By Henry Relfield
It is tempting to jump on the bandwagon of dietary fads. We all want to believe that our answers lie in some new miracle food or easy-to-follow diet doctrine. However, simply adopting the latest diet fad is not the answer. Rather, we must look to the past - before the era of fast-food restaurants, before preservatives and hydrogenation became the mainstays of mass-produced food, and before white flour became an unfortunate symbol of refinement. We need to look way back to those simple times when most of the foods we ate were whole, fresh, and seasonal, when we ate what came out of the ground and dessert was a bowl of berries.
We can take advantage of the amazing power of simple foods to support essential body functions. To construct the perfect anti-cancer diet, we need to get back to these basics. The foundation is to eat plenty of colorful vegetables and fresh fruits (organic whenever possible). We recommend seven to ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If that is a daunting prospect, vegetable juices and protein-enriched fruit smoothies are great ways to more easily get all of those servings and the beneficial nutrients they provide. Whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts provide fiber and important vitamins and minerals and should also be abundant in your diet. Fresh cold-water fish is a great source of protein as well as beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Because of the fat content, limit dairy to one to two servings of organic dairy products daily. And do not forget to drink plenty of water. Proper hydration is essential for everyone, but especially those with cancer.
The scientific evidence linking vegetable intake to cancer prevention and treatment is impressive and continues to grow. There are long-term and large epidemiological studies consistently showing that the people who eat the most vegetables in the diet improve immune function and strengthen liver detoxification. Scientists are also discovering how compounds in vegetables help protect DNA from damage that would otherwise lead to cancer.
Of special interests are the cruciferous vegetables such as brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Many studies have shown these vegetables can help prevent cancer. Newer research involving components of these important vegetables, such as sulforaphane, actually show they may have the ability to destroy established cancer. Fruits are also very important to any cancer-fighting plan. Fruits contain active compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids protect fruits from being damaged by the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Scientific research is confirming that some of those flavonoids have similar effects in us. Specially, flavonoids exert cancer-preventive effects and also stimulate a variety of anti-cancer actions within our bodies. The fruits that have flavonoids include apple (Phenolic compounds), berries (Anthocyanidins), citrus fruits (Limonoids), and red grapes (Resveratrol).
It is tempting to jump on the bandwagon of dietary fads. We all want to believe that our answers lie in some new miracle food or easy-to-follow diet doctrine. However, simply adopting the latest diet fad is not the answer. Rather, we must look to the past - before the era of fast-food restaurants, before preservatives and hydrogenation became the mainstays of mass-produced food, and before white flour became an unfortunate symbol of refinement. We need to look way back to those simple times when most of the foods we ate were whole, fresh, and seasonal, when we ate what came out of the ground and dessert was a bowl of berries.
We can take advantage of the amazing power of simple foods to support essential body functions. To construct the perfect anti-cancer diet, we need to get back to these basics. The foundation is to eat plenty of colorful vegetables and fresh fruits (organic whenever possible). We recommend seven to ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If that is a daunting prospect, vegetable juices and protein-enriched fruit smoothies are great ways to more easily get all of those servings and the beneficial nutrients they provide. Whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts provide fiber and important vitamins and minerals and should also be abundant in your diet. Fresh cold-water fish is a great source of protein as well as beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Because of the fat content, limit dairy to one to two servings of organic dairy products daily. And do not forget to drink plenty of water. Proper hydration is essential for everyone, but especially those with cancer.
The scientific evidence linking vegetable intake to cancer prevention and treatment is impressive and continues to grow. There are long-term and large epidemiological studies consistently showing that the people who eat the most vegetables in the diet improve immune function and strengthen liver detoxification. Scientists are also discovering how compounds in vegetables help protect DNA from damage that would otherwise lead to cancer.
Of special interests are the cruciferous vegetables such as brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Many studies have shown these vegetables can help prevent cancer. Newer research involving components of these important vegetables, such as sulforaphane, actually show they may have the ability to destroy established cancer. Fruits are also very important to any cancer-fighting plan. Fruits contain active compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids protect fruits from being damaged by the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Scientific research is confirming that some of those flavonoids have similar effects in us. Specially, flavonoids exert cancer-preventive effects and also stimulate a variety of anti-cancer actions within our bodies. The fruits that have flavonoids include apple (Phenolic compounds), berries (Anthocyanidins), citrus fruits (Limonoids), and red grapes (Resveratrol).
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