Top 10 Cancer Fighting Foods

Published on June 12, 2020
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There are few words scarier in the English language than ‘cancer’. Cancer is a consuming disease that has stumped doctors and researchers for generations. Cancer isn’t a catch all word but it does give you the gist of the numerous different sorts of cancers that are possible out there. From skin cancer (the most common) to colon cancer (the most fatal) there seem to be near limitless varieties of the deadly disease. Most people who end up needing cancer treatment have little in the way of cancer health insurance and as a result end up buried under debt while fighting for their lives. That doesn’t seem fair, does it? While it seems like cancer can strike at random, there are certain preventative measures you can take. Listed below are 10 delicious, cancer fighting foods that you can immediately incorporate into your diet in order to stave off a meeting with the disease.

Garlic

We’ll start our list of alternative cancer treatments via food with something sure to keep your breath, well, not so fresh. Garlic has been shown in several studies to help prevent a whole slew of different kind of cancers. People who steadily incorporate garlic into their diet are less prone to developing cancer in their digestive organs: stomach, colon, and esophagus. Scientists aren’t positive as to what exactly is going on in your body when the garlic is combating cancer nor do they know how much you should eat to get the benefits. If you can stomach garlic then try to add a clove a day into your various meals. If you can’t stomach eating garlic then you can also opt to try garlic supplements that are sold in stores and at pharmacies.

Garlic

Garlic

Grapefruit

A ton of people really can’t stand the taste of grapefruit but it can be the difference between needing cancer insurance and not needing it in the future. Grapefruit is loaded with antioxidants, namely Vitamin C, and it is a negative calorie fruit — meaning that it costs more calories to digest than to eat. High Vitamin C diets have been directly linked to reduction in cancer risk for the stomach, bladder, cervix, breast, colon, and even your esophagus. In the case of Vitamin C supplements scientists say that you should opt to avoid them if your goal is a reduction in cancer risks. Studies show that Vitamin C from fruit sources is far more effective than its supplement counterparts.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Broccoli

There isn’t a diet on this planet that wouldn’t be improved by the addition of heaping services of broccoli. Broccoli has been much maligned over years as the ‘yucky vegetable’ and that is just an unfair treatment. Broccoli is chock full of phytochemicals, which push away cancer cells, and it also is loaded with the protective enzyme sulforaphane. Scientists have found that broccoli intake leads directly to the reduction of various types of cancer, most commonly mouth, stomach, and esophagus. The best way to incorporate broccoli into your diet is by steaming a serving with some olive oil and a little bit of garlic. Those three ingredients will give you a heart healthy snack that will do its job fighting your need for eventual cancer supplemental insurance.

Broccoli

Broccoli

Peanut Butter

Weight lifters have touted the benefits of peanut butter for decades thanks to the rich foods rich source of protein and calories. However, we have started to see peanut butter touted more and more for its cancer fighting properties. Scientists have found that diets with high doses of Vitamin E can reduce the risk of several serious cancers including lung, liver, and colon. Peanut butter is rich with Vitamin E and the appearance of the vitamin in your diet helps to keep your cells fighting those potential cancer cells at the top of their level. Try to get a tablespoon of peanut butter for breakfast on to some wheat toast and you’ll have a great foundation for the rest of your day.

Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter

Berries

You need to have fruit in your life and berries are one of the best places to go to. Berries are juicy, flavorful, and filled with antioxidants that help your body heal while fighting off potential cancer causing cells. Pretty much any berry you come across will be loaded with antioxidants that help to fight off lingering free radicals in your body that compromise and eat away at your cells. Try and get yourself two cups of fruit per day and make a large portion of those servings dedicated to blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and so on. If you want a protein filled snack that is good for your heart and for preventing cancer than go ahead and pour your berries into a nice cup of thick Greek Yogurt. As with all things sweet, do pay attention to your serving amounts. It’s easy to go through an entire container of berries without even knowing it and the excess sugar isn’t anything you absolutely need in your diet.

Berries

Berries

Tomatoes

If you want to avoid cancer and the need for expensive whole life insurance then you should consider making tomatoes a large part of your daily diet. Tomatoes are juicy, delicious fruits that are very flexible in terms of how you can incorporate them into your food. Tomatoes are also filled with a powerful phytochemical named lycopene. Lycopene is an intense antioxidant which is found most highly concentrated in the red, juicy fruits. Diets that are high in lycopene have been linked directly to a reduction in prostate cancer risk. Lycopene has also been found in studies to slow down breast, endometrial, and lung cancer cells from growing though it is far too early on in the studies to definitively say that the phytochemical is that diverse. In a rare turn of events you will want to opt for more processed tomatoes if you want to get the cancer fighting benefits. When tomatoes are processed the phytochemical becomes more readily available for absorption in your body. Keep tomato juice or pizza sauce on hand for addition to your regular meals and you’ll find yourself glowing with health.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Sweet Potatoes

As always, the tune of antioxidant plays loudly in foods that fight off cancers. Sweet potatoes make our list next thanks to their healthy showing of the antioxidant Beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is found in orange vegetables as well as those yummy leafy greens and it has directly been linked to the reduction in cancer risk of people who regularly eat those foods. Studies show that sweet potatoes, thanks to their antioxidants, can lead to a reduction in risk for colon, stomach, and lung cancer. Studies have gone even a step further to show that women who are premenopausal can reduce their risk of breast cancer in half by eating vitamin C and beta-carotene heavy diets. Is there any better reason to leap on a diet that includes these foods? Not one that we can think of. Bake or steam your sweet potatoes to get the largest boost from these powerful antioxidants and make sure to work them into your daily suggested diet values.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Green Tea

You don’t need to be a Zen master or a tea aficionado to reap the benefits of green tea. Green tea is a drink that is full of these antioxidants called catechins. Catechins have been linked to the prevention and reduction of cancer risks in numerous studies. Catechins from green tea have shown the ability to reduce the size of tumors as well as reduce the potential growth for said tumors. If green tea isn’t your style then you can opt for black tea as well which also is filled with catechins. Either way, make sure to have a cup daily incorporated into your anti cancer diet. Take the tea hot or cold, the choice is up to you as there is little difference in the long run.

Green Tea

Green Tea

Carrots

Carrots are no strangers to healthy diets and they make an appearance in our anti cancer list with ease. Carrots are packed with nutrients and antioxidants including the previously mentioned beta carotene. Beta carotene, as we’ve talked about already, has been linked to cell membrane protection as well as the reduction in growth of cancer cells. Imbibing carrots and reaping the benefits of these phytochemicals can lead to a reduction in cancer risk related to your mouth, stomach, and esophagus. Carrots are an easy on the go snack so you have no reason not to keep them in your diet.

Carrots

Carrots

Spinach

Now we reach the finish line with spinach leading our anti-cancer diet. Spinach is great for your eyes thanks to the antioxidant lutein but it also plays a hefty role in your fight against cancer. Spinach is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin as well as carotenoids. All of these antioxidants do daily battle to combat the free radicals in your body that are doing damage and leading to potential cancer. Spinach is in particularly effective at reducing the risk of esophageal cancer as well as lung and ovarian cancer.

Spinach

Spinach