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We can all list many foods and drinks that are bad for our health. So when we find out that we can actually take something off that list we tend to celebrate. Take coffee, for example. A beverage that is the most commonly consumed in the U.S., according to the National Coffee Association. For many, drinking coffee is a morning ritual that some may consider essential to starting the day off right. While it is chock-full of caffeine (95mg to be exact), we might wonder if it is really good for our health. Well, it turns out that it is!

Coffee is rich in antioxidants. You know, the molecules that help keep us healthy and preventing disease. But do we really understand how important antioxidants are? Our body creates its own to help combat free radicals, which occur when an oxygen molecule splits into a single atom with unpaired electrons. Electrons are designed to be in pairs, so these free radicals begin searching throughout the body for electrons to pair with. This causes havoc to the body, specifically cells, proteins and DNA. Free radicals are a normal by-product of chemical processes like metabolism. However, we can increase the number in our body by the choices we make, too.

Fried foods, alcohol, and tobacco smoke all help to create free radicals, as do pesticides and air pollutants. This creates an imbalance within the body, as now the naturally occurring antioxidants are outnumbered. If left unchallenged, certain health risks increase. These health risks can range from cancer and cardiovascular disease, to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

We can combat this imbalance through what we eat and drink. Coffee is one of those incredible defenders. According to studies from Vanderbilt Institute, drinking coffee regularly can:

reduce the risks of Parkinson’s disease by 80%
colon cancer by 25%
cirrhosis of the liver by 80%
lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes
and lower the risk of liver cancer

So, how much coffee is recommended? No more than four cups a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Any more than that can result in sleeplessness, upset stomach, increased heart rate, and crankiness. As for the type of coffee, straight up is best. That is, without all the extra sweeteners like sugar, artificial sweeteners, heavy cream, and whole milk. Specialty coffee drinks like lattes and the like are filled with calories. If you really need to add a bit a sweetness to your cup of coffee, opt for something more natural. Good alternatives are honey, stevia, and almond or soy milk.

You might just discover that you really enjoy the taste of coffee, without doctoring it up.

As of January 2016, more than 15.5 million Americans were cancer survivors. The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that 20% of U.S. cancers are the cause of poor lifestyle choices. These choices led to excess weight, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol over-consumption, and poor eating habits. In other words, many cancers are preventable. In our quest for survival after diagnosis, a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry is thriving with drugs that end up destroying the very body we are trying to save.

We trust that the Western diet will feed us yet also be friendly to our wallet. Food that is convenient, fast, and easy is our expectation today. There is a false belief that if the food is available for purchase it must be okay to eat. Doesn’t our government protect us from things that can harm us?

The reality is that cancer a disease where abnormal cells develop and grow out of control. If left unchecked, it results in death. Chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are the three primary means to destroy cancer. All three have debilitating side effects associated with them. But what more can a person do to either prevent it from happening in the first place, or make sure it never returns? Turns out that there are certain foods that can actually help us do just that.

In 2007, a book was published titled, “Anticancer: A New Way of Life” by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, a two time brain cancer survivor. After his second diagnosis he began his quest to determine how foods can help our body fight cancer. As not only a doctor but a researcher as well, he used science to uncover the truth. A truth that explains why the traditional American diet aids in creating the ideal conditions for disease. How and why stress and sugar fuel cancer. Plus the foods that reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. For example, leafy greens reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by 75% or green tea reduces the risk of colorectal by 57%. Additionally, the book explains how certain foods affect the body and why we either want to eat them or not.

No one wants to hear the words “you have cancer.” But whether you have or haven’t there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family with not only the food choices you make but how you life your life each day. Nutrition plays a much larger role in our lives than we think.

Antioxidants In Coffee?

Combating Cancer With Food

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