Key Messages
Unlocking The Hidden Power Of Food: The Health Benefits Of Your Favorite Foods
Good health starts at the dinner table!
Choosing the right foods can have a profound effect on your health, and William Li’s Eat to Beat Disease explains how you can turbocharge your body’s natural defense systems with what you eat.
From tomatoes to tuna and from cheese to cashew nuts, Li explores the hidden health benefits of your favorite foods, giving insights into how those foods boost immunity, support gut bacteria and even protect against the effects of aging.
Take the example of nuts.
They contain essential nutrients which are fundamental for supporting DNA health.
Spicy food will up your antioxidant levels and cultivate a healthier microbiome in your gut; meanwhile, cheese doesn’t need to be feared for its cholesterol content – if anything, it’s actually good for us!
At the end of the day, food is medicine.
And when it comes to our bodies’ highly sophisticated defense mechanisms against disease and aging, making smart eating decisions is one of the best ways we can help ourselves.
How Eating Soybeans And Broccoli Can Help Your Body Starve Cancer Cells
Your body has a natural defense system designed to prevent cancer: angiogenesis.
This process controls where and when blood vessels grow, which means that it can stop tumors from becoming dangerous by starving them of the nutrients they need to thrive.
Fortunately, there are a few foods you can eat that boost this cancer-fighting system.
Soybeans contain genistein, an important substance that helps suppress the growth of cancer cells and prevents them from receiving nourishment through your blood vessels.
To reap its benefits, some research suggests you should consume at least 10 grams of soy protein each day—something you can easily achieve with tofu, soy milk and edamame dishes.
Similarly, broccoli contains brassinin and sulforaphanes, two substances known for helping angiogenesis keep blood vessel production in balance as well as preventing certain types of cancers from developing.
Eating 1-2 cups of broccoli each week is recommended in order to enjoy its health benefits.
In conclusion, these two types of food can help boost your body’s cancer-fighting defense system.
So be sure to incorporate them into your meals!
Boost Your Health With Foods That Support Stem Cells
Drinking cocoa can be great for your body’s health – it can help your body repair and regenerate itself.
This is because cocoa contains flavanols, which are natural substances that have been found to influence stem-cell circulation.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted a study in which 16 patients with coronary heart disease were separated into two groups.
One group was instructed to drink a high-flavanol cocoa drink twice a day, while the other group drank a low-flavanol cocoa drink.
After just one month, the group drinking the high-flavanol cocoa had double the number of stem cells in their bloodstream than those who consumed the low-flavanol version.
These results indicate that flavanols found in cocoa can increase the number of stem cells circulating in our bodies, improving blood flow as well as reducing damage to blood vessels and promoting overall better health.
So next time you’re considering an afternoon snack or beverage try making yourself some delicious hot chocolate!
Harnessing Your Microbiome For Health And Well-Being
Your microbiome is an incredibly important part of your overall health, but many people overlook it.
Luckily, you can help ensure that yours is as healthy as possible by eating a diet that encourages the growth of bacteria-positive substances.
Fruits like pomegranate juice and cranberries are excellent for encouraging the growth of one type of bacteria in particular – Akkermansia muciniphila – which has a variety of beneficial effects in the body such as keeping your immune system balanced and helping to reduce inflammation.
Sauerkraut is another great food to eat if you want to keep your microbiome healthy.
It contains Lactobacillus plantarum, which helps to stimulate stem cells in the intestines and reduce gut inflammation.
And lastly, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese includes Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which can guard against cancer, gastroenteritis and even postnatal depression!
In short, feeding your body’s health-giving bacteria with fruit, sauerkraut and cheese can help make sure that your microbiome remains balanced while fighting off disease.
Strengthen Your Immune System With Olive Oil And Mushrooms
Mushrooms and olive oil are two of nature‘s best gifts when it comes to protecting your body from threats like common colds and more serious conditions like cancer.
The key is in their special ability to boost the activity of your immune system.
For example, a study conducted at the University of Western Sydney in Australia showed that just one week of consuming 100 grams per day of white button mushrooms resulted in a 55% increase in the level of antibodies present in participants’ saliva, indicating a substantial boost to the body’s immunity.
In another study, scientists from Tufts University divided elderly participants into two groups – one that replaced their regular fat intake with extra-virgin olive oil and another that consumed soybean and corn oil or spreadable butter instead.
After just three months, the group that switched their fats to extra-virgin olive oil saw an astounding 53% spike in important markers for immune system health compared to the other test group which had no change whatsoever!
From warding off everyday illnesses and infections such as colds to helping prevent more serious diseases, relying on naturally occurring sources such as mushrooms and olive oil could provide an effective means for boosting your body’s own defense system for whatever life throws at you.
Protect Your Dna By Eating Berries And Nuts For Longer-Lasting Telomeres
It’s no secret that the health of our DNA is more important than ever.
Luckily, there are ways we can take responsibility and help protect it from the 10,000 destructive events that take place daily.
One of the best and easiest ways to do this is by snacking on nuts and berries!
German researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern found that drinking three cups of berry juice per day (made from a combination of sour cherries, red grapes, blackcurrants, blackberries and chokeberries) can increase your body’s ability to protect your DNA by up to 66 percent!
And don’t forget about the power of nuts either.
Researchers at Brigham Young University report that consuming just 10 grams of nuts per day can result in telomeres becoming longer by 8.5 units over a period of one year — reversing the clock on normal aging processes which usually results in telomeres shortening 15.4 units each year.
So if you want to give your DNA some extra love, why not add an extra serving or two of berries and nuts into your diet? It’s an easy way to support your beautiful genetic source code – now and for years to come.
Unexpected Foods And Beverages That Pack Potent Health Benefits
Many of us are familiar with the basic tenets of a healthy diet, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and limiting intake of unhealthy fats.
But did you know that health benefits can also be found in some unexpected foods?
Take beer as an example.
Although it’s high in calories and best enjoyed in moderation, this popular beverage contains a substance known as xanthohumol which has potent anti-cancer properties — and can even reduce the risk of developing fat cells!
There’s also evidence that drinking beer alongside spicy food can be beneficial – research finds that those who consume spicy dishes daily are 14 percent less likely to die from any type of disease.
Cheese is yet another surprising food source linked with improved health outcomes.
Despite its high saturated-fat content, recent studies reveal small quantities of hard cheeses such as Gouda, Emmental and Edam may lower your risk for both prostate cancer and lung cancer.
This is due to the presence of vitamin K2—an anti-cancer vitamin present in these types of cheeses.
It turns out that you don’t need to completely avoid certain “unhealthy” foods in order to receive health benefits.
So next time you’re doing your grocery run, remember to check out beyond just produce isles —you might be pleasantly surprised by what else you can find!
Wrap Up
The Eat to Beat Disease book left readers with a final take-home message: your body has an array of defensive systems that can protect you from cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Even small dietary choices you make in the supermarket can have a big impact on boosting these health defense mechanisms.
As such, seafood is recommended as a great way of preventing cancer and bowel diseases.
Consuming three ounces of seafood daily was found to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 26 percent, while consuming a daily serving of fish lowered the risk of bowel cancer by almost a third.
With this actionable advice in mind, it’s time to head over to the fish counter!
