Anti cancer foods

The first thing you need to know is that much of our food in the US is very toxic. Many things put on food are banned in Europe. Surprised? Let me convince you with soy as an example. Ever notice that soy bean fields don't have weeds? There is an ugly reason why not. Before the seeds are planted they are soaked in a chemical that makes them resistant to Round Up. Yes I said Round Up. Once planted, they are sprayed with roundup and bug spray, harvested and used in a bazillion products. Yuck right? This is just one example of our government FDA being ridiculously lax. This is why it is important to eat as much organic food as you can. Or better yet, grow  your own so that you know what is, and is not, in it. Milk and meat have gross beginnings as well. Cows are fed antibiotics & growth hormones to increase muscle mass and milk production. In addition they are fed with chemically sprayed food. The fat in milk and meat has been shown to hold onto these chemicals. Ever wondr why little girls are getting boobs and menses earlier these days?

You can look at these facts and more at the Environmental Working Group web site. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/ They have a list of the top contaminated foods in regard to heavy pesticide use. Eye opening to say the least.

Now let's talk a bit about cancer preventing foods. How do some foods do this? Well there are a few things. First you have to understand a bit about how estrogen plays into feeding breast cancer. I will elaborate on this another day but for now just know that there is more than one type of estrogen, and often breast tumors have what are called estrogen receptors. The tumors can actually use the bad type of estrogen to fuel cell division. Some foods contain the good estrogen, and those are thought to fill up the estrogen sites, preventing the bad estrogen from entering.

High fiber is another way to reduce bad estrogen. It scoops it up in the intestines and does not allow for it to recirculate back into the body. So we will include foods on our anti-cancer list that do this job. We also have to understand the importance of antioxidants in cancer prevention. In short, anti- oxidants prevent cell damage, which is the root of cancer. There are also foods that act as anti-inflamatories which is important as well.

You will notice, that sadly, some of the foods on the anti-cancer list are also listed as the most contaminated by the EWG. It is important to buy organic, or be willing to wash them really well. It is also leagal for food stores to spray veggies and fruit with preservatives in the warehouses to extend shelf life.

Here is a starter list:


green tea
turmeric and curry
ginger
cruciform veggies ( broccoli cauliflower, cabbage etc...)
garlic
onions
carrots
yams
sweet potato's
pumpkin
squash
tomatoes
soy
fish ( if not full of mercury)
flax
Brazil nuts
yogurt and Kifer
berries ( all kinds)
citrus
pomegranate
grapes
sea weed
leafy greens
dark chocolate (my fav)
Spice- I will include a full list later

Notice that sugar is not on this list. Sugar is cancer fuel. Another day I will talk about sugar, glycemic index and how it relates to cancer. Alcohol turns into sugar in you body. Food for thought and later discussion.

Next post: I will pick apart this anti-cancer food list and explain how each food helps to prevent cancer.