BeanDiet

I want to apologize to all my dear blog readers for my absence these past several weeks. My family has been in the midst of moving to another city, and today is my first day of "normalacy".

The good news is, there's some good nutrition news.

For example, British Journal of Cancer (2009: 101, 192–197) recently published a study of over 60,000 men and women who were followed for 12 years and observed for cancer diagnoses. They found that on average, vegetarians were 12% less likely to develop cancer verses non-vegetarians. Even though I am not presently a proponent of fish consumption, I need to state that this study found vegetarians who consumed fish were 18% less likely to develop cancer (on average, depending on the type of cancer) than non-vegetarians.

Imagine a diet that significantly lowers your risk of cancer. What good news that is... and why aren't more people consuming this diet?

And now, for good news for preventing diabetes:

A new review (of 12 prior studies) published in the journal Diabetologia (2009;52:2277-2287) found that people who consumed the most red meat had a 21% higher risk of developing diabetes verses those who consumed the least. Those who consumed the most processed meat (bacon, lunch meat, sausage, pepperoni, pastrami, salami, bologna and hot dogs) had a 41% higher risk of developing diabetes verses those who consumed the least.

This is so significant - let's pass this on to our loved ones who are consuming meat and processed meat regularly.

And finally, good news for preventing bone loss:

In a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (2009;170:901-909), intake of soy products reduced the risk of hip factures as much as 36 percent among women who consumed more than the least amount of soy. All intakes above the least amount consumed (for example any amount greater than one-fourth cup tofu per day) averaged a 30 percent protective effect. The study was part of the Singapore Chinese Health Study and looked at more than 63,000 male and female adults.

Other healthy sources of soy products include tempeh (my personal favorite when grilled and in a sandwich), edamame (cooked soybeans from the pod, frequently served in Japanese restaurants but easy to cook at home since they cook in 5 minutes), and miso (found in many Japanese soups - YUM).

I hope this news encourages those of you who are trying to eat healthfully, and inspires those of us who need it.