The doctor gives me a very interesting interview Odile Fernandez shortly before giving a workshop on anti-cancer nutrition, organized by the Neurotec Clinic, in Valencia. Odile Fernandez is a family doctor, anticancer nutrition specialist. In addition to being a cancer survivor, she is the author of the books best-seller about cancer: My anti-cancer recipes y My anti-cancer revolution. I ask him about the recently published book Recipes to live healthily (Planet). GINÉS J. VERA
In Recipes to live healthily we see two different parts, a first in which he addresses theoretical issues about anti-cancer nutrition and, a second, with recipes. Regarding the first, we see three large informative blocks., Why did you decide on these three topics in particular??
Yeah, we talk about anti-cancer cuisine, the kitchen of happiness and the kitchen of long life. Maybe it would be because there are three things we want in our lives.; remove the word cancer, live happily and live long. That's what we would like but unfortunately that's not what's happening., there is more and more depression, there are more and more cases of cancer, everything and that we have a fairly high life expectancy, but not with a good quality of life. So we have to turn this around., How can we prevent these diseases and delay aging?? Because we are going to grow old but we can do it with a good quality of life. Those are the three pillars of the book, that later, when you read it, you see it's all the same, The diet must be based on plant products, in fresh products, in little fat, very similar to the Mediterranean diet, but those are the three great pillars that I talk about in my book.
We read that our happiness and being able to live longer and better apparently depends on what we eat, of our eating habits. Happiness and longevity reacted with what we put in our mouths, let's go.
In recent years there has been more and more depression, more anxiety, more sleep disorders and quality of life is not as good as we would like. It seems that this is related to the change in diet that has occurred in recent years.. We are abandoning the Mediterranean diet in favor of processed foods with a lot of meat, a lot of sugar and a lot of processing. And when our diet is deficient in some minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids such as Omega 3, some amino acids such as tryptophan or tyrosine, that means that in the case of depression, brain chemistry not working properly, because it affects neurotransmitters, and we feel sadder and in lower spirits. In the case of longevity, We know that telomeres, which are responsible for aging, They can be shortened prematurely if our food is based on fast and ultra-processed food.. That's why what we're betting on here is a meal that's very rich in minerals., in fatty acids in amino acids, betting on a diet with many vegetables, a plant-based diet.
Recently the social debate on meat consumption has returned, processed or not, and about the advantages or disadvantages of its habitual consumption. Curiously, in this book he also relates it to the state of mind of someone who habitually eats like this..
Yeah, It is something that probably many people do not associate, but high meat consumption produces chronic inflammation in the tissues. And we know that chronic inflammation is related to a higher risk of cancer, mood disorders, and a shortening of telomeres, therefore, of aging. In fact, If you stop eating meat for two weeks you will quickly notice that your mood improves and that you have more vitality. And it's not just the problem with the meat itself., but if you eat a lot of meat you are stopping eating many things such as vegetables. So, I always say that you don't have to be a vegetarian if you don't want to., But if we say about changing meat for fish and eggs, it is healthier.. Besides, oily fish has omega acids 3 which is anti-inflammatory. One of the problems with meat is that it produces inflammation and the more inflammation, the more depression.
The National Cancer Research Foundation published a report in 2007 (This is expected to be updated 2018) about the relationship between cancer and diet. In it there are a series of recommendations among which is not only limiting the consumption of red and processed meat. Also limit salt consumption… (Coincidentally, this Sunday, the 4th, the European Day for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk was commemorated.).
Regarding the salt, is related to some cancers, especially with stomach cancer. In fact, the countries that consume the most salt, like Japan or Hungary, They have the most cases of stomach cancer worldwide. By reducing salt consumption we can reduce these cancers and others that are less related but also have to do with the stomach.. The problem is not so much the salt that you put in the food but the hidden salt. It passes like sugar, what is it that without realizing it, If you read the ingredients of the products you buy you will see the amount of added salts, although not as much as sugar, because sugar is a big problem, and that's why you have to start reading labels more.
