Can we eat to starve cancer?

This TEDTalk video is about looks at angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) and its role in diseases, particularly cancer. Notably, the speaker shows a list of foods with known anti-angiogenic properties...

Whipped horses 'don't go faster'

I thought this story, with the above headline, was interesting:

http://yhoo.it/nzVrKI

The link above is to the mass media story. However, this Eureka Prize page has more detail:

http://bit.ly/n2b0xm

Facebook founder 'basically vegetarian'

Did anyone else see the news item earlier this year about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg choosing to only eat meat from animals he'd slaughtered himself? I was still eating meat at the time, but I nevertheless found the story rather bizarre.

Just found out about a UK series called "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It" that reminded me of the Mark "The Butcher" Zuckerberg story. The first episode is up on ABC's iView at the moment. For reality TV, it isn't so bad, although there are some annoying personalities there, it is fairly even-handed. There are quite a few meat-eating bloggers who said they found it educational as well. I do wish they had filmed on a more mainstream larger scale farm and production line abattoir, more representative of the bulk of retail meat. Perhaps the problem is that the large scale farms and abattoirs won't allow filming because they think their sales might drop.

Minestrone to feed an army!

The picture doesn't do justice to the taste.

Minestrone is one of my favourite winter dishes, so this was a last chance to cook it before the weather starts getting properly warm. This recipe is based on one of Stephanie Alexander's, but I have removed animal products - ham hock, parmesan rind - and oil. Also, I made it on a pilot plant scale so there would be lots of leftovers!

Two must-see movies

Two documentaries have recently been made featuring Drs T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) and Caldwell Esselstyn (Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease) - Planeat and Forks Over Knives. They're both interesting viewing and give some insight into what is in the books that inspired me to change my diet.

Planeat has had limited screenings in Europe and the USA, and one showing at Maleny! The film focuses on the Campbell and Esselstyn's research, but intersperses it with some great food and cooking by top chefs in restaurants around the globe, including Saf in London. It also goes into some of the environmental issues. You can watch it online for $5.99 (USD), with a 7 day limit, and the (independent) film-makers say the proceeds are going towards funding wider distribution of the film.



Forks Over Knives has also had limited screenings overseas, but it has recently become available on DVD and Blu-ray (there's also a companion book with 125 recipes). It focuses in more detail on the science, and unfortunately doesn't show the great cooking that Planeat does. It does, however, spend a bit more time with people who have made remarkable improvements to their health through changing their diets. Worth seeing if you can get hold of the DVD or find a screening. Here's a trailer:

Brain-eating worms: another good reason to avoid meat

From pork (Pt 1):

Pt 2:


And from lamb:

What are the healthiest foods?

This video - Nutrient Density is the Key to Good Health - has over 4 million views on YouTube, so I figured it must be a topic that interests many people.

A new website, NutritionFacts.org, has launched with loads of short videos talking about the latest nutrition research. It has some interesting videos if you are into this kind of stuff, even if his narration can be a bit off-putting. His most popular videos are about the "#1 Anticancer vegetables":