For far too many people, developing some form of cancer has become an eventuality. The toxicity level in our air, water, and food is more than our bodies were designed to bear. Combined with genetic mutations and sedentary lifestyles, it seems disease is unavoidable for many people.
But there is always hope. Just as unhealthy lifestyle and environmental choices can contribute to disease, so can healthful choices help us heal. While mainstream medicine is still determined to pump sick people full of more poisons, alternative practitioners are discovering that the body can heal itself in supportive conditions. We can help the body heal by giving it a peaceful environment and truly nourishing foods.
The beauty of these treatments is that they are mostly delicious plants that we want to be eating anyway for their flavors, textures, and health-promoting benefits.
Foods that May Help Prevent or Cure Cancer
1. Cruciferous Vegetables and Leafy Greens
Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli are high in nutrients that fight cancer. Broccoli in particular contains sulforaphane, a phyto-nutrient compound that boosts production of protective enzymes and targets cancer stem cells. Sulforaphane has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells
Sulforaphane is even more concentrated in broccoli sprouts. Broccoli sprouts contain as much as 20 times the sulforaphane as fully-grown broccoli, and can be cultivated on your kitchen counter.
All cruciferous vegetables help regulate enzymatic activity, which determines how nutrients and toxins are broken down and assimilated into or eliminated from the body. They also contain compounds that can stop the growth of cancer cells or stimulate cancer cell death.
Dark leafy greens like Swiss chard, arugula, spinach, and parsley also contain other organosulfur compounds that can help prevent the development of cancer.
2. Garlic
Garlic and other alliums such as onions and leeks have potent anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-septic, and anti-inflammatory properties. They may also help prevent cancer.
3. Berries
Berries, especially dark-hued ones like blueberries and black raspberries, are high in anthocyanins. These slow the growth of cells that are functioning abnormally, helping to prevent the formation of malignant tumors.
Most berries and dark-hued fruit are high in polyphenol anti-oxidants, especially ellagic acid, which inhibit tumor growth. Pomegranates and cranberries are especially good sources of ellagic acid
4. Citrus
Vitamin-C rich foods like citrus fruit are excellent sources of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants protect the cells from free radical activity, which damages DNA and makes cells more susceptible to cancerous mutation. Grapefruit in particular supports the detoxification process of the liver.
5. Turmeric and Ginger
Most diseases are either caused or exacerbated by inflammation. Turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory foods available. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which has been shown to kill cancer cells in laboratory settings.
The main active phyto-nutrient in ginger is gingerol, which has been shown to specifically target cancer cells in breasts and cause cell death in them, while supporting the health of normal breast cells.
6. Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids
Omega-3s reduce inflammation in the body and support brain and heart health. For these reasons they may also help prevent cancer, or at least slow the growth of cancer cells.
7. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a flavanoid that has been found to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. Lycopene is also found in watermelon and pink grapefruit. It is most bio-available when heated, you can still enjoy raw tomatoes and get the benefits of lycopene by blending the tomatoes in a high-speed blender or letting tomato slices sit in direct sun for a few minutes.
8. Raw Cacao
Raw cacoa contains catechins, which provide protection from many types of cancer cell. This one to enjoy in moderation, because cacao does contain caffeine and can trigger addictive personalities. Add a little truly raw cacao powder to your smoothies or enjoy it as a warm drink with organic coconut milk.
9. Yams and Carrots
Yams, carrots, and other orange vegetables are high in carotenes, cell-protecting phyto-nutrients that also support eye health.
These are only a few of the many powerful plant foods that can help prevent the development of cancer or help the body heal from it. If you are diagnosed with cancer and decide to use conventional medical interventions like chemotherapy, including these healthful plants in your diet (with your doctors approval) can make the treatments more effective, speed recovery time, and reduce the likelihood of a recurrence.
The way to cure or even prevent cancer may be as simple as crafting colorful, plant-based meals. Just another reminder that we truly are what we eat as we give our bodies vibrant, nourishing, ecstatic foods, that is what we become.
