Perfect Foods to Help Fight Cancer
Why Vegetables and Fruits to Help Prevent Cancer?
We have been taught for years that fruits and vegetables eaten every day are essential for good health. Two recent books have explored the premise of eating certain fruits and vegetables daily as ways to help prevent the development of cancer of the lung, prostate, breast and colon.
The book A Perfect 10 Phyto 'New-Trients' Against Cancer (Biomed General Corp., 1998) was one of the first books written on helping to prevent cancer through a diet which is rich in plant chemicals. It was written by Dr Laura Pawlik who has a doctorate in biochemistry, postdoctoral work in Immunology and Genetics and is a Registered Dietitian. She explains that the development of cancer is a multistep process. Natural foods may interfere with the steps that lead to cancer. The steps are really simple as outlined in her book. People need to eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to decrease the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
The foods encouraged are NOT treatment for an already existing cancer. Foods are better sources for complete nutrients than by taking pill supplements of the same ingredients. This is another point that this author makes throughout this book.
The Perfect 10
These vegetables and fruits are shown to be the 'Perfect 10' foods with superior ability to fight and prevent cancer. These foods are recommended to be eaten daily or weekly. If possible, purchase these foods locally at farmer markets. Organic forms of all these foods are recommended.
Flax: one teaspoon per day. Grind it and consume when fresh. Flax provides the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, lignans and other "good fats".
Wheat germ: 1/4 cup per day
Tomato: 1 whole or ½ cup chopped per day for the famous flavenoid lycopene.
Broccoli: 2 cups per week of this cruciferous vegetable
Carrot:1 cup per week for the carotenoids.
Tangerine or an orange: 1 whole fruit per day for extra Vitamin C.
Strawberries: 1 cup per week.
Green tea: 1 cup per day for its anti-cancer catechins, a potent antioxidant.
Garlic: 1 clove per day for the allicin.
Food Solutions for Cancer Prevention
In a more recent book Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) the authors Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth listed many additional fruits and vegetables that may potentially help to prevent cancer. These foods should be eaten liberally each week and each has some cancer fighting properties.
Dark green vegetables, such as spinach and romaine lettuce, add fiber, folate and a wide range of cancer-fighting carotenoids. Other dark colored veggies such as beets and red cabbage are also highly recommended.
Onions, scallions, leeks and chives, in addition to garlic, have many anti-cancer substances including allicin.
In addition to broccoli, the vegetables cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale are highly recommended cruciferous vegetables. These contain many anti-cancer substances, as isothiocyanates.
Additional berries, especially blueberries, contribute ellagic acid and anthocyanosides.
Globe artichoke is recommended for very high levels of salvestrols.
Grapes and red wine add resveratrol.
Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils contribute the saponins, protease inhibitors and more.
When some of these food choices are not available, substitutions of fresh dark green or colorful vegetables is recommended. Having fresh organic vegetables and fruits is first choice. If organic food is too pricey or not available, substitute fresh food choices of fruits and vegetables grown locally and bought at a farmer's market.
Summary
The recommendations from these two books are still as important today as when these books were first written. Eating these specific fruits and vegetables does not guarantee that people will be cancer-free, but there is much evidence that these foods are very important in cancer prevention.
There is still so much to learn about nutrition and the role that foods play in cancer prevention. These foods can be incorporated in your overall lifestyle to hopefully prevent cancer from occurring.
Resources:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GCU/is_6_15/ai_55067515/
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-10-foods-and-drinks-for-cancer-prevention.html#ixzz1NzFVaEFP
Jim Fain, PhD, "Eat your way to health: 'Perfect 10' foods help fight cancer", Currents Magazine, Spring, 2011. There is no on-line website to support this magazine. Currents is published quarterly and distributed by Carroll County News in Arkansas.
We have been taught for years that fruits and vegetables eaten every day are essential for good health. Two recent books have explored the premise of eating certain fruits and vegetables daily as ways to help prevent the development of cancer of the lung, prostate, breast and colon.
The book A Perfect 10 Phyto 'New-Trients' Against Cancer (Biomed General Corp., 1998) was one of the first books written on helping to prevent cancer through a diet which is rich in plant chemicals. It was written by Dr Laura Pawlik who has a doctorate in biochemistry, postdoctoral work in Immunology and Genetics and is a Registered Dietitian. She explains that the development of cancer is a multistep process. Natural foods may interfere with the steps that lead to cancer. The steps are really simple as outlined in her book. People need to eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to decrease the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
The foods encouraged are NOT treatment for an already existing cancer. Foods are better sources for complete nutrients than by taking pill supplements of the same ingredients. This is another point that this author makes throughout this book.
The Perfect 10
These vegetables and fruits are shown to be the 'Perfect 10' foods with superior ability to fight and prevent cancer. These foods are recommended to be eaten daily or weekly. If possible, purchase these foods locally at farmer markets. Organic forms of all these foods are recommended.
Flax: one teaspoon per day. Grind it and consume when fresh. Flax provides the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, lignans and other "good fats".
Wheat germ: 1/4 cup per day
Tomato: 1 whole or ½ cup chopped per day for the famous flavenoid lycopene.
Broccoli: 2 cups per week of this cruciferous vegetable
Carrot:1 cup per week for the carotenoids.
Tangerine or an orange: 1 whole fruit per day for extra Vitamin C.
Strawberries: 1 cup per week.
Green tea: 1 cup per day for its anti-cancer catechins, a potent antioxidant.
Garlic: 1 clove per day for the allicin.
Food Solutions for Cancer Prevention
In a more recent book Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) the authors Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth listed many additional fruits and vegetables that may potentially help to prevent cancer. These foods should be eaten liberally each week and each has some cancer fighting properties.
Dark green vegetables, such as spinach and romaine lettuce, add fiber, folate and a wide range of cancer-fighting carotenoids. Other dark colored veggies such as beets and red cabbage are also highly recommended.
Onions, scallions, leeks and chives, in addition to garlic, have many anti-cancer substances including allicin.
In addition to broccoli, the vegetables cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale are highly recommended cruciferous vegetables. These contain many anti-cancer substances, as isothiocyanates.
Additional berries, especially blueberries, contribute ellagic acid and anthocyanosides.
Globe artichoke is recommended for very high levels of salvestrols.
Grapes and red wine add resveratrol.
Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils contribute the saponins, protease inhibitors and more.
When some of these food choices are not available, substitutions of fresh dark green or colorful vegetables is recommended. Having fresh organic vegetables and fruits is first choice. If organic food is too pricey or not available, substitute fresh food choices of fruits and vegetables grown locally and bought at a farmer's market.
Summary
The recommendations from these two books are still as important today as when these books were first written. Eating these specific fruits and vegetables does not guarantee that people will be cancer-free, but there is much evidence that these foods are very important in cancer prevention.
There is still so much to learn about nutrition and the role that foods play in cancer prevention. These foods can be incorporated in your overall lifestyle to hopefully prevent cancer from occurring.
Resources:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GCU/is_6_15/ai_55067515/
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-10-foods-and-drinks-for-cancer-prevention.html#ixzz1NzFVaEFP
Jim Fain, PhD, "Eat your way to health: 'Perfect 10' foods help fight cancer", Currents Magazine, Spring, 2011. There is no on-line website to support this magazine. Currents is published quarterly and distributed by Carroll County News in Arkansas.
Published by Mary Oberg
Retired nurse with over thirty years of experience. I worked as a Medical-Surgical-Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist at a large urban medical center and taught Medical-Surgical nursing for many years at Av... View profile
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34 Comments
Post a CommentCan't be too cautious- plus, never hurts to eat the veggies and fruits- cool article!
Yes, I have heard Dr. Oz talk about the benefits of flax seeds.
I haven't given as much thought to cancer, but a lot of these same foods help fight heart disease, and I 'm learning to like them!
I need to get some green tea, or drink more of it. I love it, just forget. I get a lot of vegetables and love them and fruit. I know that some of the people that I love that have had cancer hate vegetables. It is too bad because I believe it is so important. Great article.
Great article! I eat onions and garlic by the bushel full! I hope it helps! 5*
I'm lucky that I truly enjoy vegetables. Hurray!
Being a vegetarian, I consume at least some of these on a daily basis. Thanks Mary, for sharing info that could prove life saving. Time for moderation indeed - siva
I love all of those.
I've been drinking a lot of green tea lately, and trying to eat a lot of fruit and veggies :)
This is great information. I've heard a lot about preventing cancer with natural, healthy foods. Thank you.