Fight cancer with diet
Diet is one of the major risk factors for cancer. But it is not just about what we eat too much of. It is also about the foods we should learn to add to our table every day.
Long used in Ayurvedic medicine in India, the common spice turmeric (one of the main spices in curry) has been found to contain the most potent natural antiinflammatory ever described — the molecule "curcumin." Researchers have shown that it inhibits cancer growth by not only reducing inflammation (necessary for invasion of neighboring tissues) but by inducing cancer cell death, slowing down the growth of new blood vessels necessary for tumor expansion, and increasing the efficacy of chemotherapy.
40 percent of cancers could be avoided with a more adequate diet and a bit more physical activity. And that these same lifestyle choices should be an integral part of any treatment of cancer.
The single most important feature in an anticancer diet is to reverse the proportions of a typical meal: Make the core of your plate vegetables (and fruits), and use meat only to enhance flavor. Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, etc.) and soy (tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame etc.) offer the same proteins as meat but combined with cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
It is also important to replace desserts (refined sugar) with fruits as often as possible. Berries, for example, contain anthocyanidins that directly help kill cancer cells and reduce the growth of abnormal blood vessels. Tangerines and their special flavonoids also act against cancer cells.
All brightly colored fruits contain flavonoids that contribute to slowing down cancer growth.
All omega-6 oils (soybean, corn, sunflower) should be reduced or eliminated and replaced with olive oil, canola oil, or flaxseed oil. Omega-3 butter or margarine is also acceptable. Animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) should be grass-fed or labeled "omega-3 rich," and preferably organic so as to avoid growth hormone (that can stimulate cancer cell growth too). Organic vegetables and fruits are preferable to nonorganic.
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