We all heard about broccoli being a top anti-cancer food. But there is only so much of broccoli you can eat! Fortunately there are lots of other cancer fighting foods, herbs and supplements. Here is top 5 items besides broccoli that cancer hates:
- Vitamin D.
Studies have found that people who have higher levels of vitamin D have significantly lower rates of breast, ovarian, renal, colon, pancreatic, prostate, and other cancers. We get more than 90 percent of vitamin D from sunshine. Taking a vitamin D supplement is highly recommended as well.
- Turmeric.
Curcumin, a yellow compound found in turmeric is a nearly miraculous substance. Not only it prevents cancer, it helps with a long list of other diseases. Multiple studies have shown that curcumin can reduce the growth of cancerous cells, shrink tumors and prevent metastasis (cancer spread to other organs). It is also strongly anti-inflammatory, alleviates arthritis, reduces the risk of heart disease and heart attack, and heals the liver.
Take a curcumin supplement that contains black pepper extract for increased absorption and take it with food that has fat, as curcumin is fat soluble, not water soluble. You can also add turmeric to tea. Check out this blog post for ideas what healthy ingredients you can add to your cup.
- Green tea.
EGCG, a famous compound found in green tea, attacks cancer on 3 levels. It prevents cancer cells from growing, it kills many types of cancer cells and it prevents growth of new blood vessels in tumors, which inhibits spread of tumors to other locations. The more green tea you drink the better. Try drinking a couple of cups per day. Or if you are only able to drink one, make it strong and large.
If you don’t like the taste of plain green tea, try a flavored variety, such as Mango Papaya Green Tea or Papaya Ginger Pineapple Green Tea.
- Selenium.
In areas of the world where soil has high levels of selenium, there are significantly fewer deaths from cancer, including lung, breast, colon, ovarian, cervical, bladder, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers. Additionally, studies have confirmed that selenium has shown to reduce the risk of cancer incidence and mortality in all cancers combined, but especially in liver, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers. The main sources of selenium are Brazil nuts which grow in selenium rich soil. It is nearly impossible to get enough selenium from other foods due to soil depletion. However, seafood, beef, poultry, liver and whole grains have small amounts of this mineral.
- Flax seeds.
This small mighty seed has the highest concentration of beneficial compound called lignan of all foods. Lignans reduce the risk of breast, prostate and colon cancer. The best way to consume flax seeds is to grind them in a small coffee grinder and add them to salads, soups, cereal, pasta, rice etc. You can also buy high lignan flax seed oil and take a tablespoon of it daily.
Information without action is powerless. Choose one food from this list and take action. Make a cup of green tea, order curcumin supplements, or add flax seeds to your shopping list.
Aloha,
Elena Donic,
Founder, Maui Rainbow Tea
