PRAISE FOR
NATURES CANCER-FIGHTING FOODS
With three decades of cancer care behind me, I remain more convinced than ever that the recipe for a cancer-free lifestyle includes mind-body fitness, a life-affirming attitude, soft fractionated approaches to chemotherapy when needed, precise lab studies tailored to determine the appropriate nutrients and herbs for each individual, and quite significantly, a diet of anti-cancer foods. For anyone confused or uncertain about what to eat, Verne Varonas splendid work is a must. Natures Cancer-Fighting Foods should be read by anyone concerned about this dreaded illness.
KEITH I. BLOCK , MD ,medical and scientific director at Block Medical Center and the Institute for Integrative Cancer Care
Verne Varona clarifies many dietary myths while presenting a clear nutritional guideline for cancer-prevention strategies. Natures Cancer-Fighting Foods presents powerful information that should be available to all.
JACK CANFIELD , coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Natures Cancer Fighting Foods is a lifesaver. Not just for cancer candidates, but for anyone who wants to eat sanely in a world where convenience and efficiency have taken precedent over health. Its filled with crucial information and is actually fun to read.
ALAN ARKIN , actor
With a wealth of both practical and theoretical information, this exhaustively researched and clearly written book is a must-have item. And its not just for those concerned about cancer, but for the library of anyone interested in the effects of food on health.
ANNEMARIE COLBIN , author of Food and Healing and Our Bones, and founder of the Natural Gourmet Cookery School
.
I personally have heard Verne lecture on how the food you eat impacts every aspect of a persons life. His presentation had a real effect on changing my diet because not only was it true but his method of presentation was excellent. Everyone reading Natures Cancer-Fighting Foods will also benefit from his wisdom.
ARTURO S. RODRIGUEZ , president of United Farm Workers of America
Natures Cancer-Fighting Foods is a much-needed resource for combating the growing cancer epidemic. In a user-friendly way, Verne Varona provides specific, research-based dietary information that empowers readers to begin their own personal program for optimum health.
HYLA CASS , MD, author of The Addicted Brain andHow to Break Free
If you have the inspiration, this book is an excellent, unbiased source of information that can help you on your healing journey.
BERNIE SIEGEL , MD, author of The Art of Healing
A PERIGEE BOOK
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) LLC
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
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penguin.com
A Penguin Random House Company
Copyright 2014 by Verne Varona
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
PERIGEE is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
The P design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
ISBN: 978-0-399-16289-3
eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-60653-7
The Library of Congress has cataloged the Rewards Books edition as follows:
Varona, Verne.
Natures cancer-fighting foods / Verne Varona.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7352-0176-5 (paperback)
1. CancerDiet therapy. 2. CancerPrevention. I. Title.
RC271.D52 V37 2001
616.99'40654dc21
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Reward Books trade paperback edition / June 2001
Perigee revised trade paperback edition / May 2014
Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Version_1
In loving memory of my mother and father,
Sara Irene Hertzovitz
and
Carlos Enrique Varona
TRIBUTE
He that conceals his grief finds no remedy for it.
Turkish Proverb
Brooklyn, 1965
NOW you see her, now you dont.
She was just there laughing and making me, her 13-year-old, a sandwich, and suddenly Im standing in a dark room before her casket waiting for that frozen, lifelike face to come alive and tell me it was all just a cruel joke.
But it wasnt.
My beautiful, youthful mother with long red hair and an infectious smile had succumbed to a 3-year battle with cancer; taken at the prime of her 35 years of life, leaving behind a grief-stricken husband and three children, two of whom were too young to comprehend the meaning of death and to deal rationally with their perceived abandonment.
Just two weeks earlier, while watching early evening television in our two-story Brooklyn duplex, a jarring thud echoed from the upstairs. Dashing up to the top landing of the stairs, I was instantly benumbed by the sight of my mother lying unconscious, her body convulsing on the blue-green tweed carpet, white foam spilling from her lips. It was a living picture that would be forever imprinted in my mind and heart.
My instinct pushed aside shock and took command as I struggled to pull her from the hallway into the bedroom and onto the bed. I called the ambulance and then, putting aside dread and confusion, returned to her bedside. I held her tightly and pleaded through my tears that she not die; there were children who loved and needed her, more pictures to paint, dances to learn, and life to live.
Outside our home, the flashing red ambulance lights illuminated the faces of shocked neighbors as they milled and murmured in the darkness. The paramedics worked quickly, prepared an IV, and radioed their dispatcher. I held my mothers hand. Racing into the dark with sirens blaring, the reflective blur of streetlamps and traffic lights passed across my face.