Try These Cancer-Preventing Foods

Cancer is responsible for 1 out of every 4 deaths in the U.S.A. One of the best cancer-prevention tools for health is eating the right foods, but finding the motivation to eat right sometimes alludes us until we, or someone we love, is faced with a deadly disease.

Garlic, produces sulfur compounds and allicin. Sulfur compounds detoxify the body and help prevent cancer. Allicin thins the blood and reduces your risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer. It’s best to eat garlic after it has been crushed so that these cancer-fighting compounds can form. Dried garlic or roasted garlic doesn’t form as much allicin or sulfur compounds. Raw crushed garlic is actually the healthiest way to go, but it can overpower some recipes. I like raw garlic in pesto, olive tapenade, gazpacho, and salad dressings. For other dishes, I prefer to use pressed or crushed garlic that is quickly sautéed but not cooked for more than 15 minutes.

In cruciferous veggies, cancer-fighting sulfur compounds lead to the formation of isothiocyanates, which neutralize carcinogens. So fill your plate with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, mustard seeds, onions, radishes, watercress, and grapefruit in order to load up on this amazing FoodTrient.

Other FoodTrients that fight cancer are flavonoids like anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, quercetin, theaflavins, and catechins. These flavonoids inhibit cancer growth and tumor growth. They regulate cell health, cell replication, and cell death. They keep cancer cells from proliferating. And they help cancer cells kill themselves. Flavonoids are found in berries, grapes, and other red and blue fruits and vegetables. They are also present in apples, chia seeds, onions, and citrus fruits. Dark chocolate, black tea, and green tea are also full of flavonoids.

Desserts can be a great source of flavonoids as long as you keep the sugar content to a minimum. Have a cup of tea with that treat and you’ll be getting catechins and theaflavins. Dark-chocolate covered slices of orange peel will boost your flavonoid intake. So will a glass of red wine. Red wine also contains resveratrol, which fights cancer cells.

More cancer-combating compounds include carotenoids and vitamin C. Orange fruits and vegetables are good sources of beta-carotene, so be sure to get plenty of carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, apricots, and papayas in your diet. Lycopene is a cancer-busting carotenoid found in tomatoes.

People who don’t get enough selenium, a strong antioxidant, tend to have a higher risk for developing cancer. Selenium occurs in plants grown in selenium-rich soil, like Brazil nuts and mushrooms. More commonly, it occurs in animal flesh, especially beef liver, poultry, and shellfish. Finally, spices like turmeric and ginger have compounds that can destroy cancer cells.

Thankfully, there are many fruits, vegetables, spices, and even meats that can help us all reduce our risk for developing cancer. It’s never too early or too late to stop cancer by eating the right FoodTrient-rich foods.