By Marcey Klein BS, NC
Give your body a natural defense system to optimize your cellular and intracellular health. Now is the time to start; our bodies can detect and immobilize cancer cells given the right tools and environment. So without further ado, here are the top 10 cancer fighting foods and nutrients that I have found to be helpful.
Turmeric: Taken in concentrated doses can cause cell death to occur in the cancer cell, shut down the driving force in inflammation, shut off the blood supply to the cancer cell, and decrease tumor growth. A medicinal amount is a teaspoon of turmeric a day, can be ingested in the form of curry, or taken in pill form.
Cruciferous Vegetables: High in sulfur, a necessary substance to help support the liver detoxify, especially helpful in detoxifying harmful estrogens correlated with a higher risk of cancer growth. Broccoli sprouts contain thousands of times the amount of this detoxifying substance, so if one is battling cancer, it would be wise to take this in supplement form, or include large amounts in the diet.
Green Tea: Contains polyphenols, which are super cancer fighting antioxidants. They help induce cancer cell death, and have been shown to inhibit cancer growth, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis (Shankar, 08)
Berries: the darker the better. Contains a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent DNA damage and helps promote cell death to cancer cells.
Citrus fruits: Are high in limonene, a cancer fighting substance that inhibits tumor growth and metastasis. The vitamin C in citrus also helps to strengthen our collagen, helping to prevent cancer cells from spreading in our bodies.
Mushrooms: Especially reishi, shitake, maitake, oyster, and cordyceps. Mushrooms help stimulate our natural killer cells, T cells, and macrophages, important immune components to help fight cancer. They also help to counter the side effects of chemo, and help the chemo to work better.
Carotene Rich foods: These include red, yellow, orange, and dark green veggies, like carrots, squash, pumpkin, kale, sweet potatoes, peppers, mangos, apricots, peaches, persimmons, and cantaloupes. Carotenes are powerful anticancer agents, correlated with lowered cancer risk the higher the intake.
Asparagus: Helps to increase the most powerful antioxidant in the body, glutathione. Glutathione helps to lower carcinogens and boost detoxification. Low levels of this antioxidant have been correlated with greater oxidative stress in the body, leaving us more susceptible to DNA and cellular damage.
Miso: Contains a phytonutrient Genistein, that helps inhibit angiogenesis, the blood supply to the tumor. Miso can also protect the body when undergoing chemo and radiation.
Flaxseeds: Contain lignans, an antioxidant that helps to flush out excess estrogen, squelch free radicals, reduce inflammation, and reduce tumor activity. They have been also shown to reduce breast and colon cancer risk, and being naturally high in fiber, they can help with regularity and the moving out of toxins. I like to include a heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseeds in my smoothies for these benefits.
Eating healthy can be fun, exciting, and has the side benefit of optimizing our health. We want our internal environment to be a place where cancer cells cannot thrive. Please visit me at Wild Roots if you would like more information on this, in the meantime, be well and shine bright.
