You cannot fight cancer with a single food on your own. However, studies show that consuming a diet rich in a range of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other plant-based foods lowers the chance of developing it. Numerous minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals have been shown to have anti-cancer properties. You can lower your risk of getting cancer by increasing the amount of these cancer-fighting foods in your diet.
Key Points
- According to research, eating a variety of nutrient-dense meals can reduce your risk of developing cancer.
- Five different categories of food are helpful to fight against cancer i.e. 1- Healthy Fruits and Green Vegetables, 2- Wholemeal Bread and Pulses, 3- Seafood, 4- Walnuts, 5- Vitamins and Supplements
- Make an appointment with an oncologist if you experience any unusual symptoms that are linked to cancer.
Cancer and a Healthy Diet – Expert Reviews
- Studies show that diets high in fat and poor in fiber may raise the risk of colon, lung, prostate, and uterine cancers in many people. Many types of cancer may have a lower chance of occurrence if proper diet is taken and body weight is maintained.
- Eating a range of nutritious meals, as recommended by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, can lower your chance of acquiring cancer. Although your diet may hugely affect your chances of getting cancer, there is little proof that certain foods may be used to treat cancer that has already developed.
Five Foods to Reduce the Risk of Cancer
Following foods can help you fight against cancer, boost your immunity and let you regain your physical energy that has been disturbed by this deadly disease.
1. Eat Healthy Fruits and Green Vegetables to Fight Cancer
According to research, eating fewer than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day may increase your risk of developing one in 20 types of cancer.
Fruits and green vegetables can prevent cancer in two different ways.
- The first is their nutritional content, which includes selenium, vitamin E, vitamin C, carotenoids, and folate. All these offer various forms of protection from cancer. Antioxidants, like carotenoids and folate, work to prevent the damage done by free radicals to cells while also repairing DNA.
- The fiber content is another way they defend against cancer. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to boost your immunity. There is solid evidence to support the claim that high-fiber diets are excellent strategies to prevent cancer.
2. Consume Wholemeal Bread and Pulses to get an Immunity boost against Cancer
Eat foods like wholegrain bread, pasta, and brown rice, as well as chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans to increase your intake of fiber, which is particularly effective in preventing colon cancer.
Did you know that the prevalence of colon cancer is higher in men as compared to women?
The intake of fiber is helpful because;
- Fiber safeguards your bowel in a number of ways. It generates a molecule (butyrate) that helps to lower the risk of cancer in the body as reported in a study.
- Because of fiber, potentially dangerous compounds have less time to come into contact with the cells lining the gut and have less time to be absorbed.
- A high-fiber diet can help ward off the negative consequences of consuming red and processed meats in the bowel too, according to research from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC).
3. Eat Seafood, especially Salmon, Tuna, and Lake Trout
Weekly consumption of one 140g dish of fish may help against cancer. Research claims that oily fish like mackerel, herring, and salmon may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Some studies have linked omega-3 fatty acid intake to lowering the number of deaths because of prostate cancer. The age-adjusted incidence of prostate cancer in men in Pakistan is 5.3 per 100,000 which is relatively low compared to other Asian countries.
Additionally, eating fish may help to reduce the risk of getting liver and colon cancer with its fatty acid composition. So, it should be a part of a balanced diet. This is also a good alternative to red and processed meat.
Read more about reasons to eat fish.
4. Get Benefits from the Anticancerous Properties of Walnuts
- Walnuts have been the subject of more research than other types of nuts, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
- However, all nuts contain cancer-preventing qualities but the reason behind talking about walnuts specifically is that their body converts pedunculagin, a chemical found in walnuts, into urolithins.
- Urolithins are substances that attach to estrogen receptors and may help prevent breast cancer.
- At some stage of life, 1 in 9 Pakistani women has faced the issue of breast cancer. In Asia, Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer.
- A study conducted on mice showed that when they were given whole walnut oil, it showed high levels of tumor-suppressing properties.
5. Take Vitamins and Supplements with an Expert’s Advice
Even if the foods mentioned in the list above are common and easily available, some people might not want to significantly alter their diet or way of life. In this case, a wide variety of vitamins and supplements are readily available.
- The anti-cancer qualities of vitamins A, C, and E are well known, and they may be easily found as supplements in pharmacies.
- The majority of the plant-based substances mentioned in this article, including phloretin, anthocyanin, and sulforaphane, are available in supplement forms.
- Some people may undergo a reduction in their chances of developing cancer by taking over-the-counter drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, as per research.
But before taking these medications or starting a new supplement regimen, always consult a doctor.
Fight the Risk of Cancer with a Healthy Diet
For a person with cancer, nutrition is crucial for a variety of reasons:
- In order to fight cancer at its best, the immune system needs to be strengthened.
- To deal with symptoms of cancer like constipation, diarrhea, or nausea, you should opt for a healthy diet.
- High-energy foods may need to be incorporated into the daily diet if there is a decrease in appetite or an increase in metabolism.
- It is advisable to consume more protein to promote the health of muscles and deal with hair loss resulting from chemotherapy.
Bottom line
A balanced diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats will improve your overall health and help to prevent cancer. Though the research on cancer prevention through nutritious foods is still in progress and needs more investigation, as the majority of the research has been conducted on mice.
Also, if you have the usual symptoms associated with cancer or sudden unexplained weight loss, book a meeting with an oncologist.
FAQs
1. What is the best cancer-fighting food?
Berries, broccoli, tomatoes, walnuts, and grapes are typically at the top of the list. According to Wohlford, the majority of plant-based foods include phytochemicals and are, therefore, the typical foods that lower the chance of developing cancer.
2. Is banana good for cancer patients?
A 20-year research discovered that the starch in bananas could cut the risk of several cancers by more than half. The multinational study, which involved experts from the University of Leeds, revealed that resistant starch significantly lowers the risk of cancer in high-risk patients.
3. Which vegetable is a cancer fighter?
Dark green leafy vegetables are rich in fiber, folate, and carotenoids. Examples include mustard greens, lettuce, kale, chicory, spinach, and chard. These vitamins and minerals may offer defense against stomach, skin, lung, larynx, mouth, and pancreatic cancer.