Going Meatless on Monday may help you prevent cancer.

by Shelly Wilkinson
August 16th, 2010

Our theme at Down to Earth this month is "Cancer Prevention". This ties in perfectly with the Meatless Monday movement as it is becoming well-known that "eating a healthy diet with an emphasis on plant sources is the best way to give our body the support it needs to fight cancer". [1]

You'll see plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in our recipe for Veggie Kabobs below. While you're increasing your intake of organic produce, you might also want to look at the sugar in your diet, especially drum roll please - High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is nearly ubiquitous in packaged foods. Meatless meals that contain lots of produce don't typically include much sugar, but our intake may come largely in snack foods.

A team at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center found that "pancreatic tumor cells use fructose to divide and proliferate". Their findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, found that pancreatic tumor cells – one of the most deadly types of cancer - fed both glucose (common sugar) and fructose used the two sugars in two different ways,and indicate reducing refined fructose intake may disrupt cancer growth.

The main way we take in fructose is in soft drinks, bread and a range of other packaged foods. High fructose corn syrup has been in the news as health experts and others debate whether this ingredient has contributed to making Americans fatter and less healthy. It's not a surprise that the soda manufacturers argue that sugar is sugar, and there's no difference in health effects between the different forms. Now U.S. researchers have found otherwise.

So while you go meatless, look for healthier sweeteners in your food. Down to Earth sells a range of alternatives.

As a bonus, this week's Grilled Veggie Kabobs contain no sugar! On the contrary, making them with Hawaii's fresh fruits and vegetables provides you with many substances that the body uses to fight cancer. Antioxidants are found in all brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and they help to sweep up free radicals that, left unchecked, may cause cellular mutations.[2] There are two specific ingredients in this weeks' Meatless Monday recipe that are helpful in cancer prevcntion:

Garlic and Onion, which are part of the Allium family. They are known for their powerful sulfur-containing compounds and have shown to help reduce the risk of several types of cancer including lung, ovarian and prostate cancer.[3]

Tomatoes. The phytochemical, lycopene, in tomatoes has be extensively researched over the past several years for its antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. Lycopene from tomatoes have found to be protective against a growing list of cancers including prostate, breast, colorectal, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers. [4]

To make it easier for you to go meatless, Down to Earth has several choices on sale for the Veggie Kabobs below. Use Field Roast Sausages, on sale until September 15, 2010. Available in Italian, Mexican or Smoked Apple, you can buy them for $4.99, a huge savings. Read more about the amazing Field Roast company in this month's Super Saver Flyer. Or try Turtle Island Tofurky Italian Sausage in Tomato Basil in the kabobs, regularly 14 oz. 6.19, on sale for 3.99 Mondays until September 15, 2010.

Grilled Veggie Kabobs

Great for a warm weather cookout! Your friends will be pleased at the healthy alternative you provide.

Ingredients

12 mushrooms

2 zucchinis

2 lemons

12 cherry tomatoes

12 pieces pineapple chunks

1 red pepper

½ cup purple onion, cubed

1 meatless Sausage – Italian or your flavor choice

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1 jar Annie’s Tuscan Italian dressing or your favorite Italian dressing

Instructions

Preheat broiler.

Wash and prepare all veggies. Chop the following ingredients into 12 pieces: zucchini, lemon, red pepper, onion and meatless sausage.

Skewer in casual order and place on cookie sheet. Brush with Italian marinade and sprinkle with Bragg’s.

Place cookie sheet with skewers on the very top rack in oven. Keep the oven door open a crack and broil for 10 minutes.

Optional: Add pre-steamed carrot slices, with carrots on sale at Down to Earth until August 18, 2010. Get a 5 lb. bag of organic carrots for only $4.99.

VEGGIE QUOTE

"The best way to fight cancer is to avoid exposure to carcinogens like pesticides. And the best way to do that is to eat a “plant-based diet.”