Why's the Beef?

In all my reading (and remember, I'm an over-reader) I have not come across one sentence that reads anything like, "Eating meat will help you fight cancer." The only times "meat" and "cancer" are in the same sentence is when the writer urges us to avoid it.

There area few reasons for this, and as far as I can understand, maybe one or two exceptions.

The first point about meat goes back to what we've learned about the history of industrial agriculture, dating back to the post-World-War-II era. In the 50s, the demand for dairy products and beef grew to such a degree that farmers gradually eliminated pasture-feeding, and moved to a corn/soy/wheat diet. Unfortunately, this created a widespread imbalance between two fatty acids that the human body does not produce itself, but must acquire through food. (I'm not even going into the addition of antibiotics and other nasty stuff they give those cows in the picture).

This view is a screen capture from "The C Word", a documentary about the life and work of David Servan-Schreiber.

Here's the formula that is really all you need to know: Omega-3, good. Omega-6, bad.

Cows (and other meat animals) that eat grass are rich in omega-3. Cows that eat corn/soy/wheat (either organic or non-organic) are rich in omega-6.

Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory. Omega-6 is inflammatory. Cancer has skyrocketed since the 50's, in large part due to this change in cow diet.

You can still eat meat and have an anti-cancer diet, but my sources strongly recommend a sparing diet of pasture-raised, omega-3-rich meat. Simply stop eating industrial meat. No good can come from it. It's bad. It's poison. That's how I look at it. It's certainly been poisonous to public health.

The second point about meat is this: whenever you eat meat, you aren't eating vegetables. Veg contains protein. Enough to satisfy your daily requirements. And veg has what meat does not: cancer-fighting phytochemicals (which just meants chemicals derived from plants).

Every meal you eat is an opportunity to fight cancer, whether you are diagnosed or not. David Servan-Schreiber makes the point that everyone has cancer cells in them. They either develop into dangerous tumors or they don't, and the difference is often determined by what you eat. Remember, omega-6s are inflammatory, and inflammation is a huge culprit when it comes to turning a few cancer cells into a malignant tumor.

But these plants will fight those cells. They do it in many different ways, so it's important to mix it up:

Crucifers

Fruit and veg nervously waiting to be fed into
the juicer

Leafy-greens
Mushrooms
Green tea
Herbs and spices
Berries and nuts
Citrus
Carotenoid family -- carrots, yams, squash, etc.
Tomatoes
Ginger
Garlic, onions, leeks, etc.
Stone fruit -- plums, peaches, nectarines
Pomegranate juice
Red wine
Dark chocolate
Vitamin
Oily fish
Yogurt, kefir

So obviously ANY fruit or veg helps you fight cancer.

For an explanation of this list get the book!

So there is all the stuff you're not having when you're having meat. I'm finding it very difficult to work through a rotation of all these nutrients over the course of a day or week. Lindy's appetite has been pretty low, so when he goes through a day having had a bowl of berries, leafy greens, some kind of cruciferous veg and a glass of veg juice (in addition to maybe some pasta, brown rice, fish etc.), it's a really good day for us.

So what are the exceptions? There are vitamins and minerals in beef, just not any that have been listed in the anti-cancer material that I've read. The body does need omega-3s, so grass-fed beef provides that. When Lindy's white and red blood counts were low, as you know, I fed him beef liver. Any kind of red meat will help boost those numbers.

Please comment with any feedback!