Cancer Fighting Foods

Yahoo today has a story about cancer fighting foods. You can click the link for the full sha bang but here is the list:

1. Broccoli
2. Berries
3. Garlic
4. Walnuts
5. Beans
6. Tomatoes

Okay, this is ridiculous. I'm just going to assume I'm getting cancer because the ONLY thing I like on this list is the fucking Tomatoes. What the hell is wrong with me? How does one train oneself to like things that taste like crap but are good for you? Is there a way to kill my tastebuds faster? Also, could the McDonald's in front of my apartment please close?

Ohhhhh Needs...Wants...Whatever

Cravings.

Everyone has them. Lately, mine has been for Diet Coke. Like I'm in the desert and I need the last drop of water or I will just DIE. Except I need Diet Coke. I have no idea why I want it so bad. But I try to stay away from it and I want it more. Then I end up spending 75 cents at a damn vending machine for a can that is not worth that but damn...when it hits your lips...whoa....so good.

The thing is...I'm scared of Diet Coke. And not just because it makes me bloated.

ASPARTAME.

Even the name sounds scary, right? What is it? Well, its the fake surgar shit they pump into the drink to make it so damn delicious. Also known as the methyl ester of a phenylalanine/aspartic acid dipeptide. So I decided to look it up. Because people were making me feel like I might die from drinking Diet Coke (dude, this is not the same as TAB people).

According to Wikipedia:

The artificial sweetener aspartame has been the subject of several controversies and hoaxes since its initial approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974. Critics allege that conflicts of interest marred the FDA's approval of aspartame, question the quality of the initial research supporting its safety,[40][41][42] and postulate that numerous health risks may be associated with aspartame.

The validity of these claims has been examined and dismissed.[43][44][45] In 1987, the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded that the food additive approval process had been followed properly for aspartame.[40][46] Aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than ninety countries worldwide,[47][48] with FDA officials describing aspartame as "one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved" and its safety as "clear cut".[49] The weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.[3]

So those rumors about aspartame being to blame for multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, and methanol toxicity, causing "blindness, spasms, shooting pains, seizures, headaches, depression, anxiety, memory loss, birth defects" and death? Supposedly not true BUT the British government just launched a new study because people were claiming to have side effects from ingesting it. My question is how much fucking aspartame were they ingesting? I mean is a Diet Coke a day going to give me an inoperable brain tumor or the best fucking day of my life?

More links if you're interested and can read that scientific shit.

• Snopes
• DOR site (nice little conspiracy theory site)
• Aspartame Side Effects (from the creator of the Aspartame Detox program!)
• Aspartame Website (like the actual one...by the creators of Aspartame)
• Aspartame Kills! (Ummm and while I'm telling you about that, the guy who runs that site is looking for a good 4/4 violin for a young lady to play...what?!?!)

So, do you have things you just have to have? Have you ever looked up ingredients and stopped eating or drinking something because of something you learned?

My First Trip to the Dermatologist

So yesterday marked my first and quite possibly last trip to see a dermatologist. Since I’ve never been to a dermatologist I didn’t know what to expect but what I got was nowhere near the customer service or attention one who is coming to the doctor for fear of skin cancer would hope to receive. You see, I am COVERED in freckles. And moles apparently. As is my brother, my father and all my father’s siblings. And their kids. They’ve been a part of my life since I was a small child due not only to hereditary and light skin but also to an increasingly active lifestyle that took place primarily on the beaches of the Jersey Shore and suburbs of metro-Atlanta. Between track, softball, football managing, cheerleading and just general clowning around, I’d say about 75% of my time was spent outside no matter the weather.

So when I noticed the mole on my right forearm had begun to raise and looked to have some darker pigmentation in the middle, I did what any normal 26-year-old would do: I flipped the fuck out and called my mom to calm me down. Then I called my PCP to get an appointment where I was directed to North Georgia Dermatology (apparently the only derm in my area that Kaiser covers). I was booked for a full body scan yesterday at 9:45 am. I expected a more thorough going over than what I got. In 5 minutes my Nurse Practitioner managed to cough all over the place (allergies apparently), shine a light on my mole, yank my gown off and do a cursory inspection and then tell me to wear sun screen and declared me “Moley” as she walked out of the door. All for the low price of $35 copay plus whatever they are charging these days for a “full body scan” since I haven’t met my deductible.

The whole experience left me with a sour taste in my mouth and more questions than answers by the time I got home. She did ask if I had any questions but I told her it was my first time and I was unsure what I should be asking so she left. Not much help nor did she do a whole lot to assuage any fears or concerns I had. Now, I’m left to try to determine what care I should have received and what steps I need to take next…out of pocket. For example, I had no idea there was a difference between moles and freckles. But there are. Thanks Doc for the heads up. Also, did you know that melanomas grow from the top layer of skin down meaning that examination by both you and your doctor increase your chances of finding and curing skin cancer? Did my doctor explain any of this? Nope. Not one word about the whys, hows or whats of skin cancer screening. Nothing except to slap some sun screen on.

For those of you interested, the American Cancer Society has a great summary of skin cancer as well as step-by-step instructions on how to do a self exam.

Nutrition and Cancer

So, obviously, I am working out to lose weight but for me it is not just a vanity issue (though my looks do play a big role!) it is also a health issue. While perusing the GA Cancer Specialists Website, I came across this discussion of nutrition and cancer:

Dear Doctor:
What type of food reduces your chances of cancer? If deleting red meat lowers your risk, do you recommend fish as a replacement?
Sincerely, Meat Lover

Dear Visitor:
I am glad that you are concerned about your health. Unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed, but it does pay to do everything we can to be as healthy as possible and take advantage of all early screenings. The American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) released a second report in November 2007 with very specific guidelines to decrease the risk of cancer. Here they are:

• Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
• Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (particularly processed foods high in added sugar, or low in fiber, or high in fat).
• Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes such as beans.
• Limit consumption of red meats ( such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
• If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to 2 for men and 1 for women a day.
• Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium).
• Don’t use supplements to protect against cancer.
  

I encourage you to read the information on the website www.aicr.org regarding the recommendations.

Limit consumption of cooked red meat to 18 oz. per week (no more mega rib eyes at your local steak house!!!), and avoid processed meats such as hotdogs, bacon, sausage, lunchmeats, etc. In order to do this you may find yourself substituting chicken, fish, beans, and even nuts for some of the protein in your meals.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, these fish are also safe to eat at least once per week: anchovies, clams, king crab (US), snow crab, Pacific cod, crawfish,Atlantic herring (US/Canada), spiny lobster (US/Baja/Australia), Atlantic mackerel, blue mussels, farmed oysters, wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, farmed scallops, shrimp (US/Canada), squid, tilapia (US/Central America), farmed rainbow trout. More information can be found at www.environmentaldefense.org

In health,

Bonnie Dixon RD LD