Win The Fight Against Cancer With These 6 Foods – Time To Start Eating Them

Boost your body’s defenses naturally by adding powerful, delicious superfoods today!

Written by Emaan Shah
Last Updated on

The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, once said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.” And today, there is mounting evidence that the food we choose to eat can actually have an impact on our battle against cancer.

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As the medical world continues its ongoing war against its most insidious enemy, cancer, many are now coming to agree upon what they believe could be humanity’s greatest ammunition in terms of promise: our diet.

1. Vitamin D Rich Foods

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What It Does: Research suggests that vitamin D could protect us in our war against cancer by restraining the growth of cancer cells.

 Cancer Combating Properties: According to research presented by the American Association for Cancer Research, there exists a link between a rise in vitamin D intake and subsequent fall in breast cancer risk. Researchers discovered that vitamin D successfully lowered someone’s risk of contracting breast cancer by a whopping 50% (1).

According to a 2005 Harvard study, vitamin D could also improve the survival chances of patients suffering from lung cancer. Those patients who happened to get surgery in the summer for their lung cancer, which was when vitamin D synthesis in their bodies through sunshine was the highest, and who also happened to have the highest intake of dietary vitamin D, they were found to have a staggering 56% rate of survival (2). In contrast, those patients with winter surgeries and lower vitamin D intakes showed a survival rate of merely 23%.

 How Do I Get It: The current recommended amount of 400 IU is considered too low by most researchers. Dr. William G. Nelson from John Hopkin’s University suggests the vitamin D recommendation be boosted to 1,000 IU.

Milk, fish, and eggs are all good dietary sources of vitamin D. Also, don’t forget to get some sunshine!

2. Foods Rich In Folate

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What It Does: Scientists hypothesize that when someone has low levels of folic acid, they have an increased chance of DNA mutations that could lead to cancer. Hence, getting the adequate folate levels could protect you from such an event.

 Cancer Combating Properties: In a famous, large-scale study, a team of researchers assessed the impact of folate upon 27,000 male smokers who ranged from 50 to 69 years of age. Results showed that men who managed to consume at least the daily recommended amount of folate (400 micrograms) cut their risk of developing prostate cancer by half (3).

 How Do I Get It: Include more lentils, dried beans, avocados, citrus fruits, and green vegetables like Brussels sprouts and broccoli in your diet.

3. Cruciferous Veggies

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What It Does: Lab experiments have shown that chewing or cutting cruciferous vegetables actually displayed cancer-killing properties.

 Cancer-Killing Properties: For colon and prostate cancers, cruciferous vegetables have shown very promising results. In mice that were grafted with actual human prostate tumors, when they were treated with this cancer-killing vegetable, their tumors actually shrunk to 50% of their original size 31 days later (4).

 How Do I Get It: Broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, cabbage, and cauliflower are all cruciferous vegetables. But simply swallowing won’t cut it. The cancer-killing effect only occurs when they are chewed. Hence, incorporate them in stir-fry and side dishes or even add them raw to salads.

4. Tea

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What It Does: Tea is bursting with flavonoids that are prized for their antioxidant properties. One specific flavonoid called kaempferol has particularly shown promising cancer-fighting abilities.

Cancer Combating Properties: In a study involving 66,000 women, those who consumed the most kaempferol were found to have the lowest risk of developing ovarian cancer (5).

How Do I Get It: For protection against ovarian cancer, Margaret Gates, a researcher at Harvard’s School of Public Health, suggests getting 10-12 milligrams of kaempferol daily, which is roughly equivalent to 4 cups of tea.

5. Ginger

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What It Does: This pungent spice can actually kill cancer!

 Cancer-Killing Properties: Researchers have discovered that ginger can actually kill cancer in 2 different ways. It can cause the cancer cells to commit suicide without harming any of the healthy, surrounding cells. It can also trick the cancer cells into digesting themselves in a process called autophagy, thereby killing themselves (6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

 How Do I Get It: Add it to marinades, soups, teas, and sauces. This miracle spice will not only add zest to your meals but also years to your life.

6. Turmeric

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What It Does: Turmeric has renowned anti-inflammatory properties, and since most cancers spring from long-term inflammation, research shows turmeric can help suppress cancer (11).

 Cancer-Killing Properties: It’s been shown to be particularly helpful in gastrointestinal and bladder cancers. But biochemist Bharat Aggarwal, PhD., from the Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, says its effects aren’t just limited to these 2 cancers.

“Among all the cancers we and others have examined, no cancer yet has been found which is not affected by curcumin (turmeric). This is expected, as inflammation is the mediator for most cancer.”

 How Do I Get It: Turmeric is widely utilized in Indian dishes. Your mom was right, ghar ka khanaa is truly the best.

Today, more and more scientists are of the opinion that food can truly be the medicine for cancer. Hence, try to incorporate more of the above-mentioned foods into your daily diet to not only combat ongoing cancer but also reduce your risk of developing cancer. Always ensure you consult your doctor before starting a new regimen.

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author
Emaan Shah
Emaan is a voracious and rather indiscriminate reader. She is also a writer, history buff, insomniac, amateur doodle artist, terrible poet and a self-professed philosopher (but only after 3 am). Currently, she is pursuing a degree in medicine