The following are summaries of key findings from books by Rosemary C. Fisher.   Included are recommendations to control or prevent some major medical problems, such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's Disease.   Her recommendations are the result of reviewing over 200 medical studies from the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Journal of Nutrition and other medical journals on how diet can affect a person's health and well-being as one ages.   For other articles on research findings by Mrs. Fisher, see Prevention of Major Medical Problems with Diet.  


Fats, Sugar and Sodium and Cancer
About 1/3 of all cancers may be related to what we eat. (Source: National Cancer Institute, 1997) Avoid a diet high in fat, sugar and sodium. To reduce fat in a diet, broil, steam, bake, poach, roast or use a microwave. Remove skin from chicken or turkey as well as any visible fat before cooking. Remember that most foods that are high in sugar are also high in fat and calories.

Orange Juice and Cancer
A glass of orange juice may strike a blow against breast cancer. (16th International Congress of Nutrition, Montreal, July 1997). Use calcium fortified orange juice and you will get the amount of calcium in a glass of milk.

Pumpkin and Cancer
Canned pumpkin (or cooked pumpkin) is a super cancer food. One half cup of cooked pumpkin has over five times your quota for beta-carotene (vitamin A0) per day. According to research at Tufts University it may be used to protect against many cancers.

Fruits and Vegetables and Cancer
The National Cancer Institute recommends a minimum of 3 vegetables and two fruits per day.

Soy Foods and Cancer
Stephen Barnes, University of Alabama at Birmingham, suggests that soybeans contain a substance that is remarkably similar to tamoxifen, which is widely used in humans for the treatment of breast cancer. Defatted soy flour has been used in many studies. It has so many minerals and vitamins and contains almost no fat. I have many recipes in my latest book using defatted soy flour. You can use as little as a fourth of a cup a day and receive the health benefits.

Milk and Cancer
According to a report in Nutrition and Cancer (131&2:89), researchers at Roswell Park Memorial Institute showed that drinking milk with the highest fat content increases cancer risks BUT drinking skim milk (fat reduced) appears to protect against many of the same cancer risks. These findings suggest that drinking whole milk may cause cancer BUT drinking skim milk (fat reduced) may actually help prevent cancer.

For cancer the research suggests that the following foods are appropriate and perhaps helpful to eat. As always check with your doctor and have appropriate blood work done before following any of the research suggestions from this or other sources. The recipes for including these foods in your diet and the research supporting these recommendations are included in my 4 books.

Some Foods to Consider Eating More Often

-   Pumpkin, canned or cooked
-   Carrots, lightly cooked
-   Sweet potatoes
-   Green leafy vegetables
-   Squash
-   Green and red peppers, especially the red
-   Tomatoes, especially cooked
-   Garlic
-   Defatted soy flour (at least 1/3 cup per day recommended)
-   At least 97% or greater fat-free chicken or turkey breast (I look for 99% fat free.)
-   97% or greater fat free lunch meats
-   Pasta with meat sauces using 99% fat free chicken
-   Homemade low fat pizza
-   Salmon and other fish, including the skin and fat (Research suggests this fat (EPA fat) has the ability to raise HDLs. 1-5 servings per week recommended)
-   Olive oil or canola oil substituted for other oils, but still use sparingly
-   Brown and wild rice
-   Whole grain breads, ideally with defatted soy flour
-   Fat free milk (skim)
-   Oatmeal, shredded wheat, low-no sugar added cereals
-   Fresh fruits
-   Red or black grapes
-   Grape juice, 1 cup per day
-   Grapefruit, especially pink which has 40% more beta carotene than white
-   Calcium fortified orange juice, 2 cups per day
-   Dried unsweetened fruits, especially apricots, dates, prunes
-   Homemade fat-free yogurt, with extra dry milk added (2 cups per day recommended)
-   Tupelo honey as a substitute for sugar in cakes, cookies, breads, etc.


Foods to Consider Avoiding

-   1%, 2% and whole milk
-   Meats with 96% fat or less
-   Red meats
-   Hydrogenated oils, such as stick margarine. Or foods that list hydrogenated oils in their ingredients
-   Food with high butter fat and other animal fats
-   Deep-fried foods
-   Products made from whole milk or cream such as cheese, yogurt, butter, sauces

My books have over 200 recipes applying these ingredients and principles.

Copyright 1998 by Rosemary Fisher. For permission to reprint, call (716) 865-3194 or e-mail rcfisher@rpa.net