Almost everyone would know someone with cancer of some kind. This dreadful disease seems to be at epidemic proportions nowadays so what can we do to fight it? It may seem too simple, but the foods we eat give our bodies cancer fighting nutrients that can help to prevent it from affecting us – but only if we eat the right kind of foods.
What are they? Many vegetables and fruit contain health and life giving nutrients, but some have more in them than others. Here are some to include in your diet to help prevent cancer.
- Broccoli – while all cruciferous vegetables do contain cancer-fighting properties, broccoli is the one that contains high levels of sulforaphane. This potent compound will boost your protective enzymes and flush out the kinds of chemicals that cause cancer, according to Jed Fahey ScD. A study in Michigan University proved that sulforaphane also targets cancer stem cells that cause tumours.
- Berries – while all berries are good for you, black raspberries contain large amounts of anthocyanins, which are known to slow down the growth of premalignant cells. They also prevent new blood vessels from forming to feed those cells.
- Tomatoes – this popular fruit contains lots of lycopene, the carotenoid that gives tomatoes their colour. It stops endometrial cancer cell growth and helps to fight lung, prostrate and stomach cancers. Tomato sauce and paste also contain it.
- Walnuts – contain phytosterols, that help to block oestrogen receptors in breast cancer cells. This helps to slow down the growth of such cells. Walnuts are also good for prostate cancer.
- Garlic – contains phytochemicals that stops the formation of nitrosamines, carcinogens that form in the stomach after eating foods that contain nitrates as a preservative. It helps to fight cancer of the breast, oesophagus, colon and stomach cancers.
- Beans – not fresh green beans, but the black and navy beans popular in the US. These legumes are high in butyrate a fatty acid that protects against cancer growth. These can be used from a can or from dry beans that have been soaked and cooked. They are good for breast and colon cancers.
- Curcumin – this spice found in Turmeric is known to reduce the growth of tumours, as well as fighting colon and breast cancer. Take it with black pepper which contains piperine that makes curcumin more available in the body. It can also be taken as a supplement in capsule form.
You’ll notice in #5 that nitrates are a carcinogen (contributing to the risk of cancer) that is found in many foods as a preservative. Avoiding processed meats and other foods that contain nitrates will also help you to avoid cancer. We have to wonder why it is even allowed in food.