Top-5 Cancer Fighting Vegetables
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death. And while there are several ways to treat and beat cancer naturally, the best way to fight cancer is to prevent it from developing in the first place.
There are several ways to keep cancer at bay, including exercise, avoiding toxins, and getting the right nutrition. But perhaps chief among these is nutrition. The right anti-cancer foods and nutrients can combat cancer by strengthening the immune system, detoxifying the body, reducing inflammation, and preventing cancer cells from replicating.
I’ve put together 5 amazing cancer-fighting vegetables to add to your anti-cancer diet that will drastically increase your chances of keeping cancer at bay. Not only that, but these foods serve in a myriad of ways to help support a healthy body. With the right nutrition, you can ensure a happy, healthy lifestyle.
Modern medicine relies heavily on drugs and other invasive interventions to fight disease, but these treatments generally address symptoms and not causes. They are reactive measures instead of proactive measures. We are blessed to find everything we need in nature… most disease is artificial, and we can prevent it!
So here they are, the top 5 cancer-fighting veggies to help you stay vibrant and healthy.
1. Garlic
Garlic is one of my favourite foods for cooking. It’s a flavorful addition that’s great in almost any dish. But more importantly, it has an abundance of health benefits. Packed with vitamins C and B6, selenium, and fibre, garlic is a great nutrient source. It can also help treat hypertension by lowering blood pressure, possesses antioxidant properties, and is a powerful detoxifying agent.
But perhaps most importantly, garlic has powerful anti-cancer abilities. A 2009 study published in the journal Food Chemistry found that garlic could completely stop cancer growth for certain cancers. Lung, brain, breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers were all effectively stopped. According to the study’s authors:
“All members of the Allium family tested in this study were powerful inhibitors of tumour cell proliferation. In fact, among all vegetables tested in this study, the extract from garlic was by far the strongest inhibitor of tumour cell proliferation, with complete growth inhibition of all tested cell lines.”
2. Broccoli
Broccoli is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family and a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants protect against cell damage caused by free radicals. These rogue cells are thought to be a major cause of cancer proliferation. It also contains a powerful nutrient compound known as sulforaphane.
Sulforaphane has been the subject of hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and is one of the most proven nutrients for blocking the progression and formation of cancer. It can also help induce apoptosis, which is the body’s natural system of programmed cell death when cells become damaged or mutated. Without apoptosis, damaged cells are allowed to multiply and spread, leading to cancer.
Cruciferous veggies like broccoli also contain vitamins C, K, and E, are anti-inflammatory, and can help prevent angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels that helps cancer proliferate). It has also been shown to render carcinogens inactive, which is essential in today’s toxic world.
3. Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are loaded with nutrients, including vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins, plus it has antioxidant properties. Another member of the cruciferous family, these sprouts are rich in sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates, which support detoxification, and indole-3-carbinol, which reduces the risk of breast, colon, and lung cancer. Glucosinolates also assist in suppressing carcinogens and inducing apoptosis.
If all that isn’t enough, Brussels sprouts are also an anti-inflammatory, which is important. Chronic inflammation is at the root of most chronic disease, so anything you can do to reduce it is a huge win.
4. Kale
Yet another cruciferous veggie (noticing a trend?), kale is an excellent source of antioxidants, calcium, vitamin C, and chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll helps to prevent the body from absorbing carcinogens. Kale has also been shown to defend against diabetes and heart disease.
Kale is also a major source of organosulfur compounds, which have been shown in studies to reduce cancer risk. It is also a source of sulforaphane, a type of glucosinolate. Sulforaphane also boosts your immune system, the body’s natural defence system and your best bet for preventing disease.
In the kitchen, you can use kale in many ways…
5. Artichokes
Artichokes are actually a perennial thistle, but they’re absolutely loaded with nutrients. Vitamins C, K, and B9, calcium, iron, and potassium are just a few of the health benefits you’ll get from artichokes. They can help prevent coronary disease and have antioxidant properties to help fight free radicals.
One study found that extracts from artichoke leaves can inhibit cancer growth and activity. And by inducing apoptosis, they are especially effective at combating breast cancer.
Artichokes are one of my favourite veggies. Below is a tasty French-inspired recipe that is sure to please!
If you want to get a head start on cancer prevention, these veggies are a great way to start. You’ll be able to reduce inflammation and angiogenesis, promote apoptosis and healthy immune function, detoxify and neutralize harmful carcinogens, and attack the mechanisms that cancer cells use to grow.
Even better, you’ll be providing your body with tons of essential nutrients and minerals. Be sure to buy organic and balance your diet with all of the other nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Love,
The Truth About Cancer
Sources and references
DEATHS BY DEMOGRAPHICS
Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects
Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of common vegetables.
Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Prevention
How does broccoli help prevent cancer? Study sheds light
Allyl isothiocyanate arrests cancer cells in mitosis, and mitotic arrest, in turn, leads to apoptosis via Bcl-2 protein phosphorylation.
Reduction of oxidative DNA damage in humans by brussels sprouts.
Allyl isothiocyanate arrests cancer cells in mitosis, and mitotic arrest, in turn, leads to apoptosis via Bcl-2 protein phosphorylation.
Artichoke polyphenols induce apoptosis and decrease the invasive potential of the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB231.
Pharmacological Studies of Artichoke Leaf Extract and Their Health Benefits.
What are the health benefits of kale?
