If you’re undecided as to what to have for lunch, you may want to go with the sandwich
that can lower the risk of colon cancer, slow aging and keep your brain healthy.

The Sandwich: A Tuna Sandwich!

Here are 3 ways that tuna sandwich can bolster your health.

a) Slow Aging-
Eating a few servings of fatty fish like salmon, tuna, trout and sardines,
which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, help prevent damage to telomeres.
What are telomeres?
Caps on the ends of chromosomes that indicate how fast the body ages.
The longer your telomeres, the less likely you are to develop inflammation and
other wear-and-tear on your body cells that lead to disease.
Also beneficial: Increasing the amount of vitamin C in your diet.
Eat more oranges (citrus) and strawberries to protect your telomeres.

b) Prevent Colon Cancer-
That baloney, ham and salami sub does look tempting, but too many of these
types of sandwiches raise your risk of developing colon cancer.
Processed meats have been linked to a higher risk of colon cancer. In fact,
just one or two meals of processed meats each week increase your risk of
colon cancer by 75%. So, to offset this, choose the healthier tuna sub.
Again, the same omega-3 fatty acids can block the production of cancer-causing
chemicals in the digestive tract. Eating more tuna lowers colon cancer risk by 70%.
No time to make a sandwich? Head to your local Subway, and get a tuna sub there.

c) A Healthier Brain-
We’ve written a few posts on how to prevent your odds of developing mental decline,
dementia and Alzheimer’s, so feel free to read (or reread) them, but if you want a recipe
to help you lower your odds, here’s one for you using the popular lunch-time sandwich.
The Recipe: A Curried Tuna-Avocado Sandwich!
This sandwich contains tuna and some other ingredients that help keep your brain
in tiptop shape.
The Ingredients:
curry powder 1 tsp.
1/2 cup of low-fat mayonnaise or low-fat plain yogurt
1 small onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 tsp. of lemon juice
1 can of tuna, drained (water-packed)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced and diced
4 slices of whole-wheat bread
To make:
In a nonstick skillet, heat up the curry powder over
low heat, stirring until it releases a scent. Transfer to a bowl,
and add the next 6 ingredients. Mix well, and season with a little salt,
and pepper. Place the mixture on toasted whole wheat bread.
Enough for 2 sandwiches.
Here’s a little more info on how some of the ingredients in this dish
protect brain health.
* Avocados-
Rich in vitamin E, the vitamin that lowers your odds of getting Alzheimer’s
by 60%.
* Curry-
Contains curcumin, a spice that clears away Alzheimer’s-causing proteins in
the brain called amyloid plaques.
* Whole-Wheat Bread-
The fiber in bread helps stabilize blood sugar levels; since glucose is
the brain’s main source of fuel and keeping levels steady helps sharpen
concentration.
Important tip: It’s vitally important you choose a top quality whole-wheat
bread, so make sure it says whole grain on the label.
d) Tuna-
Tuna is packed with DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid the brain uses to transmit
information between cells. And researchers say the more DHA you have in
your system, your odds of developing Alzheimer’s drops considerably.

Sources:
* Journal of Nutrition and Food Research
* Japanese Researchers
* Subway
* University of California at Davis