparingly, not generously, or consider substituting an animal-free soya alternative to cheese. Interested in creating a cancer prevention pizza? Following is a list of some toppings known for their power to prevent cancer: