The Anti-Cancer Diet: Foods to Fight Cancer
Protect yourself from cancer by adding these anti-cancer foods to your diet.
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
An anti-cancer diet is an important strategy you can use to reduce your risk of cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends, for example, that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and eat the right amount of food to stay at a healthy weight. In addition, researchers are finding that certain foods may be particularly useful in protecting you from cancer. Make room in your diet for the following foods and drinks to fight cancer.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Garlic
Several large studies have found that those who eat more garlic are less likely to develop various kinds of cancer, especially in digestive organs such as the esophagus, stomach, and colon. Ingredients in the pungent bulbs may keep cancer-causing substances in your body from working, or they may keep cancer cells from multiplying. Experts don’t know how much you need to eat to prevent cancer, but a clove a day may be helpful.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Berries
As a tasty treat, berries are hard to beat. But their juicy goodness also may make them one of the foods to fight cancer. Berries contain particularly powerful antioxidants, meaning they can halt a naturally occurring process in the body that creates free radicals that can damage your cells. Compounds in berries may also help keep cancers from growing or spreading. So, as part of your anti-cancer diet, pick up a handful of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or any other favorite berries today.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Tomatoes
Some research has found that eating tomatoes may help protect men from prostate cancer. The juicy red orbs can help guard the DNA in your cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Tomatoes contain a particularly high concentration of an effective antioxidant called lycopene. Your body may absorb lycopene better from processed tomato foods such as sauce, which means that whole-wheat pasta with marinara sauce could be a delicious way to help lower your risk of this disease.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables — the group containing broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower — may be particularly helpful in protecting you from cancer. Researchers have found that components in these veggies can protect you from the free radicals that can damage your cells' DNA. They may also shield you from cancer-causing chemicals, help slow the growth of tumors, and encourage cancer cells to die. They’re a tasty and healthy addition to your anti-cancer diet.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Green Tea
Tea contains antioxidants called catechins, which may help prevent cancer in a variety of ways, including keeping free radicals from damaging cells. Lab studies have found that catechins in tea can shrink tumors and reduce tumor cell growth. Some — but not all — studies in humans have also linked drinking tea to a lower risk of cancer. Both green and black teas contain catechins, but you’ll get more antioxidants from green tea, so you may want to consider a cup or more in your anti-cancer diet.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Whole Grains
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, whole grains contain many components that might lower your risk of cancer, including fiber and antioxidants. A large study including nearly half a million people found that eating more whole grains might lower the risk of colorectal cancer, making them a top item in the category of foods to fight cancer. Oatmeal, barley, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread and pasta are all examples of whole grains.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Turmeric
This orange-colored spice, a staple in Indian curries, contains an ingredient called curcumin (not the same as cumin) that might be useful in reducing cancer risk. According to the American Cancer Society, curcumin can inhibit some kinds of cancer cells in laboratory studies and slow the spread of cancer or shrink tumors in some animals. Turmeric is easy to find in grocery stores, and you can use it in a variety of recipes.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy green vegetables like spinach and lettuce are good sources of the antioxidants beta-carotene and lutein. You’ll also find these nutrients in vegetables that are more traditionally eaten cooked, like collard greens, mustard greens, and kale. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, some lab studies have found that chemicals in these foods may limit the growth of some kinds of cancer cells.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Grapes
The skin of red grapes is a particularly rich source of an antioxidant called resveratrol. Grape juice and red wine also contain this antioxidant. According to the National Cancer Institute, resveratrol may be useful in keeping cancer from beginning or spreading. Lab studies have found that it limits the growth of many kinds of cancer cells; in men, moderate amounts of red wine have been linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer.
Anti-Cancer Diet: Beans
Certain fruits and vegetables and other plant foods get plenty of recognition for being good sources of antioxidants, but beans often are unfairly left out of the picture. Some beans, particularly pinto and red kidney beans, are outstanding sources of antioxidants and should be included in your anti-cancer diet. Beans also contain fiber, and eating a high-fiber diet may also help reduce your risk of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Helping Children and Teens When a Loved One is Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Breast cancer can affect a woman’s entire social network, and often survivors worry the most about the impact of the diagnosis and treatment on their children. Children understand the world through their parents. How a child reacts depends very much on how the parents or other close adults are dealing with their own feelings.
When a parent is sick or experiencing stress, children of all ages can sense this change, even if they cannot identify or understand the cause. It is important to have open discussions with children so that they do not develop their own ideas about the cause of stress.
Explain the facts of cancer in an age-appropriate way that allows children to understand and participate in what is happening. For example, including children in discussions about how to help their mother feel better lets them feel they are contributing without giving them too much responsibility. Children cannot be shielded from all the stressful parts of life, so it is important to teach them how to cope with this and other challenges.
Signs to watch for that suggest a child could use some help:
- Changes in a child’s sleeping or eating patterns
- A drop in school grades
- Changes in behavior
- Getting into arguments with friends
- Emotional withdrawal
- Acting/Behaving younger than the child’s age
Teenagers may find it especially difficult to cope with cancer, combined with all of the common challenges in adolescent lives. They might be more able to share their fears and emotions with a trusted adult outside the immediate family, such as a grandparent, teacher, or athletic coach, who can lend support.
Cancer is not the same as other major life events; it is ongoing and often unpredictable. It is important to work together as a family to plan how each individual will have their needs met during and after cancer treatment. It helps to include children in the decisions on how to “cut back” to make time for new family routines. Maintaining or developing a new family routine can help minimize the impact and stress on everyone.
From: www.cancersupportcommunity.org;
www.everydayhealth.com
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