No
single food can reduce your risk of cancer, but the right combination of foods
may help make a difference. At mealtimes, strike a balance of at least 2/3
plant-based foods and no more than 1/3 animal protein. This "New American
Plate" is an important cancer fighting tool, according to the American
Institute for Cancer Research. Check out better and worse choices for your
plate.
1. Fighting
Cancer With Color
Fruits
and vegetables are rich in cancer-fighting nutrients - and the more color, the
more nutrients they contain. These foods can help lower your risk in a second
way, too, when they help you reach and maintain a healthy body weight. Carrying
extra pounds increases the risk for multiple cancers, including colon,
esophagus, and kidney cancers. Aim for at least five servings a day, prepared
in a healthy way.
2. The
Cancer-Fighting Breakfast
Folate
is an important B vitamin that may help protect against cancers of the colon,
rectum, and breast. You can find it in abundance on the breakfast table.
Fortified breakfast cereals and whole wheat products are good sources of
folate. So are orange juice, melons, and strawberries.
3. More
Folate-Rich Foods
Other
good sources of folate are asparagus and eggs. You can also find it in chicken
liver, beans, sunflower seeds, and leafy green vegetables like spinach or
romaine lettuce. According to the ACS, the best way to get folate is not from a
pill, but by eating enough fruits, vegetables, and enriched grain products.
4. Pass Up
the Deli Counter
An
occasional Reuben sandwich or hot dog at the ballpark probably isn't going to
hurt you. But cutting back on processed meats like bologna, ham, and hot dogs
may help lower your risk of colorectal and stomach cancers. Also, eating meats
that have been preserved by smoking or with salt raises your exposure to agents
that can potentially cause cancer.
5. Cancer-Fighting
Tomatoes
Whether
it's the lycopene -- the pigment that gives tomatoes their red color -- or
something else isn't clear. But some studies have linked eating tomatoes to
reduced risk of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Studies
also suggest that processed tomato products such as juice, sauce, or paste
increase the cancer-fighting potential.
6. Tea's
Anticancer Potential
Even
though the evidence is still spotty, tea, especially green tea, may be a strong
cancer fighter. In laboratory studies, green tea has slowed or prevented the
development of cancer in colon, liver, breast, and prostate cells. It also had
a similar effect in lung tissue and skin. And in some longer term studies, tea
was associated with lower risks for bladder, stomach, and pancreatic cancers.
7. Grapes
and Cancer
Grapes
and grape juice, especially purple and red grapes, contain resveratrol.
Resveratrol has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In
laboratory studies, it has prevented the kind of damage that can trigger the
cancer process in cells. There is not enough evidence to say that eating grapes
or drinking grape juice or wine can prevent or treat cancer.
8. Limit
Alcohol to Lower Cancer Risk
Cancers
of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast are all linked with
drinking alcohol. Alcohol may also raise the risk for cancer of the colon and rectum.
The American Cancer Society says that even the suggested daily limit of 2
drinks for men and 1 for women elevates the risk. Women at higher risk for
breast cancer may want to talk with a doctor about what amount of alcohol, if
any, is safe based on their personal risk factors.
9. Water
and Other Fluids Can Protect
Water
not only quenches your thirst, but it may protect you against bladder cancer.
The lower risk comes from water diluting concentrations of potential
cancer-causing agents in the bladder. Also, drinking more fluids causes you to
urinate more frequently. That lessens the amount of time those agents stay in
contact with the bladder lining.
10. The
Mighty Bean
Beans
are so good for you, it's no surprise they may help fight cancer, too. They
contain several potent phytochemicals that may protect the body's cells against
damage that can lead to cancer. In the lab these substances slowed tumor growth
and prevented tumors from releasing substances that damage nearby cells.
11. The
Cabbage Family vs. Cancer
Cruciferous
vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy,
and kale. These members of the cabbage family make an excellent stir fry and
can really liven up a salad. But most importantly, components in these
vegetables may help your body defend against cancers such as colon, breast,
lung, and cervix.
12. Dark
Green Leafy Vegetables
Dark
green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, lettuce, kale, chicory, spinach,
and chard have an abundance of fiber, folate, and carotenoids. These nutrients
may help protect against cancer of the mouth, larynx, pancreas, lung, skin, and
stomach.
13. Protection
From an Exotic Spice
Curcumin
is the main ingredient in the Indian spice turmeric and a potential cancer
fighter. Lab studies show it can suppress the transformation, proliferation,
and invasion of cancerous cells for a wide array of cancers.
14. Cooking
Methods Matter
How you
cook meat can make a difference in how big a cancer risk it poses. Frying,
grilling, and broiling meats at very high temperatures causes chemicals to form
that may increase cancer risk. Other cooking methods such as stewing, braising,
or steaming appear to produce fewer of those chemicals. And when you do stew
the meat, remember to add plenty of healthy, protective vegetables.
15. A Berry
Medley With a Punch
Strawberries
and raspberries have a phytochemical called ellagic acid. This powerful antioxidant
may actually fight cancer in several ways at once, including deactivating
certain cancer causing substances and slowing the growth of cancer cells.
16. Blueberries
for Health
The potent
antioxidents in blueberries may have wide value in supporting our health,
starting with cancer. Antioxidants fight cancer by ridding the body of free
radicals before they can do their damage to cells. Try topping oatmeal, cold
cereal, yogurt, even salad with blueberries to boost your intake of these
healthful berries.
17. Pass on
the Sugar
Sugar
may not cause cancer directly. But it may displace other nutrient-rich foods
that help protect against cancer. And it increases calorie counts, which
contributes to overweight and obesity. Excess weight can be a cancer risk.
Fruit offers a sweet alternative in a vitamin-rich package.
18. Don't
Rely on Supplements
Vitamins
may help protect against cancer. But that's when you get them naturally from
food. Both the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer
Research emphasize that getting cancer-fighting nutrients from foods like nuts,
fruits, and green leafy vegetables is vastly superior to getting them from
supplements. Eating a healthy diet is best.
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