Reducing Cancer Risks: Using the Power of Food
By Crystal Langlois, RD, CSO, LD
While many people resolve to at healthier to lose weight, good nutrition has many other benefits. By providing your body and cells with the right balance of nutrients, good eating habits help you maintain a healthy weight, improve mental function, and live longer. But did you know that sound nutrition also helps support immune function and reduces the risk of cancer?
As an oncology nutritionist, I can tell you that when treating cancer, nutrition is a key ingredient that complements conventional treatments like radiation and chemotherapy to help improve a patient’s quality of life. Good nutrition can help lessen the side effects of cancer treatment, preserve lean body mass, decrease the risk of infection, and help patients recuperate faster after treatment. In fact, because of these and other benefits, nutrition therapy is recognized as an essential component of integrated cancer treatment.
Many people have come to believe that eating healthy means giving up taste and convenience while having to spend more money on food. Not true. Eating healthy can be easy if you set realistic goals and focus on making healthy foods part of your daily routine. To get you started, here is a list of simple Do’s and Don’ts that will not only improve your overall nutrition and health, but also bolster your immune system and reduce your risk of cancer.
DON’T rely on pills for nutrition. Pills cannot substitute for an organic whole food. Foods contain much more than just vitamins and minerals. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring substances found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains that may offer defenses against cancer.
DO eat nutrient-dense foods every day. Try to consume orange vegetables (carrots, mangoes, apricots [un-sulphered & stewed when dried}), and sweet potatoes). Also eat vegetables in the cabbage family, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and dark green leafy vegetables regularly. Remember, go for color; the deeper the color of a fruit or vegetable, the more nutrients it provides.
DON’T become dehydrated. If your urine is deep in color or has a strong odor, you need to drink more water.
DO drink purified water. You might think it’s bland compared with soda, soft drinks, and coffee, but the cells in your body don’t think so; water is the most essential nutrient for them. For added flavor, try adding fresh fruits, lemon, lime, or organic herbal tea.
DO eat non-GMO foods. A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans. GMOs are now present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US. While they are banned as food ingredients in Europe and elsewhere, the FDA does not even require the labeling of GMOs in food ingredient lists. GMO foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions; cancer; sick, sterile, and dead livestock; and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. For a list of non-GMO products, go online and visit nongmoshoppingguide.com.
DON’T eat processed foods. Not only are they loaded with dangerous chemicals that stress your liver function—the very organ you need to function at full capacity to fight cancer—they are also loaded with sodium, which is linked to tumor growth. Processed foods are also stripped of much needed phytochemicals and natural nutrients.
DO eat less unhealthy fat. The average American eats the equivalent of a stick of margarine a day, most of which is hidden in processed foods, dairy, and all meat. However, because some fat is necessary, try to increase your consumption of healthier fat such as organic flaxseed (not high lignan). Flaxseed oil is well tolerated by cancer patients. It helps to stimulate the immune system and has even been linked to killing the tumor tissue. Take two tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day added to a salad or simply swallowed. Rather than adding oil to cook your food, steaming and baking is best.
DON’T eat corn oil and soybean oil, especially if hydrogenated (check food labels). These fats are immune-suppressive, and researchers are linking hydrogenated fats to increased free radicals, which are destructive to cells. For the same reason, if you refuse to give up on the fattening food additive, butter is a better choice than margarine.
DO choose plant proteins as far as possible while still maintaining adequate protein. Beans, grains, nuts, seed, etc. should always be a large part of your diet. Seafood is an excellent source of protein because it’s usually low in fat. Avoid fish that are heavy in mercury. White-meat poultry is another good choice as are milk, cheese, and yogurt. Avoid nitrates in all processed foods. The latest research done at the University of California at Irvine showed that children who eat as few as three hot dogs a week had a 10 to 12 times higher incidence of leukemia and brain tumors. Sausages are perhaps the worst food. They are chemically treated, dyed, and preserved. They have nitrates and nitrosamines. A report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, concluded that eating processed meat can increase the risk of certain types of cancer.
DON’T eat foods with added sodium or add sodium yourself. Excessive sodium intake is a known contributor to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cataracts, kidney stones, and osteoporosis. It is also a contributor to some cancers, especially cancers of the stomach and esophagus. A high sodium intake depletes potassium in the body. With potassium’s anti-cancer properties such as balancing PH (potassium has an alkalizing effect on the body—cancer does not thrive in an alkaline environment), stimulating kidneys to eliminate toxins, and its potent detoxification actions, potassium is an important mineral in cancer prevention and must not be depleted through salt intake.
DO increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Fiber helps maintain the health of your colon. Eat naturally occurring fiber found in beans like navy at 19 g per cup or split peas at 16 g per cup (use dried over canned as canned usually has added sodium, which is a no no). Try eating some pumpkin; there are 13 g in a 1/2 cup. Or go for fruit like pears, bananas, raisins, prunes, fresh oranges, and dried figs or dates.
CANCER FIGHTING FOODS
There are cancer-fighting foods that contain natural substances that work by cutting off the blood supply feeding cancer cells. Without a blood supply, cancers can’t grow. This is called anti-angiogenesis (angiogenesis is the term for the process our bodies use to grow its blood vessels). Tumors can try to hijack our blood vessels, but we can outsmart cancers and beat them to the punch by keeping this from happening.
Everyone knows that leafy greens are good for you. Arugula is one of the better choices for health. It contains two cancer fighters called kaempferol and quercetin. Researchers have shown that diets containing arugula can reduce the risk of lung cancer. Arugula is great to use in a salad, or even mixed into hot pasta coming off the boil. You can also arrange it as a bed of tasty greens on which to put other cooked or raw foods.
Fresh fruits are an obvious healthy choice, but did you know that bananas contain cancer fighters? They are called catechins and delphinidin, and studies have shown diets rich in bananas and other fruits can reduce the risk. Oranges, tangerines, and clementines contain cancer fighters called hesperidin and naringenin. They’re found in the juice, so go ahead and drink refreshing fresh-squeezed or not from concentrate citrus juice, which researchers have shown can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer. Lime juice has serious lung cancer prevention power with scientific evidence to back it up. Cancer fighters are concentrated in the peel, too, but so are pesticides—so when zesting an orange make sure it’s organic.
Squid (calamari), contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids that are not only heart healthy, but are also antiangiogenic and can starve cancer cells. Diets high in seafood like squid are known to reduce the risk of breast cancer. While we’ve all enjoyed crispy fried calamari at restaurants, deep frying is not the healthiest way to cook squid, and it loads the dish with calories. The better way is to sauté the squid in a pan. Cook it in a stainless pan with a little bit of garlic (also contains cancer-fighting alliin) and olive oil (more on this later).
Squash contains two cancer fighters: lutein and zeaxanthin. Diets high in squash have been shown to reduce the risk of a cancer of the lymph system called Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The good thing about frozen squash is that frozen is just as good as fresh. Squash is easy to cook. Simply heat it up, add some cinnamon (a cancer-fighting spice), and serve it as a delicious side dish with any meal. Or, you can purée it and make squash soup.
Cancer-fighting spices and herbs include: turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, curry, chive, garlic, and basil.