Foods that Help Fight Cancer

Over recent years and as many recent studies keep coming up with similar suggestions as to how one can ,in a way, help prevent disease and cancer is no exception.

Numerous health articles by respected doctors and universities have been trending towards making our diets more plant base; the larger portion of each meal should be plants.

Another key suggestion is that we should add fruits and vegetables that are rich in their color or rather have a darker skin tone and are crunchy.

"The easiest, least-expensive way to reduce your risk for cancer is just by eating a healthy diet," says Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, PhD, MPH, RD, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute.....When it comes to a diet rich in cancer-fighting substances, most experts agree that it should consist of a predominantly plant-based diet. "If you have two-thirds of plant food on your plate, that seems to be enough to avoid excessive amounts of food high in saturated fat," says Karen Collins, RD, nutritional advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research." http://www.webmd.com

Among the best foods that we should consume regularly are fruits such as cherries, apples, grapes and oranges. They are high in folate which suggest that it aids the body in fighting cancer.

"How It Works

"The thought is that when someone has low levels of folate, it's more likely for mutations in DNA to occur," Stolzenberg-Solomon says. Conversely, adequate levels of folate protect against such mutations."" http://www.webmd.com

Other foods include those that are high in calcium such as milk, eggs, fish such as salmon. And off course getting a daily dose of sunshine is great for boosting your vitamin D. Tea and any drinks or plants which have a high content of flavonoids which work by protecting cells from free radical cells with their antioxidant abilities. is good for preventing some cancers. By the way, any tea is good, even the soda type.

Other great foods fall under what scientist label cruciferous vegetables. Some examples are: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and bok choy.

However, in order to reap their full healthy benefits they must be chewed. They seem to release their cancer fighting complex once they are either cut or chewed or even mashed. Light cooking such as stir frying them is the best method.

Some spices or foods that are normally used to spice up foods seem to do a lot towards preventing ,even killing some cancer cells. Curcumin;"Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid of the popular Indian spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family" Wikipedia.

Not only does this spice add flavors your meals but its anti-inflammatory abilities are credited with decreasing the changes of getting some forms of cancer. Another new comer into the cancer fighting arena is ginger, Used for centuries in China and other Asiatic countries, it seems that substances in ginger sometimes have the ability to actually kill cancer cells by having them basically "commit suicide or digest themselves".

The good thing about ginger, like tea, is that consuming it in different ways has the same effects. ginger cookies, ginger tea, even ginger ale, are just two of the ways of consuming this root-spice.

There is a number of cancer fighting foods but the main ones besides the ones already mentioned are:

Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that attacks roaming oxygen molecules, known as free radicals, that are suspected of triggering cancer.

Avocados have a powerful antioxidant that attacks free radicals.

Carrots contain a lot of beta carotene, which may help reduce a wide range of cancers.

Mushrooms: appear to help the body fight cancer and build the immune system.

Nuts; which are high in anti-oxidants.

Garlic has immune-enhancing compounds that appear to increase the ability of the immune system to fight cancer and may help break down cancer causing substances.

Coffee, being a fruit, has high levels of anti-oxidants too and although caffeine has anti-inflammatory abilities, consuming too much of it has its detrimental factors.

Vitamins are off course very important not only for a healthy diet but some are cancer preventives. Among these are the B complex, vitamin D and vitamin C. There is some debate as to whether lab created vitamins are as good as those that are naturally occurring Research and reach your own conclusions.

Bottom line, a diet which has as its main dish fish or vegetable and meats as sides or to add flavor, seems to be a smarter choice. In many Asian & Mediterranean countries this mix is the basis of their staple fare and recent studies by leading health experts have found that these countries have the lowest incidents of not only cancer but of heart disease as well.

A note about alcohol; many studies suggest that drinking alcohol in moderation is good for the heart. Consuming red wine made from grapes is also a cancer deterrent since grapes are high in anti-oxidants.

Keep in mind too that these foods are good to prevent some types of cancers, but they are also very important in maintaining a healthy diet and helping your heart health.

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