Now heavy drinkers experience dehydration at the very beginning of the day and should probably stay home, but for those of us who get to the trail-head early on Saturday morning, there are a few tricks to making 40+ kilometer hikes.

First, if you are diabetic or have allergies to nuts or soy, you will probably want to stay away from most of the products mentioned below. Always read the cautions and the ingredients posted on the product websites and on the product packaging. If you do decide to try these energy supplements, buy them in small quantities and try them at home before taking them with you on a hike.

Beware of allergic and other physical/emotional reactions to vitamins and sports products. If you have kidney problems, then don’t eat too much protein. And when you do eat protein, make sure you have plenty of water, since your body uses water to digest protein. If you eat protein (or take amino acid supplements) without adequate water intake, you will dehydrate and cramp.

But don’t skip the protein. When you exercise for more than 2 hours, your body starts to cannibalize it’s own muscle. That’s why you need to eat protein during long hikes. I usually mix protein powder with eLoad Heat Endurance Formula in two BPA-free Nalgene bottles. Each bottle contains 20+ grams of protein plus a scoop of eLoad. I don’t add water until I’m ready to start sipping the mixture. If you do not want to mix your own, Hammer Nutrition makes a good lightweight protein endurance product called Perpetuem.

I can’t stress it enough: don’t bring bulky food. Eat compact high-energy gels, Sharkies, Shot Blocs, energy bars, and protein powders. (I usually have an Active Greens Organic Food Bar for lunch. It contains protein, vegetables, fruit, and nut butter.) And eat often, perhaps every two hours during long-distance events. You have to keep your carbs up. Don’t diet during 40 kilometer hikes!

Carry 3 to 3 1/2 liters of water (and maybe 4 to 5 liters during a heat wave), and keep some extra water in the car for after the hike. Add electrolytes to your water. Like I said before, I use eLoad Heat Endurance Formula. It contains a variety of minerals, plus the carbohydrates you need to keep going. And if you use high-calorie gels, accompany each one with at least 150 ml of water (or about a third of a 500 ml bottle) so that it doesn’t make you feel sick.

Then within 15 minutes of completing your hike, eat about 20 grams of protein, since that timing has been shown to build muscle. Yes, you want to build muscle in your legs. I usually eat a Cliff Builders Protein Bar beside my car before I change into dry shoes.

The post Endurance Training & Long-distance Hikes: Tips & Tricks first appeared on Medical Health.

The cancer researchers had 142,605 men and 335,873 women report on their eating habits and lifestyles during 1992 to 2000. They then assessed the association between cancer risk and diets high in fruits and vegetables.

But it looks to me that investigating the question “Does eating five or more fruits and vegetables stop cancer?” is like asking “Does taking five or more prescription pills stop cancer?” Obviously, I would not eat a random assortment of pills as a cancer-prevention strategy (nor would I take the over-the-counter pills that happen to be on sale each week).

I drink green tea and eat lots of garlic, tomatoes, apples, berries, greens, and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Broccolive). Then I include a very large variety of different fruits and vegetables in my diet, and to that end I also take powered fruits and vegetables and extracts (but I don’t take just one product day after day, month after month, year after year; I rotate them): Rainbow Vibrance Super Food, Progressive Nutritional PhytoBerry, and Drinkables Liquid Fruits and Vegetables Dietary Supplement, for example.

Research on the cancer-prevention properties of fruits and vegetables continues: On January 11, 2010, Texas AgriLife Research food scientists reported that mango prevents or stops colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. And at least one researcher at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson says a “vegetable-rich diet may avert some cancers,” especially a diet full of cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

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The post They Say Vegetables Don’t Stop Cancer. I Don’t Believe It. first appeared on Medical Health.

Daily anti-cancer foods and supplements:

1) I bought one pound of Organic Connections beet powder for $23.80. (That’s the best price I found).

— I take 1 tsp. of beet powder a day in a shake.

2) I bought one pound of Frontier brand organic turmeric powder for $11.80. (I shopped around and that’s the best price I found. You might get Organic Connections turmeric even cheaper.)

— I take 1 heaping teaspoon of turmeric powder a day in a shake.

3) I eat one ounce (28 to 30 grams) of dark chocolate every day. It has to be 70% or better. I most often eat 85%. But do not take it with milk. Milk inactivates the good ingredients in chocolate.

4) I have about 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh cabbage juice every day.

5) I eat spinach every day.

6) I eat cherries every day.

7) I drink a mug of green tea steeped for 15 minutes every day. You have to steep it for 15 minutes to get the most from it.

8 ) I try to eat a red apple almost every day.

9) I eat broccoli or cauliflower most days.

10) The only powdered “greens” I recommend in Canada is Progressive Nutritional PhytoBerry. It does not have the herbs and alfalfa found in many greens products these days. You should be able to purchase 900 grams (60 servings) of Progressive Phytoberry for $57 to $60. Shop around–the price varies. I like it a lot and have it 3 to 6 times a week.

When I am not taking PhytoBerry, I use Rainbow Vibrance Super Food

11) I take pharmaceutical grade fish oil, usually Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega or Ascenta Nutra Sea HP.

Also see cancur.org.

The post My Anti-Cancer Diet first appeared on Medical Health.

Your dark chocolate should be at least 70% cocoa and you should consume 1 ounce (about 30 grams) each day. Eating more than an ounce a day will add to your fat load and make you gain weight.

You should be sure that your fish oil is pharmaceutical grade. Lower quality fish oil products contain contaminants. I take Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega and Ascenta, Nutra Sea HP fish oil. From what I have read, Dr. Sears and Dr. Weil also market quality fish oil.

My homemade tomato sauce consists of strained Italian tomatoes (from the bottle) slightly simmered with Italian spices. Cooking tomatoes makes the lycopene antioxidant more accessible.

I make cabbage juice every day and drink it immediately after preparing it. I also include a heaping teaspoon of organic turmeric, a half teaspoon of organic powdered ginger, one ounce of 80% – 90% dark chocolate, a mug of green tea (steeped for 15 minutes), and Nordic Naturals fish oil in my daily regimen.

Take turmeric and powdered ginger the easy way: put them in a protein shake at lunch.

Also see cancur.org.

The post Cancer Prevention Foods and Spices first appeared on Medical Health.