Cyd Notter

Author and Nutrition Educator, Founder of The "Plan A" Diet™

Cholesterol and Breast Cancer – is there a connection?

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Another October has rolled around, and it's time once again for all things PINK.

October is commonly known as “Breast Cancer Awareness Month," a campaign that was founded over 30 years ago as a team effort between the American Cancer Society and a pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca.

Except for skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, and their second leading cause of cancer death (only lung cancer kills more women each year).

It's my personal opinion - and one that I express every October - that the campaign's focus of "awareness" is sadly misplaced. Instead of mainly focusing on early detection and subsequent treatment, let's bring more awareness to the area of prevention since breast cancer is largely a lifestyle-related disease.

To do otherwise is like constantly mopping up the water under the sink while neglecting to turn off the faucet.

A woman's lifestyle choices matter more to her health than toxins, environmental chemicals, and genetics...

...which brings us to the question initially posed. Cholesterol and breast cancer - is there a connection?

There absolutely is. Oxidized cholesterol (concentrated in products containing eggs, processed meat, and parmesan cheese) has cancer-fueling estrogenic effects on human breast cancer. Read more about it here.

The good news is that there is MUCH you can do to tremendously reduce your risk of breast cancer. This previous blog post provides more dietary tips that all women should consider.

 

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. 

(Romans 12:2, MSG)

 

 

Just in time for grilling! BBQ’d Seitan Ribz (Easy!)

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Oh my, these "ribz" by Susan Voisin at the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen are perfect for summer grilling (or baking in the oven).

Very easy, too!

The main ingredient is Vital Wheat Gluten, which you can buy in the Bob's Red Mill Section at Fresh Thyme, Whole Foods, some Jewel stores, or you can order it online. Health food stores in your area might carry it, too.

Vital Wheat Gluten (also known as "wheat meat" because of its texture) is a versatile meat substitute which can also be used to make such dishes as Holiday Roasts and Italian Sausage.

Note: As explained in the recipe notes, the longer you 'knead' this mixture, the chewier it gets. I only knead mine for about 20 seconds because I prefer a more tender texture.

Serve with corn on the cob and smashed potatoes with Golden Gravy and you're in business!

I'd love to know if you give this recipe a try 🙂

 

Habits – Good or Bad?

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Why do we have a hard time following through with our decision to eat a healthier diet? In my book The “Plan A” Diet, I've listed 12 barriers to change that I’ve observed over the years. One of those barriers is habits. Here’s an excerpt from the book):

Habits become an issue when the dependency on a pattern of unhealthy eating prevents you from being willing to make changes. Grocery store purchases, fast food joints, and foods associated with certain traditions or memories can become so routine they’re hard to give up and you’re unsure how to replace them.

Read the rest of the article here...

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How Diet Affects Depression

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(Updated 5-25-24)

Did you know that the foods you eat every day...                                              

...can greatly influence your mood and behavior?

Yep, we already know that diet greatly affects our mental health, and this article titled "Diet and Depression - Exploring the Connection" from the Forks over Knives website further confirms it.

 

Adobe Stock Free Image

 

Our gut bacteria, inflammation levels, blood flow, brain health, and so much more, can all be negatively affected by consuming fiberless, high fat foods common in the Standard American Diet (SAD). Such foods can also have a profound effect on our risk of depression.

The answer to optimal physical AND mental health:

A low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet comprised of potatoes, yams, beans, rice, corn, squash, legumes, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and lots of good clean water (see food pyramid).

Dr. Joel Fuhrman writes extensively about how mood disorders and depression are strongly linked to nutritional deficiencies and imbalances.

Are inflammatory foods a factor? Can an anti-inflammatory diet help with depression? Absolutely. Watch Dr. Greger's video here. 

In this short video, Dr. McDougall also explains some easy, natural remedies for depression. Please take a look.

Are you ready to get started?

Watch this free webinar to learn which foods are optimal. 

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Intelligent people are always eager and ready to learn. (Proverbs 18:15, GNT)

Why You Should Stop Eating Dairy (the sooner the better)

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It's National Women's Health Week - a reminder to women to take care of themselves and to make their health a priority. From puberty to menopause, and all the fun hormonal stuff in between, diet plays a HUGE factor in all of it.

Several things came to mind as I reflected on the most important things women can do for their health. But the topic of dairy kept coming to the forefront for now, so let's talk about why giving up dairy is so important. Dairy foods (milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, cream, and ice cream) are not the health foods the dairy industry has taught us to believe all these years.

Here's why in a nutshell:

  • Hormones (which are needed to grow an 80-lb. calf into a 600-800 lb. cow in under a year). Dairy contains hormones, including the IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1), which sends a signal to our cells to trigger growth. The more of this hormone in our bloodstream, the higher the risk of ‘growing’ several types of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancer.
  • Estrogen. Ladies, it's not the soybean to be concerned about (which does not raise blood estrogen levels). Cow's milk is the largest source of mammalian estrogen in today's diet. In fact, dairy foods account for 60-70% of the estrogen that comes from food. Elevated estrogen is a factor in all sorts of women's issues - PMS, irregular period, fibroids, dysplasia, infertility, cancer, hot flashes, and other issues.
  • Bad for your bones! Contrary to the dairy industry's marketing messages, cow's milk is actually detrimental to bone health! Dairy (and meats) contain phosphoric and sulfuric acids which our bodies must buffer to survive. In order to maintain a healthy pH balance between the acidity and alkalinity levels in the blood, the body goes into defense mode by drawing calcium directly from our bones to act as the buffer to those acids. Countries that consume the most dairy and calcium supplements have the highest fracture rates.
  • Saturated Fat & Cholesterol. Dairy is loaded with with saturated fat and cholesterol, with CHEESE being the highest source of saturated fat in the American diet. Saturated fat - which is solid at room temperature -increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and many other diseases.
  • Casein. Casein is a dairy protein which has been proven to initiate cancerous tumors. The research of Dr. T. Colin Campbell in The China Study demonstrated that cancer cells in rats could be turned on or off by varying the amount of casein from 5% to 20% of calories; and his follow-up research on thousands of people in China confirmed it. Dr. Campbell states that “casein is the most relevant chemical carcinogen ever identified.”

Is low-fat dairy any better? No, it isn't. When the fat is removed, the protein concentration increases, so it's trading one set of problems for another.

For a full description of these bullet points (and more), read the entire article here.

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