Diet can go a long way in preventing cancer. Plant-food based nutrients, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants can protect you against cancers of mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, pancreas and prostate by boosting your immunity and preventing cell damage. By preventing weight gain and obesity, a combination of plant-based foods can prevent fat-related cancers, colorectal, esophageal, endometrial, pancreatic, kidney and post-menopausal breast cancers.
The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) Second Expert Report emphasizes that vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans fill almost two-thirds of your meal.
What to Look for
Look for whole-grain foods such as wheat breads, rolls, pasta and cereals and whole-grain oat cereals including oatmeal, popcorn, wild rice, tortilla and tortilla chips, corn, kasha (roasted buckwheat) and tabouleh (bulghur wheat). Aside from fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, their antioxidants, phenols, lignans, phytoestrogens and saponins decrease cancer risk.
A variety of beans, such as lentils and peas, can decrease cancer risk thanks to their saponins, protease inhibitors and phytic acid, as well as fiber, according to AICR's Second Expert Report "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective."
While all berries are rich in vitamin C and fiber, look for strawberries and raspberries rich in ellagic acid and flavonoids, and blueberries for antioxidants called anthocyanosides.
Stock your kitchen with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale. These crucifers are chock-full of glucosinolates (and related isothiocyanates), crambene and indole-3-carbinol. Leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, chicory and Swiss chard, are excellent sources of fiber, folate, carotenoids, saponins and flavonoids. Garlic has anticancer ingredients, such as allicin, allixin, allyl sulfides, quercetin and a plethora of organosulfur compounds. Consume grapes and grape juice for their resveratrol and polyphenols. Drink green tea for its polyphenols and flavonoids such as catechins.
Look out for soy foods like tofu, soymilk, soybeans, soynuts, miso (soy paste), tempeh, soy burgers and soynut butter. Their anticancer effects have been attributed to isoflavones, saponins, phenolic acids, phytic acid, phytosterols and protein kinase inhibitors. Choose tomatoes for their antioxidant lycopene.
Common Pitfalls
Often it is taken for granted that a glass of fruit juice is the same as the fruit itself. Unfortunately, 100 percent fruit juice is nothing but sugar concentrate. Therefore, substitute energy-dense sugary drinks and fruit juices with whole fruits and other low-calorie plant foods.
Red meat is associated with colorectal cancer. Stay away from smoked, cured or salted meat like ham, bacon, pastrami and salami, as well as hot dogs and sausages. Limit red meat intake to 18 ounces a week. To avoid risk of stomach cancer, limit salt consumption to less than 2,400 calories a day. Eliminate alcoholic drinks altogether. Increasing evidence links booze with DNA damage and the risk of cancer of the digestive system, larynx and breast. And don't count on dietary supplements to protect against cancer!
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