Cancer Fighting Foods

When it comes to cancer there are many things you can do and should do to help prevent this terrible disease from attacking you. Some of which are: regular doctor check-ups, minimizing the use of oral contraceptives, consistent exercise, minimize your exposure to environmental toxins, get plenty of sleep, don’t smoke, minimize stress, and eat healthy. Since eating healthy is one of the biggest safeguards against cancer and one of the easiest I might add, I thought I would provide a list of some of the best cancer fighting foods and why.

1.  Broccoli

2.  Cabbage

3.  Kale

4.  Cauliflower

The first four foods that made my list are known as cruciferous vegetables. These veggies are loaded with diindolymethane, sulforaphane and selenium which studies have shown all suppress tumor growth in breast, lung, and prostate cancers.

5.  Mushrooms

For those of you who don’t like these slimy guys, you may want to reconsider adding them to your diet.  Mushrooms contain lentinan a powerful compound that helps your immunity as well as lectin, which attack cancer cells, and prevents them from multiplying. 

6.  Tomatoes

It’s almost impossible to have a list of cancer fighting foods and not include tomatoes!  Eating a diet filled with tomatoes has been shown to decrease rates of colon, breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer.  Tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene which studies have shown attack free radicals, which are suspected of triggering cancer in the human body.

7. Dark Leafy Greens 

Dark greens like spinach and beet greens are also known to help fight cancer. They contain the powerful antioxidants beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. All of which help fight cancers such as skin, breast, lung, and cervical.

8.  Apples

Apples are next on my list…as the saying goes “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!”  Well, I’m not sure about that; I do LOVE apples and I eat one almost everyday.  What I do know is that apples contain the plant chemical quercetin, which has been shown to reduce lung cancer risk and slow the growth of prostate cancer cells. 

9.  Berries

Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries are all berries that should be consumed in our diet.  Berries contain polyphenol antioxidants which have been shown to inhibit tumor growth in lung, esophageal and mouth cancers.

10.  Green Tea

Last but not least is green tea. Green tea contains the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate, better known as EGCG. This antioxidant has been shown to help fight against prostate, bladder, colon and pancreatic cancer.

So there you have my top picks for cancer fighting foods. All of these foods are readily available at grocery stores and will not break the bank!  One tip I often give clients is if you feel that fresh produce is too expensive, or if you feel like you aren’t eating it fast enough before you have to throw it out, then buy frozen.  Just make sure the ingredients listed on the package, lists ONLY the produce that is frozen.  It should NOT include anything else like sugar in the ingredient list!  Frozen produce not only tends to be a little less expensive than fresh, but it can also last a lot longer.