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How to Get the Top Ten Cancer-Fighting Foods into Your Diet

 
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We all want to stay healthy and one step ahead of cancer - that’s no surprise. Here are some of the foods you should be eating to do just that:

1. Tomatoes. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that can reduce your risk of breast, prostate, pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Lycopene is concentrated when tomatoes are cooked, so your best lycopene sources are spaghetti sauce, tomato paste and ketchup.

2. Broccoli sprouts. These are sprouts actually developed from broccoli, and they are the only product out there that guarantees consistent levels of sulforaphane GS, a natural compound in broccoli and other cruciferous plants that support our bodies' own antioxidant function. Sulforaphane may reduce your risk of stomach, breast and skin cancer.

3. Berries are very high in antioxidants. They get their mouth watering colors from antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Look for fruits and vegetables with the deepest colors to get the highest concentration of anthocyanins, but they all have properties helpful in fighting colon and esophageal cancers.

4. Soybeans are known for their isoflavones and they help us fight breast and prostate cancer by protecting our cells from estrogen's harmful effects. There are several kinds of isoflavones in soy products, but one, called genistein, may be the best defense against the growth and spread of cancerous cells. However, findings are not conclusive. Be careful about using too much soy in your diet - it can cause hormonal imbalance that stimulates the growth of cancer cells.

5. Tea. Tea has catechins (also called polyphenols), which are the potent antioxidants that fight cancer growth. Catechins work by preventing the cancer cells from dividing, and may reduce your risk of liver, skin, stomach, lung, colon, rectum, liver and pancreas cancers. Green tea's claim to fame is a very powerful antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), but black tea has its own arsenal of cancer-fighting ingredients.

6. Carrots, and any brightly colored vegetables, are all chock-full of beta-carotene. There has been some research that indicates beta-carotene can actually cause cancer, but that’s only possible if you eat these vegetables in mega quantities. A substance called falcarinol, found in carrots, might cause some cancer cells to grow more slowly, but carrots must be eaten raw to get its full effect. The cancers that beta-carotene targets are lung, mouth, throat, stomach, intestine, bladder, prostate and breast.

7. Spinach is the vegetable known as the “gold standard” of all green, leafy vegetables; it has the most vitamin E and lutein to ward off cancer of the liver, breast, prostate and colon. Spinach has a carotenoid, called neoxanthin, that can cause prostate cancer cells to self-destruct, and is then converted in the intestines to something called neochromes, which put prostate cancer cells into a state of stasis so that they can’t reproduce.

8. Garlic has the power to increase activity of immune cells that fight cancer and help break down cancer-causing substances. Garlic contains allium compounds that help block carcinogens from entering cells, therefore slowing tumor development. Garlic has anti-bacterial effects against a bacteria found in the stomach, helicobacter pylori, that is known to promote cancer there.

9. Pineapple is an excellent source of the enzyme bromelain; it’s a proteolytic enzyme, which means it helps digest protein. That’s important, since fibrin is a protein that promotes blood clotting and slows down blood circulation in the body. Studies have shown that bromelain might protect against breast and lung cancer, and it’s also been used as a complementary tumor therapy.

10. Apples contain quercetin. It’s a major bioflavenoid in our diet, and it has the ability to reduce lung cancer risk and the growth of some prostate cancer cells. It does this by blocking the flow of oxygen and other nutrients to cancer cells. Quercetin is also a phytoestrogen, which means it can mimic the effects of estrogen. The quercetin you get from citrus fruits can reduce the growth rate of breast cancer cells by 50 percent.

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Add a Comment12 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Why is this called "How to Get the Top Ten Cancer-Fighting Foods into Your Diet?" Tell us how to get them into our diet not just identify them.

February 7, 2011 - 12:16am
(reply to Anonymous)

You are asking for tips on getting these foods into your diet? Are you asking for recipes?

Most of these foods are finger foods, and you can just eat some berries or carrots as a snack! Tea is a great afternoon drink (instead of sodas or espresso, for example). Berries are great in yogurt as a mix-in, too.

Are these the types of ideas you were looking for? If so, we can add some more ideas...just wanted to clarify your question.

February 8, 2011 - 10:29am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Alkaline food prevents cancer. Being on a diet rich with the right nutrients that help you build a strong and healthy body, is the only defense that you have against cancer. Make sure you eat and drink healthy alkaline food. http://www.3sdiet.com

November 4, 2010 - 5:19pm
HERWriter

Cat, your article is on point. There are numerous credible sources endorsing a "cancer-fighting" diet, such as the American Institute for Cancer Research (http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=foodsthatfightcancer_home) and the National Cancer Institute position on nutrition and cancer prevention (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/nutrition/Patient/page6#Section_102).
Evidentally, this article is not for everyone but for those willing to participate in their own wellness and possibly reduce their risk of cancer.
Thank you for your insights and for caring about women's health.

June 5, 2010 - 10:05am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Annette Leal Mattern)

I believe that God chose the right diet for us, if we stick to it we will be healthier-one of the reasons there isn't more research on these foods and supplements is because they don't lend themselves to billions of dollars in profits.

June 7, 2010 - 2:56am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

According to the bible god tells us that shellfish is an abomination so do you really think that your logic with keep you healthy?

February 7, 2011 - 12:18am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I think it is great

December 22, 2009 - 7:37am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Dear Cat, I am a doctor and I can say there is nothing like a "cancer-fighting food." Eating food with a high fiber content may be advantegous for some types, but no food can fight cancer. Cancer is not a single disease but it is made up from approx 200 kinds of uncontrolled cellular growth disorders, so you can't "fight" it with food.

No double blind controlled study has established the power of foods as claimed above.

July 27, 2009 - 4:34am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

How do you expect us to get these foods into our diets when you don't even show us pictures of what these things look like?! How the h3ll am i supposed to know what a 'pineapple' or a 'tomato' look like?

July 8, 2009 - 12:44am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

An interesting and potentially helpful list, can you provide references from recognised journals for all the recommendations here. Since these are medicinal and health claims I would like to evaluate the claims made by the use of peer reviewed publications.

June 26, 2009 - 5:12am
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.