What you eat not only fills up your stomach but also defines how healthy your body is, which is why eating foods that could kill cancer are a great addition to any idea. While researchers worldwide are trying to find promising treatment options to fight cancer, one point that they all agree on is that one’s diet is the ultimate ammunition in the fight against cancer.
While doctors and scientists are doing their very best to eliminate this disease, there are foods that we can eat and some that we can avoid that will help us prevent the occurrence of cancer in the first place. Eating a healthy diet is the simplest and most cost-effective way of reducing the risk of cancer. If you don’t believe us, we suggest that you go through this list of foods that could kill cancer and see what we mean for yourself!
1. Berries
The berries that you enjoy in your cereals and desserts – blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, toss berries – are among the best cancer-fighting foods. They’re rich in antioxidants that protect the healthy cells of the body from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress and damage to the cells are the primary factors that are known to be linked to the development of cancer. Antioxidants are also known to boost the immune system.
Berries are also rich sources of polyphenols, including anthocyanins and ellagic acid, which possess excellent antioxidant characteristics to reduce and repair the oxidative damage to the healthy cells of the body. This is not the end of the benefits of berries. They contain significant quantities of fiber and Vitamin C, which are known to have potential cancer-fighting properties.
Berries are specifically effective against cancers of the lungs, bladder, skin, breast, and esophagus.
2. Grapes
Grapes are delicious – there’s no argument there. Whether you like them in your salads or fresh from the bunch, grapes deliver the perfect punch of sweetness. What many people don’t know is that grapes are a great source of resveratrol. This is a compound that has tremendous anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Resveratrol is found in abundance in the skin of red and purple grapes, which means that grapes are one of those foods that could kill cancer.
According to studies (The American Institute for Cancer Research), resveratrol in grapes has shown promising results in the fight against cancer. Resveratrol in grape skin is found to be effective against breast, colon, liver, and stomach cancers. It prevents cancer cells from growing further and helps in the inhibition of tumors.
3. Apples
We’ve been hearing the phrase ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ for as long as we can remember. Well, you’ll be surprised to know after all this time that eating apples regularly can actually keep you healthy and prevent the occurrence of deadly diseases like cancer.
Apples contain polyphenols that are known for their anti-cancer properties. These plant-based compounds can reduce and prevent inflammation, infections, and a number of cardiovascular diseases. Research suggests that polyphenols have tumor-fighting characteristics. Phloretin is a polyphenol, for instance, that inhibits the glucose transporter-2 (GLUT2), a protein that plays a vital role in advanced stages of different types of cancers. Apple phloretin is known to have great anti-cancer properties against breast cancer.
4. Carrots
If you’re looking for delicious foods that could kill cancer, look no further than carrots. They’re a rich source of essential vitamins, including vitamin A, vitamin K, and numerous antioxidants. They also contain beta-carotene, which is what gives carrots their characteristic orange color.
Beta-carotene plays an important role in offering the immune system the support that it needs to combat and prevent some cancers. It is linked to reducing the risk of prostate and breast cancer up to a significant level. According to research, consuming carrots regularly reduces the risk of stomach cancer by as much as 26%. If carrots aren’t a part of your everyday diet yet, you should consider adding it to your diet plan immediately!
5. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a staple food that forms a dominant part of a standard diet. Although tomatoes used routinely in many dishes, not many people are aware of the fact that the compound lycopene (that gives tomatoes its typical red color) is an excellent antioxidant. It protects the healthy cells of the body from oxidative, cancer-triggering damage, and kills the cells of the body that aren’t showing a normal growth pattern. Tomatoes are also known to offer great efficiency against skin cancer. They prevent the skin from absorbing the harmful UV rays from the sunlight.
Tomatoes are known to fight effectively against lung, breast, mouth, endometrial, and prostate cancers, other than skin cancer.
6. Walnuts
All nuts possess cancer-fighting and cancer-preventing properties (according to the American Institute for Cancer Research). Walnuts have been studied the most among all nuts, and it’s been found that they contain pedunculagin. The human body metabolizes pedunculagin into urolithins, that bind to the estrogen receptors and help prevent breast cancer.
Moreover, another study suggested that walnut oil has greater quantities of tumor-suppressing genes; thus, walnuts are said to be highly effective when it comes to fighting cancer.
7. Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and kale are rich sources of essential vitamins like vitamin K and vitamin C, and minerals like manganese. Apart from being highly nutritious, cruciferous vegetables contain potential cancer-fighting agents such as crambene, indole-3-carbinol, and glucosinolates.
They are also a source of sulforaphane known to prevent the occurrence of cancer by aiding the body in getting rid of carcinogens and inhibiting cancer cell growth. Incorporating cruciferous vegetables into your daily diet will help your body fight any existing cancer and prevent the development of any new one.
8. Fatty Fish
Fish varieties like mackerel, salmon, and anchovies are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, and vitamin B. Fatty fish are incredibly nutritious, and making it a part of your everyday diet not only ensure a healthy body but also helps combat cancers like colorectal cancer. According to a study, people who consumed fatty fish had as much as a 53% reduced risk of colorectal cancer. Moreover, eating plenty of fatty fish in the later stages of life is also said to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Another study proved that people who consumed supplements containing fish oil on a regular basis four times weekly were at a 63% lesser risk of developing colon cancer.
The associated of fatty fish and reduced cancer risk has been backed by multiple studies. There is no reason why you shouldn’t consider making fatty fish a part of your everyday diet plan.
9. Legumes
Next on this list of foods that could kill cancer, we have legumes like lentils, peas, and beans. Legumes are rich in fiber and are an excellent food to consume as they lower the risk of cancer in an individual. A large-scale study was conducted that found out that the higher the consumption of legumes, the lower the risk of colorectal cancers. According to another study, there is a strong association between a healthy intake of bean fiber and a reduced risk of breast cancer. People who consumed bean fiber in high amounts were at a 20% lesser risk of getting breast cancer.
There is enough scientific research to back the association of a high legume intake and a reduced rate of cancer.
10. Garlic
Garlic is a pantry-essential in every household. It is an important ingredient in a number of daily recipes. But, did you know that garlic can help kill and even prevent cancer? You read that right! Garlic contains numerous unique phytochemicals known as allyl sulfides that have excellent antioxidant properties. Allyl sulfides have been found to intervene in many cancer progression steps and stop its spread.
Garlic is specifically effective in the treatment and prevention of the development of colon cancer. Other types of cancer that garlic can help significantly with include lung, esophageal, stomach, and breast cancers.
Adding garlic to your diet is super-easy. You don’t even have to think about it. You can sauté garlic and add it to your salads, pasta sauces, soups, and dips, or add garlic to ground beef, or simply sprinkle it over your pizza! Garlic is a highly versatile food ingredient that also has tremendous cancer-fighting characteristics.
11. Whole Grains
Whole grains are great at helping your body fight cancer. People who make whole grains a part of their regular diet are at a 21% reduced risk of developing cancer. Whole grains have germ layers and bran, which are packed with essential nutrients and plenty of antioxidants, which is something refined grains lack. They also contain high quantities of fiber. When fiber ferments in the colon, it produced certain substances that offer protection to the colon cells against cancer-causing chemicals and agents. The consumption of whole grains offers protection against colon, stomach, and breast cancer.
If you’re wondering how you can make whole grains a part of your diet, you need not fret. You can have oatmeal for breakfast and use whole-wheat flour for baking; you can even make sandwiches with whole-wheat bread and replace your regular rice with brown rice. In the beginning, you may find it difficult to switch to whole grain options, but once you do, consider yourself protected from cancer!
12. Flaxseed
Flaxseeds are quite a common ingredient that is often used in cooking and baking. Flaxseed oil and flour are healthier cooking alternatives for all the right reasons. They contain lignans that are known to be powerful antioxidants. Lignans help the body fight carcinogens and protect the healthy cells of the body. Flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are equipped with tremendous anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3 fatty acids also boost the natural immune system of the body and help it fight infections and diseases like cancer a lot more efficiently.
Flaxseeds are found to be highly effective in the fight against lung, skin, colon, and breast cancers. If you don’t consume flaxseed as part of your diet yet, we suggest that you start using it right away!
13. Tea
If you can’t start your day without having a cup of tea, you’re in for a big surprise. Tea is one of the best sources of catechins. According to numerous studies, catechins can stop the growth of cancerous cells and can even reduce the size of existing tumors. Tea can be really beneficial for people who are suffering from lung, skin, prostate, breast, colon, liver, stomach, or pancreatic cancer.
To reap the cancer-fighting benefits of tea, you can sip green tea, cold or not. Black tea is also effective, but green tea is found to contain 3 times more catechins.
Conclusion
Natural remedies are an incredibly safe and effective way to treat many illnesses, even cancers. Medicinal treatments are effective, but more than often, they are associated with long-term side effects. However, relying on natural ways of fighting diseases helps you combat the disease and strengthens your body through and through. Utilizing these foods that could kill cancer in your everyday diet is extremely beneficial for people suffering from certain types of cancers. In healthy individuals, these foods can even prevent the occurrence of cancer!
