Wheat is my comfort food -- I love bread, pasta, bagels and pretty much anything along those lines. But according to this post on That's Fit, titled Reasons to Avoid Wheat, I've learned a lot about my comfort food that I didn't want to know. Ignorance is bliss.

Here's the thing that caught my eye: According to this study, If you have an intolerance to wheat, it can increase your chances of dying from cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It doesn't say why, but it's good to know nonetheless. The study seems to be confined to those with celiac disease, and celiac disease, as far as I know, is not a condition that often goes undiagnosed because the symptoms can be rather severe and include weight-loss, bowel disorders and diarrhea.

What's your take on wheat?

Ever heard that the white stuff we eat is not so healthy? I've heard it, time and time again. I was reminded of this fact while at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona this past April. My Ranch nutritionist confirmed it. And the foods I ate while at this health and healing institute derived from the whole wheat, whole grain, whole goodness family. There wasn't a slice of white bread in sight. No white pasta either. Or white rice. I did have a white baked potato one night for dinner -- but it was the smallest white baked potato I'd ever seen.

It's not so hard to transition from white to non-white. Just search your grocery store aisles for the healthier alternatives -- and buy them. Or make your own varieties of nutritious stuff. Like whole-wheat pizza crust. Remember when I wrote about eating pizza once a week? Instead of ordering it, why not make your own? Here's how you might start:

Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust
Makes six pizza crusts, each containing 175 calories, 36 gm. carbohydrate, 1 gm. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 6 gm. protein, 150 mg. sodium, and 4 gm. fiber

The most healthy thing that I have added to my daily menu to fight cancer right now is this simple drink that helps give me energy and gives me antioxidants and vitamins. It helps boost the immune system. It detoxifies and cleanses the body. It gives a quota of daily veggies. It has a high alkalinity that helps balance acid PH levels in the body. It is simple and it tastes good too.

Vicki's Twice Daily Wheat Grass Cocktail
4 ounces of organic tangerine juice
4 ounces of organic carrot juice
1 organic banana
1 8 grams packet of Organic Wheat Grass (I prefer Amazing Grass brand)

Mix together well in a blender until smooth and pour into a large glass.

You can find Wheat Grass in your local health food store.

Pizza just might have the power to fight cancer -- not the pizza loaded with cheese and pepperoni and tons of tempting toppings, the kind that may have your mouth watering at this very moment. But a version of pizza as we know it may fend off heart disease, obesity, and cancer.

The secret is in the crust -- the cooking of the crust, that is.

Think about this:

It seems baking pizza faster and at higher temperatures can release disease-fighting antioxidants. And it's this one small change to pizza preparation that has scientists at the University of Maryland claiming there is such a thing as a healthy pizza.

Scientists baked pizza at 500 degrees for six minutes and were able to increase antioxidant levels 100 percent. They used whole wheat dough, already high in antioxidants, and let it rise overnight before using their hotter, quicker cooking approach.

One researcher says this study is more a lab curiosity than anything else and might not really lead to a healthier pizza -- because it's unlikely pizza joints will change cooking methods to turn out healthier products.

If you are tempted to try this technique, be aware that the toxin acrylamide can be released if the pizza is baked too long. And don't forget to cut way back on those tasty toppers.

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.

Nutrition expert, Professor David Jacobs, from the School of Public Health at the  University of Minnesota, will present information at the Dietitians Association of Australia National Conference that indicate women who eat ten servings of whole grain foods per week live longer with less disease. Whole grain foods -- wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, and rye -- contain the entire seed grain, including the bran and germ. Refinement of the grain strips the nutritious outer layer of the grain.

According to Jacobs, whole grains contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber that move carcinogens through the intestines faster, lowering cancer and heart disease rates and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels steady. Numerous studies have found that whole grain foods lower the risk of various cancers.

If you are interested in nutrition, the Dietitians Association of Australia website features comprehensive information on nutrition, including healthy recipes.