How to Use Your Diet to Help Prevent Cancer

Should you wish to remain cancer free or if you have had cancer and wish to avoid a recurrence then take a look at your diet.

The fact is that countries such as China who have a healthier eating regime have far less occurrences of cancer amongst its people.

This country may well be fighting a war on cancer but according to The New England Journal of Medicine there is a 6% higher chance that you will die of cancer today than in 1970. Basically the U.S. cancer rates keep rising.

It is time for each of us to take control and the one thing that we can be proactive about is our diet and understanding how our bodies react to certain foods.

We are all aware of the link between dietary fat and cancer but do we really understand it?

Put bluntly, 40% of the average Americans daily caloric intake comes in the form of fat. And like it or not the risk of developing cancer climbs four to eightfold for each additional 10 percentage points of calories that come from fat.

Basically should you consume a 30% fat diet then the risk of you getting cancer is up to eight times higher than if you ate a 20%fat diet.

So what should you do?

Make sure that the fat in your diet accounts for no more than 15% of your calories.

Be sure that the fats you are consuming are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated such as in salmon, cod, canola oil, olive oil and flaxseed oil.

The fats to avoid are the saturated fats that are found in meats, whole milk products and palm kernel oils. This is simply because saturated fats weaken the immune system and that in turn allow tumors to flourish.

The Importance of Fiber

A diet that is high in fiber also reduces the risk of developing cancer, especially colon cancer.

The question is how much fiber is enough? Well, 25 grams a day is good but 40 grams is better.

Try and include two to three cups of whole grain foods such as breads, brown rice, oat products and cereal each day along with 1-2 cups of legumes and beans and 4-5 cups of fresh vegetables.

Are There Any Cancer Fighting Foods?

The answer to this is yes. There are certainly some fruits, vegetables and grains that have special cancer prevention powers. These foods are loaded with phytonutrients These being compounds that have been shown to shrink tumors and deactivate carcinogens.

So where can you find these foods that are rich in phytonutrients?

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts. These vegetables contain sulforaphane and indole-3 carbinol, which are compounds that control hormone levels in such a way as to lower the risk for breast cancer.

Citrus fruits, such as limes, lemons oranges and grapefruit. These fruits actually contain more than 50 different phytonutrients including flavonoids that block carcinogens from getting inside cells.

Apples, blackberries, currants, plums and grapes all have saponins and quercetin that aid in neutralizing carcinogens, slow down tumor growth and protect the cells against attack by free radicals.

Red, yellow and dark-green veggies contain carotenoids that guard the cells against oxidation and break down cancer causing chemicals. Tomatoes are particularly good.

Shallots, leeks, onions and garlic increase the activity of immune system cells, called natural killer cells, and help to destroy tumor cells.

The consumption of soy has also been linked to reduced rates of breast, colon and prostate cancer. Just substitute soymilk and cheese for dairy products.

Mushrooms such as shiitakes and rewishis that are popular in Chinese cookery contain beta-glucan and other immunity boosting phytochemicals.

The traditional Japanese beverage of green tea also inhibits formation of nitrosamines, prevents genetic mutations and blocks the creations of tumors.

Turmeric that can be found in curries contains a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to lower rates of colon cancer.

So there you have it. To lower your risk of developing cancer just get a firm grip on your diet.

Source: The Worlds Greatest Treasury of Health Secrets by Bottom line Publications