Novozymes is launching Acrylaway, an enzyme called asparaginase, that can reduce acrylamide in food products by up to 90%. Acrylamide is formed when starchy foods are baked, fried or toasted at high temperatures.

According to Peder Holk Nielsen of Novozymes, many food manufacturers have shown interest in the product. In late 2006, Novozymes received a consent letter from the US FDA regarding the "generally recognized as safe status" of Acrylaway. This sounds like a great product and it will be interesting to see if it gains widespread use in the future.

In the meantime, recent studies have shown that although acrylamide at high levels is known to promote cancer growth in mice and rats, no human studies to date have found a link between dietary levels of acrylamide and cancer risk, including breast, colorectal, bladder and kidney cancers.

It's not necessary to travel all the way to Tucson, Arizona or Lenox, Massachusetts for a little health enlightenment -- although I highly recommend it. Canyon Ranch professionals are not stingy with their health secrets. They offer a website for all to view, complete with all sorts of diet and fitness tips and and even an opportunity to sign up for an e-newsletter. In a binder I brought home from my trip to Tuscon in May, I've found even more resources, these specific to cooking. Take a look.

Recommended Magazines

Cooking Light (www.cookinglight.com)
Eating Well (www.eatingwell.com)
Fine Cooking, (www.finecooking.com)

Recommended Cookbooks

Canyon Ranch Cooks (1-800-726-8040)
Canyon Ranch Cooklets (available at canyonranch.com)

• Salad & Appetizers
• Soups
• Fish & Seafood
• Poultry
• Vegetables & Vegetarian
• Desserts
• Mexican
• The LPGA Cooks with Canyon Ranch

The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison & Edward Espe Brown
Jamie's Dinners by Jamie Oliver
How to Cool Everything by Mark Bittman

Meg Wolff survived cancer -- twice. First she had bone cancer and lost her leg to the disease. Then she had breast cancer and was given little hope from doctors who thought traditional treatment could not save her. Maybe it couldn't. But Wolff found something that did save her -- a macrobiotic diet.

Life is all about balance, says Wolff who authors a website rich in content about the connection between diet and a healthy lifestyle. She offers up-to-date information on her blog, links to recipes and resources, a calendar of events, and a look at her very own book, titled, Becoming Whole, The Story of My Complete Recovery from Breast Cancer.

Wolff says that by changing her diet, she has changed her destiny. She is alive and well and thriving. Give her a visit and see for yourself.

It is well-known that older, heavier adults have lower blood levels of vitamin D. A new study from Tufts shows that a lack of sunshine does not seem to be responsible.

The researchers analyzed information on 381 men and women age 65 or older and found no difference in sun exposure among groups based on body fat percentage. The team did find that those with the highest percentage of body fat had 20 percent lower blood levels of vitamin D.

According to Dr. Susan S. Harris, one explanation could be that vitamin D is getting trapped in fat tissue and therefore not available to the blood. It seems that heavier people may need more vitamin D, whether from the sun or supplements.

Although Vitamin C is a great thing to have in your system at regular daily intervals, it can be used to actually promote the formation of cancer-causing chemicals when there is too much fat in the stomach, according to a recent article in the journal Gut.

The interaction of vitamins and minerals in the body (synergy) can have a strong impact on the effectiveness of many of them, but this seems like an odd one to me. Nevertheless, lipid and ascorbic acid interaction was studied in terms of possible cancer contributions to the upper stomach area (which is sensitive to cancerous issues and tumor development).

The problems revolved around nitrites, which could be converted into cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines if there was too much fat in the gut when ascorbic acid was present. The term "nitrite" may be familiar to you -- it's what makes processed meats look red when they're really "dead."

Now I advise everyone to take all food-related recommendations with a grain of salt, because what first may appear healthy may not be in the long run -- and what is once deemed unhealthy may one day turn into a health food, like coffee.

Now, here's something new to think about:

It turns out the average mushroom may have healing powers. A new study out of Tufts University found that white button mushrooms help boost the body's natural immunity against tumors and viruses.

Source: Woman's Day, September 12, 2007

We know it's best not to miss breakfast. It's the meal that gives us energy for the day, increases metabolism, and helps our bodies burn fat faster and better. Since breakfast comes at the time of day when most of us are rushing and hustling to get going for the day, it becomes pretty easy to skip this power meal. In the spirit of putting breakfast back into your schedule, here are some simple Canyon Ranch ideas for getting the boost you need during the start of your busy days.

• Cottage cheese and fruit. Grab some low-fat cottage cheese and top with fresh fruit. Add your favorite nuts and seeds and some ground flax seed for a nutty flavor and a burst of omega-3. Add flax to any of the following ideas too.
  
• Scrambled egg or tofu with spinach and scallion in a whole wheat wrap.
• Whole grain bread with one tablespoon nut butter.
• Plain yogurt with fruit, cinnamon, or berries.
• Hot oat bran cereal or oatmeal (not instant) with cinnamon, dried figs or other fruit, and nuts.
  
• Smoked salmon with tomato and onion on whole grain bread.

If any of this sounds like too much to accomplish in the early morning, try preparing some items ahead of time so all you have to do is grab and go.

Thanks Canyon Ranch for the breakfast basics.

I'm dizzy, light-headed, over-heated and just plain worn out after my workout this morning. Why? Because I overdid it.

I've been so focused on running from cancer by eating right and strenuously exercising -- research says it take five hours of vigorous exercise per week to keep breast cancer away -- that I drove myself to depletion this morning. It hit me when a wave of dizziness came over me in the midst of my outdoor workout. My body felt heavy, my strength disappeared, and it took every ounce of energy I could muster to put one foot in front of the other so I could get home. I suspect it was a combination of dehydration -- I didn't take water with me -- and heat -- it's really hot here in Florida -- and pushing myself too hard. The fact that I feel a bit under the weather didn't help either, I'm sure.

My body spoke to me today. And it's got my attention.

David L. Katz, MD, responds to a reader in the September 2007 issue of The Oprah Magazine about the merits of eating soy in relation to preventing cancer. His response causes me to pause even more about jumping on any diet bandwagon.

Katz says we should eat soy foods -- just not too much because the evidence linking soy to breast cancer, for example, is mixed.

In comparing soy-eating Japanese women with American women who eat very little soy, researchers find lower rates of breast cancer in the Japanese women. But in a test tube, soy's plant estrogens can speed cancer cell growth. Maybe soy behaves differently in the body than it does in a tube. Or maybe soy has both negative and positive effects on breast cancer. Perhaps it's not soy at all. It could be that the populations eating soy are benefiting from not eating something else, like meat -- the saturated fat found in red meat has been linked to higher cancer rates. Replacing steak with something else may be the protective key.

As time flies by, more and more progress is made in the fight against cancer. Over the years, new and better screening methods have emerged, cutting-edge technologies have surfaced, successful treatments have saved lives that may have otherwise been lost, and awareness has been raised about all sorts of cancer-related issues. It's amazing really, because in so many areas, we are not making progress.

According to research published in the March/April 2007 issue of WebMD: the Magazine, the per capita consumption of corn sweeteners in 2004 was 78.1 pounds in the United States -- up from 35.3 pounds in 1980. In 2005, the per capita consumption of candy by Americans was 25.7 pounds. We are pumping our bodies full of junk -- our rates of obesity in this country prove it.

When I think about our trend of over-eating and over-indulging, I gain a better appreciation of how far we've come medically. Not only have researchers, scientists, and medical experts made strides in the prevention and treatment of disease, they've done it against the odds. Just think how much more progress we'd make if we all did a little better at living healthy lives. Why not start now?

Let's face it, there is no "secret" to losing weight. It's simple -- bank less calories than you spend and the weight will come off. You don't need to take pills or buy into the latest diet craze. Common sense is all you need.

I spoke with my oncologist the other day about my own weight loss -- I have lost nearly 14 pounds since the beginning of May, thanks to a no-sweets, low-sugar, low-fat, water-only diet with an emphasis on high fruit and veggie intake. Now this is no temporary diet. This is for life. My goal was never to lose a bunch of weight and then go back to eating junk -- I just wanted to shed a few cancer treatment-induced pounds while embracing a brand new healthy lifestyle.

My doctor was proud of my progress and shared his too -- he's lost eight pounds by cutting 500 calories from his diet each day. It sounds like a lot but this can be accomplished by cutting down on portions, giving up soda, and ditching high-calorie snacks. Observing the physical changes we both had made, he announced to the medical students in the room with us at the time that weight loss is not so hard -- well, maybe mentally hard, but not physically. He talked with his students about how to advise overweight patients -- surely a large percentage of people they see -- and reminded them of this formula: take in less than you spend. They nodded in agreement. And we moved on to other topics. There really was nothing more to say. Simple, I tell you. Give it a try.

The American Institute of Cancer Research says to take a second look at your picnic basket this upcoming Labor Day.

According to the organization, many Americans still cling to ideas that they have to fatten up for winter and view Labor Day as an excuse to indulge. Historically, the harvest festival was a celebration of the fruits of summer before winter, but now, accordring to AICR nutritionist Sally Wally, "Compared to those who came before us, every day's a harvest festival. But this pattern of eating has long-term repercussions on obesity rates and on rates of chronic diseases like cancer."

I agree that we should all take a second look at our party foods and try to find healthy alternatives. However, I' m not sure that people are eating fatty foods on Labor Day weekend in an attempt to "fatten up for winter." Such fatty foods are just easily available and have positive associations for people in terms of celebrating the holiday.

The organization recommends trying some healthy dishes instead. You can see some of these recipes at The Recipe Corner on their website.

I promised two weeks ago when I wrote Sunday Seven: Seven ways to fine-tune your health that I'd be back to offer seven more grand ideas for optimizing your physical and emotional well-being. Here I am, with a mini-list of suggestions I gathered a while back from a newspaper article. If you don't already practice these strategies, then why not give them a try.

Eat breakfast

It's the most important meal of the day -- really. A breakfast high in complex carbohydrates and protein creates energy. Energy kick-starts metabolism and helps our bodies burn fat. We all know what fat does. It weighs us down and contributes to all kinds of health problems.

Get your sleep

Sleep restores our bodies. Sleep-deprived folks secrete more leptin, a protein hormone that increases appetite. Larger appetites increase food consumption. Increased food consumption spikes the risk of obesity. And so on. You know the drill.

I was recently at the grocery store with my fiance, doing a quick shopping run. As we traversed through the grocery section of our local Stop & Shop, I kept reminding her that we needed to buy more tomatoes. After about the fourth reminder, she finally turned to me and asked what the big deal was about tomatoes, and why it was so important that we buy them. I told her it was because of their known cancer-fighting properties, due in large part to their richness in lycopene. After offering the quip, "You're lyc-o-pain in the ass," she ultimately did acquiesce and we did end up purchasing this antioxidant rich vegetable. Or fruit. Whatever it is.

Anecdotes aside, I just yesterday came across research (from a 2007 Ohio State study) involving a certain variety of orange tomato called a Tangerine Tomato. Evidently, people are able to better absorb the antioxidant lycopene from this particular type of tomato than from the more typical red tomatoes.

If you have trouble finding Tangerine Tomatoes at your grocery store, try other kinds of orange tomatoes or gold heirloom varieties. But, whatever kind, color, brand, or type of tomato you choose, always be sure to cook your tomatoes in order to receive the greatest absorption of lycopene.

Lyc-o-pain in the ass...I'll admit it, that was a pretty good one.

A new study involving 100,000 women found no evidence of a link between consumption of acrylamide and breast cancer. Acrylamide is found naturally in many foods including french fries, breads and cereal, in addition to coffee and cigarette smoke.

This study was presented Tuesday at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Acrylamide at high levels is known to promote cancer growth in rats and mice, however none of the human studies to date have found a link between dietary levels of acrylamide and cancer risk including colon, rectal, bladder and kidney cancer.

Additional papers to be highlighted at the meeting regarding acrylamide and food can be found here.