Cancer is so prevalent that almost half our population gets it. But depending on whom you ask, you’ll get a different reason for what causes cancer. Reasons range from “we just don’t know” to exposure to poisons to genetics. But this much is clear: There are definitely foods that protect against cancer. They accomplish this task by various means, including detoxifying the body and neutralizing damaging cells. The best thing you can do for your diet is to cut out all processed foods (anything in a box) and any food that is not organically grown. Pesticides that are sprayed on non-organic foods are dangerous, toxic and in many cases can cause cancer.

The best foods to protect against cancer? Here’s a short (but by no means complete) list, in no particular order:

Sulfur-bearing vegetables: Vegetarians already enjoy cancer-fighting properties of 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM), a chemical released when Brassica vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale are chewed and digested. Animal studies have shown that DIM can actually stop the growth of certain cancer cells. (source: University of California at Berkeley). “Broccoli contains an important chemical known as sulforaphane which has been shown to be a strong inhibitor of not only only breast cancer cells, but several other types of cancer as well. Sulforaphane is rapidly becoming known among cancer researchers as being a biochemical with strong anti-cancer properties.” (Kristie Leong, MD)

Grape Seed Extract: “One of the polyphenols contained in grape seed extract is called resveratrol. In laboratory and animal studies, resveratrol from grape seeds has interfered with cancer cell growth and division, as well as causing some cancer cells to disintegrate faster than they would ordinarily. In addition, it may also block enzymes that initiate and prolong the survival of several cancer cell types, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer….Grape seed extract contains chemicals known as polyphenols, (including the subclass of proanthocyanidins), which are recognized to be effective antioxidants. Substances thought to protect body cells from damage caused by a chemical process called oxidation, which produces oxygen free radicals; antioxidants are believed to work in a number of ways. They may lessen oxidation, they may inactivate oxygen free radicals, and/or they may restore at least some normal functioning to tissues damaged by oxygen free radicals.” (DrugDigest)

Beans, nuts and cereals (not your average boxed cereals): A collaborative study led by University College London shows that the compound – inositol pentakisphosphate – found in beans, nuts and cereals inhibits a key enzyme (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) involved in tumour growth. The findings, published in “Cancer Research, suggest that a diet enriched in these foods could help prevent cancer, while the inhibitor offers a new tool for anti-cancer therapy.” (Medical News Today: Compound found in beans, nuts and cereals beats cancer — inositol pentakisphosphate; .medicalnewstoday.com/articles/30694.php)

Green Tea: “Green tea is rich in chemicals called polyphenols. Animal studies show that polyphenols have potent cancer-fighting effects. The researchers measured green tea polyphenols in the urine of healthy people and in people with stomach or esophagus cancer. They found that regular green tea drinking cut cancer risk in half.” (Daniel J. DeNoon; “Common Foods Help Prevent Cancer;” WebMD Medical News; April 9, 2002)

Tomatoes: Harvard Medical School researcher Edward Giovannucci, MD, and co-workers showed that men who ate more than two servings of tomato sauce per week had a 23% lower risk of prostate cancer than men who ate less than one serving a week. (Daniel J. DeNoon; “Common Foods Help Prevent Cancer;” WebMD Medical News; April 9, 2002)

Turmeric: “Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is the yellow spice most familiar in Indian curries and found in American prepared mustard. People whose diets are rich in turmeric have lower rates of breast cancer as well as prostate, lung and colon cancers, and recent research at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston suggests that curcumin, an active component in turmeric, may help prevent the spread of breast cancer. In studies of mice, researchers found that curcumin helped stop the metastasis of breast cancer cells to the lung. Human studies following up on this finding are now in progress.” (Andrew Weil, MD)

Fruits and Vegetables: The fact is that most Americans eat all kinds of non-foods, including sugar, desserts, cakes, ice cream, baloney, soda, junk foods, fast foods and processed foods. None of these provide needed antioxidants or cancer-fighting nutrients. In fact, they contribute to cancer. If you just changed your diet to eat only organic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and some meats, you would be way ahead of the national average for cancer prevention.

University of Michigan resarcher Mack Ruffin, M.D., M.P.H., professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Health System and a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, says, “It’s very clear for all the top cancers that diet has an influence on your risk of getting cancers. If your dinner plate is filled with all-white, starchy foods, take note: Not only is the food plain, but it has fewer cancer-fighting vitamins and minerals and is loaded with calories.” (source: University of Michigan)

Should you just take vitamin pills? NO!! Foods offer amazing benefits that vitamin pills do not. Read more about this here

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