Looks like the calcium and phosphorus in milk and yogurt may offer some protection against colon cancer. Both minerals help keep benign tumors from turning malignant. Blend together half a cup of low-fat yogurt, half a cup of nonfat milk, half a cup of frozen berries, and a splash of orange juice for a fruity, frothy summer treat.

Some benign colon tumors can become malignant, so reducing that likelihood is critical. In a 2005 study, women who consumed more than 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium and more than 1,600 mg of phosphorus each day had the lowest risk of developing benign tumors and the lowest incidence of colon cancer. Hooray for cows!

The combination of milk and yogurt in our tasty shake gives you 400 mg of calcium and 300 mg of phosphorous. That's a great start! Add a multivitamin (it'll add at least 100 mg more of each mineral), snack on some almonds, or enjoy a meal that includes lentils, beans, peanut butter, or peas and you'll be in great cancer-fighting shape.

A Berry Good Thing

Tempted to go overboard on fresh strawberries? Go ahead.

It's peak season, so they're cheap, juicy, abundant, and one of the healthiest fruits around. A string of recent studies credit strawberries with helping to smack down the effects of bad LDL cholesterol, inhibit disease-fueling inflammation, fight the development of cancer, and even benefit the aging brain. Whew! All that and irresistible flavor.

Strawberries are famous for their heart-healthy vitamin C, but they're also packed with potent disease-fighting antioxidants, especially one called ellagic acid, which has shown strong cancer-fighting properties in the lab. Strawberries also are rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that help shield cells from molecular damage, reducing the risks of multiple diseases and needless brain/body aging. Strawberry shortcake, anyone?

A Seed of Truth

Recent research shows that a diet with ample amounts of vegetable protein, such as the protein found in sunflower seeds, may help keep blood pressure down. A diet high in animal protein offered no such benefit in the study. Stock up on sunflower seeds, cashews, and kidney beans to get your fill of blood pressure-lowering veggie protein.

Increasing your intake of fresh vegetables provides you with fiber and disease-fighting nutrients. Vegetable-rich diets may help reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Results of a new study suggest eating a diet high in vegetable protein may help lower blood pressure, though it's not known how vegetable protein creates this effect. The unique protein composition or mineral content of vegetables may play a role. Exercising regularly, reducing stress, and limiting salt intake if you are salt sensitive will help you get a handle on your blood pressure as well.

Caffeine Caution

You may want to rethink that morning cup of coffee if you have high blood pressure.

Caffeine causes a temporary increase in blood pressure in people who do not consume it regularly. However, research shows that even with regular consumption about half of all people continue to experience spikes from consuming it. If you have high blood pressure or are at risk for it, consider nixing the colas, coffees, teas, and other treats that contain caffeine.

Caffeine consumption of 300 milligrams per day causes increases in blood pressure for up to several hours, particularly in people who don't normally consume it or who do but never developed a tolerance for it. You cannot be certain whether you are caffeine intolerant unless you undergo monitoring in a lab, so minimizing caffeine intake may be the best option for people who have high blood pressure or risk factors for high blood pressure. These risk factors include being overweight, not exercising regularly, or having diabetes. Coffee, tea, colas, energy drinks, chocolate, and certain over-the-counter cold medicines all contain caffeine, as do decaffeinated coffee, tea, and colas -- ableit in smaller amounts.

Eat Well, Be Well

The WELL diet serves up weight loss with a side of blood pressure control.

Researchers who designed a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy -- the WELL diet -- discovered that people who followed the eating plan for 12 weeks experienced better blood pressure improvements compared to people who followed a low-fat diet. The WELL diet's secret to success: foods high in blood pressure-friendly nutrients.

No commercial information about the WELL diet exists yet. Generally, however, the diet calls for low-fat foods high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium -- all nutrients important to blood pressure control -- and moderate sodium. The diet encourages four or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables each, three or more servings of non-fat dairy, fish three times per week, legumes at least once a week, and unsalted nuts or seeds four times each week.

The diet also discourages red meat consumption. In a recent study, researchers compared weight loss and blood pressure effects of two diets in a group of middle-aged men. One group of men consumed a traditional low-fat diet while the other followed the WELL diet. Men in both groups were moderately active for half an hour on most days of the week. While men in both groups lost between 10 and 11 pounds, men in the WELL diet group experienced a greater decrease in blood pressure.

Don't Be So Salty

You know about salt and high blood pressure. But salt and cancer? Research suggests there may be a connection.

Diets high in super salty foods could spell trouble for people's colons, early research suggests. Women in a study who subsisted on a traditional Japanese diet, which tends to be very high in sodium, exhibited an increased risk of colon cancer. More research is needed to confirm the link, but in the meantime, kick up the flavor of your favorite foods with herbs and low-sodium spices instead.

In a recent study, researchers examined the effects of traditional Japanese diets, traditional Western diets, and healthful, balanced diets on colon cancer risk. Japanese diets tend to be high in salty foods, such as pickled fish or vegetables, and Western diets tend to be high in meat, cheese, and butter. The Japanese and Western diets were associated with increased colon cancer risk for women.

Researchers are not sure why their study produced an association only in women, but further research may reveal more information about dietary patterns and colon cancer risk in men. If you're trying to reduce your sodium intake, limit consumption of processed and convenience foods, which are often high in salt.

Salt also is used as a preservative in many canned soups, processed meats, cheeses, crackers, and chips. Be mindful of other hidden sources of salt, such as tomato juice, baking soda, baking powder, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and many condiments, such as soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, relish, and pickles. Certain over-the-counter medications also may be high in sodium, including antacids, cold medicines, and analgesics.

Balance Your Good Fats

Are you getting too much of one kind of healthy fat and not enough of other healthy fats? Strike the right balance for better health.

Healthy fats include monounsaturated fats -- such as olive oil -- and polyunsaturated fats -- such as corn oil and sunflower oil. A balanced mix of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats appeared best for helping control cholesterol in a recent study.

No more than 30 percent of your daily caloric intake should come from fat -- for some people, physicians may recommend even less. Of this 30 percent, no more than 7 percent to 10 percent should come from saturated fat. The rest should be a mix of unsaturated fats -- both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. In a recent study, researchers compared the cholesterol-lowering effects of three diets, two with 30 percent of calories from fat and one more like the average American diet, which typically has more than 30 percent of calories from fat.

Of the diets that limited fat intake to 30 percent of calories, one had all fat calories come from olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fats and relatively low in polyunsaturated fats, while the other diet's fats came from special sunflower oil formulated to contain high amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Although both test diets provided fewer fat calories than the typical American diet, only the diet that balanced mono- and polyunsaturated fats lowered both total and LDL cholesterol.

Don't Forget Your Juice

Your morning glass of juice may be a brain saver.

Drinking fruit or vegetable juice at least three times per week may lower a person's risk of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study suggests. Antioxidants in the juice may be responsible for the effect. To keep your waistline from expanding, choose low-calorie or pure juices without any added sugar.

In addition to drinking juice, another way to get your daily fill of antioxidants is to eat whole fruit, which also will add fiber to your diet. The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables may protect your brain against oxidative damage caused by hydrogen peroxide and certain proteins.

In a recent study, researchers discovered that people who drank three or more servings of fruit or vegetable juice per week were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's than people who drank juice less than once per week. More research is needed to confirm the findings, but in the meantime, juice remains a quick and easy way to get an additional serving of fruit in your diet. Regular exercise and mental stimulation help ward off dementia as well.