I thought I’d share some research on cancer fighting foods for those of you who are fighting cancer and for those who want to prevent it. This isn’t a full list as there are so many foods, teas, herbs that help. I just listed the top foods according to studies I found. I dedicated an entire chapter to foods to eat, how to eat them and recipes in my book, “Kick Cancer Naturally.” You can find a chart of foods as a downloadable resource on the resources page.
Cruciferous Vegetables
This is the first foods I started eating as soon as I was diagnosed. Cruciferous vegetables are rich in nutrients and fiber. A high fiber diet, from fruits and vegetables, and especially cruciferous vegetables provide many anti-cancer benefits such as:
- Keeping blood vessels from feeding tumors
- Inhibiting metastasis
- Repairing DNA damage
- Creates apoptosis, healthy cell death
- Antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory
The kicker is, you have to chew, chew, chew these vegetables raw to get the best release of the phytonutrient, sulforaphane which kills off cancer cells. Luckily, blending them will do the chewing for you as long as you drink it immediately after!
Eat as many cruciferous vegetables as possible each day:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Bok choy
- Arugula
- Brussels sprouts
- Collard greens
- Watercress
- Radishes
If you have a preexisting gut issue, cruciferous vegetables may cause more inflammation. You can take apple cider vinegar to aid in digesting vegetables and take turmeric to reduce inflammation.
Allium Vegetables
These are a unique family of vegetables, the primary ones being garlic and onions. Other allium vegetables are shallots, chives, leeks and scallions. All these vegetables have known antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal effects. They’ve also been studied and found to inhibit cancer cells.
Garlic
Garlic is the number one food effective against cancer cells. If you didn’t eat anything else but raw garlic, your cancer cells would decrease immensely. Garlic causes cancer cells to induce apoptosis, a process your body performs where cancer cells and other pathogenic cells commit suicide while leaving healthy cells alone. It also stops the growth and spreading of cancer cells.
Apples
Studies have shown that apples can significantly reduce the estrogen receptor form of breast cancer and reduce the risk of other cancers.
Berries and Cherries
Berries are one of the best things you can eat for antioxidants. They fight the oxidation that leads to DNA mutation and cancer. Studies show that cherries inhibit cancer cell growth and stimulate apoptosis in breast cancer.
Essiac Tea
Essiac tea is a blend of herbs created by a Canadian Nurse, Rene M. Caisse then named this creation, Essiac, which is her last name spelled backward. It has too many benefits to list here, but its main benefit is to detox the body so the immune system can find and clean out cancer cells.
Turmeric
Turmeric contains curcumin which inhibits growth of cancer cells and induces apoptosis. It is also an anti-inflammatory and helps with joint pain.
Beans and Legumes
Phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals in beans and legumes are vital nutrients for your body. Beans also have high fiber content which helps your body absorb vitamins and minerals better. The fiber in beans also leads to smoother digestion, and flushes toxins out of your body.
Mushrooms
Each mushroom has different health benefits. They have anticancer properties and restrict the blood vessels feeding a tumor. They are anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidants and enhance the immune system. Mushrooms are being researched as possible cancer treatments.
Chia seeds
Chia seeds are among the most powerful anti-cancer foods that inhibit cell growth in breast tumors. Chia seeds are rich in lignans, and alpha-linolenic acid which helps limit the growth of both breast and cervical cancer cells. Chia seeds should be soaked before eating to avoid getting caught in the intestinal folds and causing inflammation.
Thx