Prostate Power

The Tex-Mex tamale pie includes two other prostate protective foods: soy and tomatoes. Hundreds of scientific studies are proving soybeans have anticancer and antiviral properties because of the protease inhibitors they contain, which can act as antioxidants.

Soybeans also have the highest levels of saponins, which are toxic to tumour cells and decrease tumour cell growth. Soy has come into the spotlight since epidemiological studies highlighted in The Okinawa Program, beginning in 1976, showed that societies regularly eating soy foods have 80-per-cent less breast and prostate cancer than North Americans.

Throw in a few tomatoes and you’ve got a good source of vitamin C as well as the powerful carotenoid lycopene, which acts as an antioxidant against health-damaging free radicals, reducing the risk of cervical, bladder, colon, breast, and prostate cancers. It was the Harvard School of Public Health in 1996 that showed men who ate 10 or more servings of tomato foods weekly were 45-per-cent less likely to develop prostate cancer. They found that diets rich in tomatoes and tomato products were associated with a low risk of developing the cancer. To maximize lycopene’s effects and break down the cell walls to release the antioxidant, tomatoes need to be cooked.

The Pumpkin seed pesto is high in zinc, an essential mineral required as a catalyst for hundreds of chemical reactions and processes in the body. Zinc is as important to men’s reproductive health as iron is to women’s. It is also vital for a healthy prostate and strong immune system. Pumpkin seeds also provide the beneficial fibres called lignins, essential fats, and vitamin E.

These meals not only preserve prostate health, they taste great, too.

Mel’s Tex-Mex tamale pie

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Sweet Strawberries Summer is the Season for Fruit and Berries.

June is strawberry month. I remember during my school years picking strawberries with my sister, sampling the odd ripe berry that just looked too tempting. How deliciously sweet they were and rich in strawberry flavour.

Most berries in the marketplace today don’t taste as rich, especially the jumbo-size fruit imported from warmer climates. When I shop for strawberries I go for the smaller local ones, which are sweeter and tastier. When they’re available, I choose the organic ones.

Like all berries, strawberries help improve eyesight. They keep the arteries clear, especially the small capillaries, because they are rich in plant sterols, antioxidants, and vitamins A, B, and C.

Lemon-Banana Roll with Strawberry Filling

Sweet Rice With Fruit