Looking to add some premium power-ups to help optimize your health & nutrition?
Today we welcome back to WOT Rachel Beller, MS RDN who, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is sharing with us 3 Nutrition Strategies to Upgrade your Cancer-Fighting Kitchen + A Power Green Smoothie!
Looking to add some premium power-ups to help optimize your health & nutrition?
Adding premium power-ups elevates the nutritional impact of your meals with protective phytonutrients and antioxidant properties to support your wellness and help reduce breast cancer risk. How can you do this? Check out my TOP 3 strategies from the Rachel Beller Nutrition Masterclass. Just a single handful of any of these foods will serve as a “Difference Maker” to dramatically elevate the nutritional power of your meals.
Watercress
Did you know that the #1 CDC-ranked nutrient-dense vegetable is watercress? This nutritional powerhouse is rich in indole-3-carbinol and isothiocyanate, which are phytonutrients that research shows may fight breast cancer by enhancing the body’s natural detoxification processes and potentially reducing tumor cell spread.
Watercress may also protect your DNA from damage. A British study found that participants who ate just 3oz of watercress for 8 weeks had higher antioxidant levels in their blood compared to those who didn’t eat the watercress. This Difference Maker is powerful!
Rachel’s Power Tip — Eat watercress raw to maximize its benefits, as cooking can reduce its antioxidant content. Add a small handful to your salads, and sandwiches, and atop your soups. Or add it to a smoothie for an anti-cancer boost.
Broccoli Sprouts
By now, everyone’s familiar with regular broccoli and the many ways you can prepare it. But have you tried broccoli sprouts? Broccoli sprouts are harvested when they’re just a few days old and are incredibly powerful. The sprouts contain up to 100 times more the amount of phytochemical sulforaphane than regular broccoli. Studies have shown that sulforaphane may help detoxify carcinogens, inhibit breast cancer cell growth, and may also prevent tumor cell proliferation. Just 2 tablespoons of broccoli sprouts contain as much sulforaphane as 2 pounds of mature broccoli!
Broccoli sprouts are easy to find at your regular grocery store but you can also grow your own from seeds. Broccoli sprouts are easy to throw atop a salad, soup, or in a sandwich.
Rachel’s Power Tip — Amp up a basic green smoothie with this Difference Maker! It only takes an extra second but adds mega power to a smoothie that’s already loaded with ingredients that optimize our nutrition.
Bonus feature — With the prebiotic fiber from the flaxseeds and a greenish banana, this smoothie will also nourish your gut microbiome, which emerging research suggests can help balance estrogen levels. Plus, it keeps you feeling full and satisfied.
Bonus feature — Watercress is a natural diuretic and can help with debloating, leaving you feeling comfy.
Nori
Nori is so much more than just the dried seaweed that holds your sushi roll together. Nori is a unique source of prebiotic fibers that are only found in sea vegetables. These fibers help nourish the microbiome, which in turn may help balance estrogen levels. Balanced estrogen levels then reduce the risk of breast cancer and support survivorship.
These prebiotic fibers also may assist the body’s already existing natural detoxification process, shutting carcinogens and toxins out of the GI tract. A 2010 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that eating a single sheet of nori per day was linked to a lower risk of breast cancer.
I consider Nori to be a kitchen counter essential! Not only does it taste great but also provides those unique prebiotic fibers, but it’s also like a multivitamin–rich in essential vitamins and minerals in addition to its antioxidants and phytonutrients.
The best part is…all these benefits don’t come at a cost- nori is a budget-friendly food! A full packet of full-size sheets only costs about $3.00
Rachel’s Power Tip — It’s easier to use than you think! I love making quinoa sushi: roll up quinoa and your favorite veggies in some nori for a delicious and nutritious treat.
Bonus feature — Shredded nori is also great sprinkled in soups, salads, or rice bowls.
Beller’s AM Power Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups plant milk, unsweetened
- 1 banana (greenish, frozen)
- 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 1/4 cup watercress leaves
- 1 tbsp. broccoli sprouts
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Now that you’ve learned about these 3 premium Difference Makers and how to integrate them into your nutrition blueprint, I hope you’ll run, not walk to your nearest grocery store to stock up on watercress, broccoli sprouts, and nori. There’s no better time than now to upgrade your Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by optimizing your nutrition!
I hope you feel inspired and empowered to integrate these 3 nutritional strategies into your nutritional blueprint for weight management and cancer risk reduction. There’s no better time than now to upgrade your Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by optimizing your nutrition!
For more about the Beller Method, check out the Rachel Beller Nutrition Masterclass
My mission is to provide a high level of nutritional support at an affordable price through the Masterclass, which is an easy action plan for weight loss and breast cancer risk reduction. Visit www.bellernutrition.com for more information.
Enjoy!
Making this recipe? Be sure and share it with us on the WOT Instagram or Facebook!