Anticancer Grilling

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are going to a BBQ tonight and I’m already wondering what the choice of foods will be.  Is it rude to eat before we go??  I have read a lot on the relationship between grilling and cancer- and it has been on my list of topics to blog.  It just so happens that the summer issue of MD Anderson’s Promise came through my inbox yesterday.  Take a look at their tips for healthful grilling:

1. Avoid processed meats.

Cancer-causing substances form when processed meats such as bacon, ham, pastrami, salami, sausage, hot dogs and pepperoni are preserved, says the American Institute for Cancer Research. Eating these meats can damage DNA, increasing the risk of colorectal cancer.

2. Limit red meat.

Eating too much red meat such as pork, lamb and beef can raise cancer risk. Try grilling skinless chicken breasts, fish, fruits and vegetables.

3. Trim the fat.

Cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form in the smoke when fat from meat, poultry or fish drips onto the heat source. That PAH-filled smoke then coats your food.

4. Don’t char or burn meat, poultry or fish.

Charring, burning or grilling meat, poultry and fish over high temperatures causes heterocyclic amines (HCAs) to form. HCAs can damage genes, raising the risk for stomach and colorectal cancers.

To avoid HCAs:

Use a marinade. Marinating meat in vinegar, lemon juice and/or herbs can reduce HCA formation by as much as 96%.

Stick with fish. Fish contains less fat and cooks faster than meat and poultry.

Lightly oil the grill. This keeps charred materials from sticking to your food.

Pre-cook food. Less grill time means less exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.

Lower the temperature. Spread coals thinly or prop the grill rack on bricks. Barbecue briquettes and hardwood products (hickory, maple) burn at lower temperatures than softwood (pine) chips.

Scrub the grill. Cleaning after each use prevents harmful chemicals from building up and transferring to food.

Enjoy the rest of your summer (mine feels like 110 today) and Happy Grilling!

Be Well,

And the Winner of the Quilt is........

Roberta Torres!  Out of over 300 tickets, Pearland resident Roberta Torres won the pink quilt.  We are so happy for Roberta and know she will cherish the quilt just as much as we have.  Look for photos to be posted soon.  Way to go Hailey, Isabella and Valerie!

 

Breast Cancer Awareness month is just around the corner.  Pink buzz is generating in our city to beat this %$#@* disease!  This is the 4^th year for Waltz Warriors to raise money for breast cancer organizations during pink month.  The first year we gave $25,000 to Komen, the second we funded a program for children touched by breast cancer called Pink Alive Kids and last year we funded a week of mammograms at UTMB. 

Please consider supporting us at a wine tasting event on Thursday September 1 from 7:00-9:00.  We are hoping to raise the remaining funds for our two ribbons which total $10,000.  Our ribbons will be there for all to see and we will have breast health information as well as pamphlets from the organizations we are giving our proceeds to.  Tickets are $100 and can be purchased through Eventbrite.     

Waltz Warriors Wine Tasting Event

www.eventbrite.com

For your donation, you will get to enjoy 4 fabulous wines paired with yummy food.  Nos Caves Vin- a.k.a. the perfect venue is hosting Waltz Warriors and we are so thankful to them.  They are a swanky wine storage and meeting place.  The wine lockers are really neat to see and the gathering space is sa-weet!  A friend from church along with his business partner will be our sommeliers for the evening- Thank you Fielding and Brent!   

Lastly, I wish for every child to have happy and healthy school lunches this year.  If you are like me- it was a last minute run to Costco today.  The building must have been near capacity because my cart inched along the store with hundreds and hundreds of folks.  Nonetheless, I found what I needed to get started on some great school lunches.  I hope you have chosen to make your child’s school lunches this year too!  Here are some ideas I have:

Hummus (individually packed from Costco) with baby carrots, cucumbers and snap peas or Nut Thins (gluten free nut cracker in variety of flavors)

Boiled eggs (make on Sunday night to have readily available)

Almond butter sandwiches with or without fruit preservatives (Justin’s brand sells individually packaged almond butter packs- great for lunches)

Fruit kabobs- pineapple, grapes, watermelon, melons, etc.

Pirate’s Booty cheese snacks

Cheese sticks/ string cheese

Pretzels or Annie’s snacks

Tortilla (I like Whole Foods brand) with spinach, hummus and turkey rolled up and cut in half

Dark chocolate square (70% or higher) from Endangered Species brand

Stonyfield organic yogurt squeezes

Quesadillas- tortilla with melted cheese & spinach, side of salsa & guacamole with blue corn chips

Mixed nuts/ trail mix that the kids make

Hot lunches in thermos-  rice & veggie soup, rice and beans, chili beans

Drinks- ½ sparkling water with ½ fruit juice

There are a lot of foods I plan to try out in my kids’ lunches this year.  Things like tofu and more salads!  Don’t forget to look at labels and stay away from high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, artificial colors, preservatives and hormones.

Be Well, 

Anticancer SoCal

Hello Everyone,

My family is enjoying one last summer hurrah before the school bell rings.  We have left the humidity and heat of Houston to the perfect weather of So Cal… H-E-L-L-O Gorgeous!  I have brought along my Healthy Highways Traveler’s Guide to Healthy Eating and my handy app from happycow.net.  I am determined to eat healthfully despite minimal meal planning for this trip.  We arrive at Bush IAH only to hear my kids start whining “I’m staaarving, wah, wah, wah.”  I take deep breaths and give Brett “the look.”  We stop in the club to grab some fruit, cheese and crackers.  Already I foresee a week of working extra hard to ensure my kids have decent meals.  Right now all they want is crackers.  Anticancer Amy tells Amy “pick your battles.” 

I’m not feeling 100%.  We moved the week before and I just feel run down.  I haven’t practiced yoga in over 7 days and my deep breathing is missing.  I have had several unwelcomed visits from my enemy anxiety lately.  He comes and goes but for some reason this visit just won’t end.  I attribute it to losing my friend Theresa and hearing of the death of my hero David Servan-Schreiber.  Who knows.  This vacay to some clean beach air might be just what I need.

We arrive in San Diego and the air is refreshing and soothing.  Aaaah, this city already feels healthy.  We check in to our downtown hotel and head to dinner at Fish Market which is located on the water.  The views are stunning and the menu is full of fresh fish- our waiter reports much of it was caught today.  Yay, my kind of restaurant!

There are many places for the traveler to visit in and near San Diego.  We start out at La Jolla Cove to check out the seals that live there.  My kids love it and I am enthralled by all the local folks who have come to the beach to relax, socialize and listen to the band that is playing.  There is a sense of calm and I am convinced the climate is the underlying boost.  The people of this town are walking, riding bikes, jogging and surfing.  Lots of longevity points here!  Every now and then one of the Waltz kids is complaining that they want to be held, they are tired of walking and start whining.  Really?

Turns out I have strep.  My throat was on fire so the family and I visit an urgent care center.  Ugh, always something, but it could be worse so I’ll take it!  And, after only 24 hours I feel so much better.  Thank you God for health care and thank you Mr. Gates for incredible insurance.  The strep doesn’t hamper any of our plans and we are off to Legoland.  My radar is on for signs of an anticancer theme park.  Is there such a thing?  I notice immediately that there are Odwalla drinks and energy bars on the food carts.  Okay, this is much better than snickers, coke and cheetos.   For lunch, the menus are decent- a panini made with mozzarella, pesto, fresh basil and tomatoes on whole grain wheat berry bread sounds delicious.

Day 4, the San Diego Zoo.  I Love this place- everything about it is uplifting- the exercising, the weather, the food (they sell fruit with every kids meal, lots of vegetarian options and Pirate’s Booty at the snack carts!) and of course the animals.  I’ll spare you all the details of the animals, but can’t resist the story of the cheetahs.  At this zoo, every cheetah is paired with a puppy when they are born.  The cheetah and the puppy grow up together.  Today we see a white dog, part husky and part golden retriever.  The animals are cuddling and licking each other.  I am amazed and could stay and watch this duo all day!  I can’t stop thinking about this friendship and the marrying of wild and domestic.  I wonder how this affects their health and longevity.  Speaking of longevity.  We are near Loma Linda, California which is home to a blue zone.  If you recall in my previous postings, the blue zones are regions in the world where the highest percentage of centurions live.  A centurion is an individual who has lived at least 100 years.  Loma Linda is a Seventh Day Adventist community which focuses on the Sabbath rest, an active lifestyle, socialization, good nutrition and volunteerism.  Many follow a vegetarian diet and as a whole have low blood pressure, low cholesterol and low cardiovascular disease.  On a side note, my maternal grandma Guadalupe is turning 100 in November!  Woo Hoo, a centurion in Anticancer Amy’s family!  

And we are off… to Huntington Beach.  I pick up a USA Today and on the front page is a study on processed meat and diabetes.  Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data and found that a 2 ounce serving a day of processed meat (hot dog, bacon, salami or bologna) increased the risk of diabetes by 50%.  A 4 ounce serving a day of unprocessed red meat like hamburger, steak, pork or lamb was associated with a 20% increase in diabetes.  Other studies have linked red meat and processed meat to increased risk of heart disease and cancer.  This reminds me of Adam Richman on the reality show Man vs. Food.  Does anyone know if he has diabetes?  I can’t imagine his blood levels- this guy eats pounds of meat in one sitting!                           

It’s Day 5 and twin B, Julia has just had her 7th tantrum of the day.  She is just plain tired as her thumb has not left her mouth since she woke up.  She and Daddy stay at the hotel while I take the others to dinner.  I find a restaurant, True Food on happycow.net in nearby Newport Beach.  We walk up to the establishment and I can tell this is going to be good (looks do make a difference).  There is a large eating area outside with long fireplaces and swanky seating all around.  The inside is airy with beautiful natural wood furnishes, natural lighting and a pop of lime green in the couches.  The menu is incredible!  There are 2 restaurants in Arizona and 2 in California.  It turns out this is Dr. Andrew Weil’s restaurant.  Dr. Weil is a physician known for his work with integrative medicine, which is about treating illness with both alternative and conventional medicine.  He runs a website (http://www.drweil.com/) and has written many books.  On each table is an anti-inflammatory food guide pyramid and tips on an anti-inflammatory diet.  I really am shocked at this new age place- it’s packed in here with people of all ages.  And no, they aren’t hippies wearing t-shirts that say “Keep Austin Weird.”  The food turns out to be fabulous, including the kids’ meals which by the way do not include the words:  tenders, french, with cheese, pepperoni, potato, nacho, soft or chip. http://www.truefoodkitchen.com/public/pdfs/biltmore-fashion-park/TrueFood_kids_Web.pdf

All in all I give SoCal a thumbs up with hot pink nail polish for an incredible climate and many ways to live out an anticancer lifestyle.  Even Disneyland has fruit stands sprinkled throughout the park!  Seems as if Mickey is on to living a healthier life.  I’m impressed!

Look out for another posting today or tomorrow as we announce the winner of the pink quilt!  We are trying to get a hold of the winner now.

Be Well,

Waltz Warriors fund Mammograms

Hi Everyone,

This week was a special week for Waltz Warriors.  The money that we raised in the fall was finally put to use!  You, our supporters helped us pay for 50 mammograms at the UTMB clinic in Pearland.  We visited the clinic along with Megan from Pink Ribbons Project and delivered baskets full of healthy snacks and breast health information.  My kids were able to see the mammography machine which they responded with "Eeeew!".  Clearly they weren't impressed.  

Our next fundraising opportunity will be a wine tasting event in September.  Nos Caves Vin has offered to host us for wonderful and fun evening.  We are hoping to raise the remaining funds needed for the Pink Ribbon Parade.  Speaking of, one of our ribbons Butterfly Kisses will make its debut this evening at White Linen in the Heights.  This event in Houston is expected to bring in 50,000 people to celebrate culture and art in Houston.  For the first time, there will be a designated street called Pink Street for breast health organizations.  Look out for Butterfly Kisses to be on the stage on Pink Street, we are thrilled!

And finally, Isabella and Hailey are still selling $5 raffle tickets for their pink quilt.  It is beautiful and one lucky winner will be announced on August 15th.  Let me or Keely know if you would like one or more tickets, we have sold close to 300! 

Take care and Be Well,