5 WAYS TO FIGHT CANCER WITH FOOD
Food is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to create a healthy and vibrant body, while reducing your risk of cancer.
It’s important to keep in mind that there is no one miracle food for preventing cancer. Your body needs all the essential nutrients that can only be found in a varied, natural diet, including adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean protein.
Here are five simple ways you can prevent cancer through nutrition:
1. Eat a Rainbow
Coloured fruits and vegetables help to stimulate your immune system and can prevent cancer in three ways:
- Essential vitamins and minerals necessary for optimum cell health.
- Powerful antioxidants that reduce damage caused by inflammatory and cancer-producing free radicals.
- Phytonutrients (natural plant chemicals) reduce inflammation, improve detoxification and fight abnormal cell changes.
The benefits of consuming adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables are so remarkable that we recommend you consume at least five different coloured fruits and vegetables a day. Fruits and vegetables should make up about 60% of your daily food intake.
Start by thinking of the colours of the rainbow – red capsicum or beetroots, orange sweet potato, yellow squash, green kale, blue blueberries, purple eggplant… you get the point.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to get a variety coloured fruits and vegetables into your diet is by drinking our Rainbow Juice each morning: apple, carrot, celery, beetroot and ginger.
2. Eat Healthy Fats
Fat is not the enemy. There are certain fats that are extremely good for you, as they are known to reduce chronic inflammation in the body that is associated with cancer.
You should aim to increase your consumption of unsaturated fats, particularly those from plant and fish sources, as these contain high amounts of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats.
Plant sources include flaxseed, chia seeds, and nuts (especially walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and brazil nuts), while fish sources include good quality salmon, sardines and locally caught white fish.
If you are eating animal proteins, focus on organic grass-fed produce, as there is a higher amount of omega 3s present.
3. Fast Overnight
New research suggests that fasting for at least 12 hours a day can reduce the levels of hormones associated with cancer promotion such as insulin and insulin like growth factor (IGF-1), as well as slowing the progression of abnormal cells. Fasting has also been found to increase our lifespan.
The easiest way to fast is to have an early dinner (before 7pm) , fast overnight, and eat your next meal 12 hours later (at 7am).
4. Go Organic
Try to consume organic, unprocessed foods whenever possible. Organic foods have two distinct advantages:
- They don’t contain pesticides and other chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens. As well as being dangerous to cell health, these chemicals can place extra strain on your immune system.
- They do contain higher levels of essential nutrients, phytonutrients and antioxidants.
Organic is generally more expensive, so if price is an issue, pick and choose your organic produce wisely. Always buy organic if you are planning to eat the skin, but for foods that will be peeled, non-organic is an option.
5. Eat Healthy Proteins
Protein is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system and protecting your lean muscle mass.
If you eat meat, be careful to choose good quality, organic, grass-fed produce or good quality fish. Ideally, try to reduce your consumption of red meat as it can be harder to digest and place more of a strain on your detoxification processes.
If you’re a vegetarian, protein may seem more difficult to include in your diet, but there are plenty of great sources, such as: lentils, beans, nuts, chickpeas, eggs, yogurt, fermented soy products.
David Marston
Are you looking for more support?
Click here to download our free guide containing information on how natural health can help support your cancer treatment.
