Cancer-fighting Foods: Real or Myth?
Some Foods Have Protective Abilities
You’ve probably been told before to eat your broccoli or Brussels sprouts or spinach, but that’s for a very good reason. It would be difficult to stress the importance of eating them too much. Vegetables, along with fruit, come with more nutritional value than any other food that you can put on your lunch and dinner plates. They are the best shields against disease—it’s a fact that has been clinically proven over and over again. Collectively, and mostly in their raw form, they have been extensively studied and found to help keep the body strong.
Vegetables Help Fight Disease
Vegetables can help you fight off diseases of all shapes and sizes, including every type of cancer. Health professionals all agree that vegetables benefit your health, which is quite extraordinary, considering that there really isn’t much else that they do agree on.
Health information universally recommends eating a substantial amount of fruits and vegetables, particularly as you grow older and your risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure and “hypercholesterolemia” rise. There is little doubt that as you age, your need for these kinds of foods increases, as your need for animal proteins and meat in general decreases.
However, that doesn’t mean that you need to cut out meat altogether, because many lean meats also contain a number of beneficial proteins, vitamins (especially the B vitamins) and minerals. You should consider cutting down on how much of it you eat, though. For example, you may want to try to eat a diet that skips meat, say, two days a week.
Now, back to our discussion about fruits and vegetables; both food groups are filled with very real and effective medicinal ingredients. One of the very few unfortunate things about the amazing progress that medical science has made in fighting disease is that it sometimes relies too heavily on drugs. We’ve all forgotten that food can be a powerful healer all on its own.
The medicinal ingredients in certain foods have been proven to fight, among other things, prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, stroke, blood pressure and heart disease. Let me take a moment to show you a few of the amazing nutrients that you will encounter in your fruits and veggies—and you don’t need a medical degree to understand or use these nutrients!
Carotenoids
“Carotenoids” are found in dark-green, leafy vegetables and in all yellow or orange fruits and vegetables. They are extremely powerful “antioxidants,” which are excellent at protecting your cells from oxidative or free-radical damage. A wealth of proof exists on the effectiveness of carotenoids, the best known being beta-carotene, “lutein,” “lycopene” and “zeaxanthin.”
In one study, 77,238 women were followed for a 10-year period. It was found that those who consumed the most carotenoids had a 63% lower incidence of lung cancer!1 In another massive study that followed the diets of 73,286 nurses for a 12-year period, it was found that a diet that was high in carotenoids reduced the risk of coronary artery disease.2
Flavonoids
“Flavonoids” are potent antioxidants that also give color to fruits and vegetables. Various kinds come from various fruits and vegetables, but they all share a common ability to stem inflammation, block the release of histamines (related to allergies), combat free radicals, boost the immune system, strengthen your blood vessels and help with circulation. They also help stop tumors from forming.
We are learning more and more about flavonoids all the time, and a big one is “quercetin.” In one study involving 34,489 postmenopausal women, flavonoids were associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, “and all causes,” to quote the study directly.3
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is found in high amounts within many vegetables and fruits—especially the citrus variety. Its health effects are uniquely long-listed, as it protects against oxidative damage, hunts free radicals, heals wounds, repels histamines, strengthens muscles and blood vessels, is essential in creating the liver’s bile, detoxifies alcohol, helps lower blood pressure, prevents cataracts, helps combat diabetes, fights respiratory infections and the list could go on.
In one study involving 41,358 patients, vitamin C was associated with reduced mortality.4
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is found in green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils. It plays a big role in cardiovascular health. It is also an antioxidant that protects cell membranes and other fat-soluble parts of the body from oxidative damage. Additionally, it makes an excellent companion to vitamin C, and it can protect the brain from neurological diseases.
In one clinical trial, vitamin E was found to slow functional deterioration in adults with Alzheimer’s disease.5
Selenium
“Selenium” is a trace mineral that is found in plant foods. It is a strong antioxidant as well, thus having the ability to prevent cancer, heart disease and arthritis. The amount of selenium that is found in vegetables depends on the soil in which they grew. In North America, for example, soil is usually fairly selenium-rich.
In an animal study, feeding a selenium-deficient diet resulted in neurological dysfunction and dealth.6
Indoles
“Indoles” are major anticancer substances that are found in “cruciferous” vegetables (the cabbage family). They are sources of chemicals that contain sulfur, which are released whenever the vegetables are crushed or cooked. Indoles may be responsible for the reduced cancer risk in people who eat large amounts of cauliflower, kale and cabbage.
A clinical study found that the indoles in cruciferous vegetables helped reduce the incidence of head and neck tumors in smokers.7
Lycopene
“Lycopene” is a member of the carotenoid family, but it deserves its own little category because it has very strong anticancer properties and antioxidant abilities. Found in tomatoes and pink grapefruit (it provides the red tint), lycopene has been found to protect against heart disease and prostate cancer.
One study stated that lycopene plays a role in protection against colon cancer.8
Functional Foods for Maximum Protection
Here’s a term that you might be familiar with, depending on how much health literature you take in. The term is “functional foods,” and that is what a diet of fruits and vegetables is based upon. It’s what makes these foods protect your body from disease.
Functional foods go beyond just providing basic nutrition. Lots of foods contain many different nutrients, but not all of them will perform medicinal effects in your body. Biologically active components in functional foods impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects.
Functional attributes of many traditional foods are being discovered all the time, while new food products are being developed with beneficial components. The scientific world is continuing to learn more and more about the potential of functional foods in our health.
Just to remind you (and because it is good to have a very clear framework within which to work and within which to set your dietary goals), here is a list of the top functional foods. If you were to consume these foods you would likely find that your health, energy and mood improved. The results might be quite dramatic, especially if you have let a lot of processed foods creep into your diet. Even if you have been basically eating “healthy,” you may not have remembered to balance your diet with vitamins, minerals, proteins, healthy fats, enzymes and fiber. So, once again, here is the list:
Fruits & Vegetables
• All berries
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Citrus fruit
• Collard greens
• Corn
• Garlic and onions
• Kale
• Kiwis
• Mustard greens
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
Proteins
• Almonds
• Beans
• Eggs
• Fish (especially tuna and salmon)
• Soy
• Walnuts
• Yogurt
Fiber
• Bran
• Oats
• Psyllium
• Whole wheat
Fats
• Coconut
• Flaxseed oil/seeds
• Olive oil
• Sunflower oil/seeds
Beverages
• Red wine
• Tea (green or black)
• Water
Others
• Black pepper
• Cinnamon
• Curry
• Dark chocolate
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Turmeric
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