The New England Journal Of Medicine recently published a paper demonstrating that people who eat nuts regularly, live longer. So, should we all eat nuts? Yes. Will we live longer? Maybe. People who ate nuts were less likely to die from cancer, heart disease and stroke. But nut eaters were also more likely to be lean, to eat fruits and vegetables, to exercise daily and to not smoke. Maybe the nuts were only partially responsible for the longer life. It’s hard to know.
Nutrition and cancer is a complex area that is just hard to tease out the correct answers. We believe that eating a low-fat diet, maintaining a healthy weight at a BMI of ~20, and exercising daily can reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer and by extension, probably reduce the risk of developing a first breast cancer.
We are always told that broccoli and brussel sprouts are good, anti-cancer vegetables. Who really knows? But we do know that a diet varied in deep-colored fruits and vegetables is heart healthy and probably cancer preventative. So, what choices can we make to reduce our risk of breast cancer? Exercise daily, eat fruits and vegetable, limit alcohol intake to one drink per day, eat a low-fat diet, maintain a healthy weight and eat nuts on a daily basis. Still, having salted peanuts with your beer may not be a healthy choice.
The Bible tells us to eat, drink, be merry and serve God. The Greeks teach us “all things in moderation.” We should all enjoy the life we live. It just may be that eating nuts, fruits and vegetables, exercising daily, not smoking, and perhaps just one glass of wine at the end of the day, can be the best recipe to enjoy a long and healthy life.