Top Cancer Fighting Foods

Many people know the benefits of eating a well balanced diet. Most people have that drilled into them from early childhood on, but for no other reason than overall health. In reality though, there are benefits to eating a diet heavy on certain fruits and vegetables that most people might not be aware of. Many of them have specific cancer fighting properties, so they’re not only good for improving your general health, they may prevent you from getting a potentially fatal disease. There is growing evidence that diet can be a major contributing factor in whether or not one develops cancer.

You will notice that this list is going to consist of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, grains, nuts and well, basically a plant based diet. I’m in no way advocating a vegetarian diet. You don’t have to give up meat, dairy or any other of your favorite foods, but rather, increase the percentage of your diet based on the foods from this list to decrease the likelihood of contracting cancer and increase your overall health.

Cancer fighting foods combat or prevent the disease in various ways and if you’re like me, you aren’t necessarily interested in the exact mechanics of how the foods fight cancer, only that they do. So, here on this page, I’ll give you the list of the best cancer fighting foods you can eat and what types of cancer they fight along with a little information about each, but I won’t bore you with all the scientific stuff. You can use it as sort of a quick reference guide to cancer fighting foods. You may already include many of them in your diet, but if you don’t, you might want to consider adding them in. It certainly couldn’t hurt and may well save your life.

Garlic - Fights skin, colon and lung cancer and is believed to slow or stop the growth of tumors.

Ginger - May help to prevent ovarian cancer. Research is ongoing.

Tumeric - A member of the ginger family, it fights colon and bowel cancers.

Rosemary - Has been proven to inhibit the development of breast and skin tumors in animals. Can be used as a spice or in tea.

Broccoli - One of the best cancer fighting foods, it’s loaded with various substances that fight or inhibit cancer, including colon and rectal cancers, in several different ways. It can promote the production of certain enzymes that deactivate free radicals and carcinogens and inhibit the growth of tumors.

Cabbage and Cauliflower - Fights breast cancer by converting a cancer promoting estrogen into a more protective type.

Green Leafy Vegetables - such as romaine lettuce, mustard greens, chicory and Swiss chard, contain antioxidants that destroy free radicals and helps against lung and breast cancer.

Carrots - High in beta carotene, it fights many forms of cancer including lung, stomach, intestinal, bladder, prostate, breast, throat and mouth. Better to eat them raw rather than cooked.

Kale - Thought to reduce the conversion of certain lesions to cancerous cells and suppress the growth of tumors.

Mushroooms - including may varieties such as Versicolor, Coriolus, Murill, Agaricus blazei, Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake - boosts the immune system and can help prevent cancer cells from multiplying.

Seaweed - Contains beta carotene, vitamin B12, high in fiber and helps fight breast cancer.

Sweet Potatoes - Believed to have many cancer fighting properties. Research is ongoing, but known to be high in beta carotene.

Tomatoes - I know... I always think of it as a vegetable too, but I guess it’s really a fruit. It’s one of the anti cancer super foods that contains lycopene, high in antioxidants that attacks the cancer triggering free radicals in the body. Lycopene is known to kill mouth cancer cells and is linked to reduced risk of breast, prostrate, pancreas and colorectal cancers. Actually is more effective if cooked rather than raw.

Avocados - High in antioxidants. Now believed that they may be useful in treating viral hepatitis, which causes liver cancer, as well as other types of liver damage.

Chili Peppers - Fruit or vegetable? Who cares... They fight cancer. Many types, including jalapenos, contains capsaicin, which can help prevent stomach cancer.

Figs - Help to shrink tumors, contains vitamins A and C, and may also have the added benefit of helping to reduce appetite to aid in weight loss.

Citrus Fruits - Including grapefruit, oranges, lemons, etc. - helps to remove carcinogens out of the body, preventing various cancers and may stimulate cancer killing immune cells. High in vitamin C and beta carotene.

Grapes - The red variety especially - contains antioxidants and inhibits cancer promoting enzymes which can prevent or slow the growth of tumors.

Papayas - Another good source of antioxidants. Has folic acid which has been shown to help fight cervical dysplasia and certain cancers.

Berries - Including strawberries, raspberries and blueberries - have been shown to help prevent skin, bladder, lung and breast cancers. All are high in antioxidants but the anthocyanosides in blueberries are the most powerful known in science. Black raspberries have also been shown to prevent colon cancer, but all these berries help to prevent all forms of cancer.

Flax - Contains lignans, which act as an antioxidant and is thought to help against colon cancer and heart disease.

Nuts - High in antioxidants. Brazil nuts in particular help against prostate cancer.

Red Wine - When used in moderation, is high in antioxidants that attack free radicals and inhibit cancer cell proliferation.

Green Tea and Black Tea - Contain certain antioxidants which seem to prevent cancer cells from dividing. Green tea is best followed by black tea. May protect against various forms of cancer including, stomach, lung, liver, colorectal, and pancreatic.

Fish - High in omega-3 oils, vitamins A and D and is a good against prostate cancer. Vitamin D also helps against breast and lung cancer.

Beans - Contain properties that fight genetic cell damage which can reduce the risk of many types of cancer, but particularly prostrate cancer. They are also high in fiber which can help against digestive tract cancers.

Soy products - Rich in isoflavones which have been shown to help fight bladder, lung, stomach and cervical cancers. May also help against breast and prostate cancers.

Well, there you have it. You can significantly reduce your risk against many types of cancer just by adding or increasing your intake of these foods. There’s a lot to choose from too so it shouldn’t be to hard to eat healthier and live longer. Here’s to your health!