Tips for Healthy Living
Tips for Healthy Living
We’ve partnered with Dr. Doug Husbands of Holistic Health Bay Area to bring you a new set of Tips for Healthy Living. Dr. Husbands is a functional medicine doctor, clinical nutritionist, anti-aging health practitioner and doctor of chiropractic. I appreciate that he encourages visiting the doctor to focus on staying healthy instead of only visiting when you’re sick.– Carmelo Sigona
It’s Good to Be Green
By Dr. Douglas Husbands
Kermit the Frog sang “It’s not easy being green.” Some of you can relate … those of you who know you should eat more green vegetables, but do not. We all know it’s good to be green on our plates, but some need additional motivation.
Dark green vegetables, particularly broccoli, broccoli rabe (a.k.a. rapini), kale, lacinato kale (a.k.a. dinosaur kale), and various types of mustard greens have potent anti-cancer properties. Some of the potent anti-cancer nutrients contained in them are:
- indole-3-carbinol (I3C)
- diindolylmethane (DIM)
- sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS)
These nutrients have the following effects in our bodies:
- inhibit the growth of estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells
- inhibits estrogenic activity by competing with estrogen for estrogen receptor binding sites on the cell
- inhibits the ability of human breast cancer cells to metastasize
- increases the “beneficial” estrogen metabolites and decreases the “harmful” estrogen metabolites
- induces programmed cell death in cancer cells
- SGS greatly increases the removal of toxins from the body
To maximize consumption of I3C, DIM and SGS, don’t boil these vegetables; lightly stir fry them in a little coconut oil with garlic and sea salt to taste.
Besides these powerful anti-cancer properties, they are chock-full of beneficial B-vitamins for proper cellular energy metabolism and detoxification.
They are also quite high in selenium, a powerful antioxidant mineral. Selenium is also necessary for proper metabolism, because it helps convert the less potent thyroid hormone T4 , into the more potent T3. The thyroid hormones regulate metabolic rate and maintain a healthy weight.
Lastly, due to the alkalinizing effect of these vegetables, they assist with decreasing inflammation, which helps maintain cardiovascular health. You can read more about this effect in the February 2012 issue of our newsletter.
The green veggies broccoli, kale and various types of mustard greens are foundational foods in the Functional Medicine approach of using food as medicine.
Eating more of these greens will truly make you feel better healthier. Enjoy!
About Dr. Doug:
Dr. Douglas Husbands is a Functional Medicine Doctor, Clinical Nutritionist, Anti-Aging Health Practitioner, and Doctor of Chiropractic. As a health advocate and coach, he is dedicated to achieving optimal health through resolving the underlying disease processes through diet, nutrition and lifestyle modification. To contact Dr. Doug, call 650-394-7470 or visit http://www.HolisticHealthBayArea.com
Subscribe to the Holistic Health Bay Area Newsletter.
Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter
