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Calcium hs been recommended a number of times throughout this series. It is an essential nutrient and seems to have many disease prevention benefits.

Make sure you get enough Vitamin D to help with the absorption of the calcium. Both calcium and Vitamin D can also benefit your bone health and help ward off osteoporosis

There are a variety of reasons for this, some hormonal and some related to the fact that calcium absorption lessens in elderly intestines. Also, certain medications decrease the body’s ability to absorb calcium, including antacids .

Older adults need to be particularly conscious about the level of calcium in their diet and about which medications interfere with calcium absorption.

It’s best not to wait until you’re fifty-something to start preventing osteoporosis. Building stronger bones with a calcium-rich diet and weight-bearing exercise in your twenties and thirties is more likely to prevent osteoporosis than preventive measures in your fifties.

Other functions of calcium.
Besides promoting healthy tooth enamel, calcium helps muscles. Muscles can cramp, and heart muscles can even fail, if these muscles are not supplied with just the right amount of calcium.

Nerve impulses, the transmission of information between nerve fibers, will not function properly without just the right amount of calcium.

For example, muscles twitch (tetany) when the calcium supply to neuromuscular cells is insufficient. Calcium is one of the most vital minerals for optimal functioning of your entire body, tissues as well as bones, so in concluding this series, we can say that green leafy vegetables, fruit, and lowfat dairy with calcium can help protect you from a number of the diseases on our list.

We hope you find this series of articles useful. Don’t forget to share with a friend!

Colon cancer is the #2 killer of men in terms of cancer-related death after lung cancer. It is also prevalent among women, but a great deal of evidence suggests that a healthy diet can do much to prevent colon cancer.

It is also a highly treatable cancer if caught in its early stages, and people can prevent recurrence if they focus on eating the right foods to maintain their colon health.

The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent colon cancer through focusing on healthy nutrition.

Keep your weight at a reasonable level.

• Limit your intake of red meat. Choose lean cuts and eat small portions (about 3 oz.).

• Eat several servings of whole grains and at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Include plenty of spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, oranges, berries, and carrots in your diet.
Fiber supplements can also be helpful, and also help you to feel full so you won’t over eat and gain weight. The only trouble is, they can be expensive, especially the chewable kind.

If you don’t mind the taste of psyllium seed (like Metamucil), you can buy a large tub of it in Vitamin shoppe for about $4.59 and mix it with fruit juice. Costco has its own brand of fibre supplements. The caplets are less than $7 for 250 tablets, about a 3 month supply.

• Get 1,200 mg of calcium per day by eating calcium-rich foods, such as two to three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Don’t bother to overpay for your supplements. Look at the dosage. They may be high potency vitamins, but your body can only absorb about 1500 mg per day anyway.

Emphasis getting your calcium from food, and you will also avoid overeating. Spinach salad with lowfat cheese, with a milk based smoothie, and yogurt for dessert, is a filling lunch packed with calcium. Or try sardines instead on the salad, also a great source of calcium.

Continued in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 17

Breast cancer is the #8 killer of women of all deaths.

There is a growing body of research which supports the link between breast health and a good nutritionally balanced diet.

The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent breast cancer through focusing on healthy nutrition.

• Maintain a desirable weight for your height, build, and age.

• Limit fat intake, especially saturated fats and trans fatty acids.

• Include at least 25 g of fiber per day in your diet. Be sure to include several servings of whole grains such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, and pasta.

• Eat at least five servings per day of a variety of fruits and vegetables. At least one vegetable should be dark green, and at least one fruit or vegetable should be orange or red.

• Limit alcohol consumption to fewer than seven drinks per week. If you don’t drink at all, don’t start. Some believe that red wine has heart health benefits, but alcohol is just adding calories with little nutritional value per calorie as compared with other things you could be doing with 150 calories—like a baked potato with lowfat cheese or just about 2 light yogurts.

It is believed calcium found in lowfat dairy can also benefit breast health, as well as bone health. Take in conjunction with Vitamin D, c, and magnesium for maximum absorption.

Continues in
Diet and Disease Prevention Part 16

Prostate cancer is the #3 killer of men in terms of cancer-related death after lung cancer and colon cancer.

There is a great deal of research which supports the link between prostate health and a good nutritionally balanced diet.

The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent prostate cancer.

• Limit intake of fat in your diet from animal sources, especially meats and dairy products.

• Limit your intake of red meat. Choose lean cuts and eat small portions (about 3 oz.).

• Eat a diet rich in whole grains and have at least five servings per day of a variety of fruits and vegetables. At least one of the vegetables should be dark green and at least one fruit or vegetable should be orange or red. Include plenty of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage in your diet.

• Eat several servings of cooked tomato products (such as tomato sauce) per week. It is thought that lycopene has prostate cancer prevention benefits.

Avoid supplements for prostate cancer. There is little or no FDA regulation of herbal supplements and so you have no idea of the quality or dosage of the supposed active ingredients. In tests done on dietary supplements, over 90% had less of the supposed active ingredient than was claimed on the label.

Emphasis fresh homecooked foods for your nutritional needs, not herbs and supplements and packaged, prepared foods.

Continues in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 15

• Choose an overall balanced diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Avoid foods you do not cook yourself, due to the high risk of hidden sugars and fats. Likewise, when eating out, avoid anything with sauces. Go for dishes that are lightly frilled, steamed or poached.

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that artificial sweeteners actually promote weight GAIN, not weight loss. If you must have something sweet, try using honey, or apple juice.

Look at places in your diet where you can cut down on sugar, for example, in your beverages.  If you drink a lot of fruit juice, go for the fresh piece of fruit instead for all the nutrients, plus fiber, and the satisfaction of eating food.

If you can’t live without coffee or tea, cut back on the sweetener, and, why not try more milk instead. Choose skim, and make yourself a latte or iced latte with mainly milk and a bit of coffee.

If you are  a heavy soda drinker, instead of soda, what about a fruit smoothie? You will  not only feel like you are having a treat, you will be be stopping yourself from overeating and getting more calcium in your diet.  In addition, you will be using fresh, natural ingredients, not the suspect artificial sweeteners.

When looking to your diet for disease prevention, emphasise natural foods, not pre-packaged convenience foods. Try to wean yourself and your family off the soda habit and watch the pounds come off.

Continued in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 14

The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

• Maintain a desirable weight for your height and build.

• Limit the saturated fat in your diet to no more than 7% of total calories.

• Get at least 15% of total fat calories from monounsaturated fat.

• Limit dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg per day, which requires restriction of all dietary sources of cholesterol, including eggs and shellfish.

• Get at least 25 g of fiber per day; include several servings of whole grains and plenty of soluble fiber in your diet.

• Aim for eight servings per day of a variety of fruits and vegetables. At least one vegetable should be dark green and at least one fruit or vegetable should be orange or red.

• Restrict intake of refined carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar, or any packaged products with sugary ingredients like high fructose corn syrup.

Continues in
Diet and Disease Prevention Part 13