OLD MATE PROSTATE!

September in the Southern Hemisphere is typically associated with blossoms and baby lambs but it’s also about all things bloke. We celebrate Father’s Day, the Rugby World Cup kicks off in Japan and of course, the pinnacle of all pub talk, it is also Prostate Awareness Month. So while spring is definitely in the air, so too is talk of old mate prostate cancer. All around the man caves and sports field sidelines of New Zealand and beyond, we are hopeful that men are encouraging each other to get check ups if they have any alterations to their usual urine flow or are getting up more than usual in the night to pee.

Because just like spring, with its unpredictable and changeable weather, we can’t always tell how old mate prostate cancer will behave. Sometimes it’s aggressive and other times it stays small and very slow growing. But what we do know for sure, is that it’s very common in men as they get older. In fact, incidences of prostate cancer begin to rise in men as early as 50 years onwards and a large number of men in their eighties will already have traces of cancer in their prostate. Many of these older men will pass away never even knowing they had prostate cancer at all. And sadly, in some situations, an aggressive cancer is picked up too late to treat effectively. The point of Prostate Awareness Month is to raise awareness and try to minimise the number of cases where it’s too late for old mate prostate.

But also like spring, the season of hope, there is some good news for the blokes when it comes to caring for old mate prostate. Whole food plant based nutrition (WFPB) has been shown to cause regression of cancers which were borderline for operative treatment compared to standard diet eaters whose cancers progressed. Converting to whole food plant based (WFPB) nutrition is one, if not the best, option. This means that eating a wide variety of whole plant based foods increases the amount of antioxidants in the body offering protection against the damage that causes cancer cells to grow. Eating animal foods tends to do the opposite and it also stimulates the growth of cancer cells through compounds such as Insulin-like growth factor. Eating dairy definitely increases our risk of developing cancer in the prostate.

So just to mansplain for a minute here, if you really want to either care for your old mate prostate or minimise your risk of developing prostate cancer or maximise your recovery chances if you already have prostate cancer, then you need to eat plenty of whole fruits and vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. And if the idea of cutting meat and dairy from the diet and converting to whole foods doesn’t seem very manly, I encourage you to google Mike Tyson.

Men are often creatures of habit when it comes to food – so there’s no doubt some of you could be pretty stumped for ideas if you’re thinking of making the switch to a WFPB life. So to make it easier, we have set up our ‘21 day challenge’ free delicious recipes ready on hand for those wanting to get started. That way you can enjoy food and care for old mate prostate (not to mention everything else) at the same time. Lads, I encourage you to tell your mates!

So guys, it’s quite simple – look after your prostate with whole food on your plate. We want you around to catch the blossoms and the footy and loads more pairs of socks on Father’s Day for many years to come.

Think today to protect tomorrow.
Plant Strong Living ❤️