If the saying “Prevention is better than cure” is true, then cancer, though a terminal disease can be prevented by adding certain foods to the diet. There are health issues that have arisen or are prevalent that are as a result of what people eat and how they live.
Most people are doing all they can to prevent illnesses. Exercise, personal hygiene, rest, sleep and food affect health. If you want to be healthy, you must inculcate all of these into your routine.
Preventive measures are the most effective ways to keep the doctor away and for cancer, the type of food you eat is part of the preventive measures for the disease. However, there’s no guarantee that if you eat the foods listed, you will stay completely free from cancer. There’s a possibility of having cancer if it is in your lineage, you take tobacco, work in an environment that is polluted with hazardous substances and so on.
In order to avoid Cancer, you can add the following foods to your diet.
Cruciferous Vegetables
The following are in the family of Cruciferous Vegetables:
- Arugula.
- Bok choy.
- Broccoli.
- Brussels sprouts.
- Cabbage.
- Cauliflower.
- Collard greens.
Most of these vegetables comprise compounds like diindolylmethane, sulforaphane and the element selenium, which are known to have healing properties. These compounds also lower the risk of other chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and Alzheimer’s disease.
According to research: these vegetables’ plant-based nutrients have antimicrobial properties that give your immune defences a boost against sickness-causing pathogens, making it effective in lowering the risk of many diseases including cancer.
Green Tea
Green Tea has the highest concentration of antioxidants, studies have shown. It is lower in calories and caffeine when compared to coffee and black tea, hence it is good for weight loss.
In countries where green tea consumption is high, cancer rates tend to be lower. However, human studies have not shown consistent evidence to prove that drinking green tea reduces the overall risk of cancer.
There are different pieces of evidence which show that drinking green tea lowers the risk of cancer, but the results of these studies on humans are not consistent.
Ginger and Turmeric
Ginger and Turmeric are spices that have been utilised as cures for migraine, chronic inflammation and fatigue. They have also been used as pain relief, to decrease nausea, and enhance immune function to help protect against illness and infection including cancer.
Both ginger and turmeric contain a lot of antioxidants. When combined with garlic, the antioxidants in ginger may help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease, studies have shown.
Ginger and turmeric are both good at reducing inflammation on their own. The gingerol molecule gives ginger the ability to fight inflammation and its bitter taste. Gingerol and other chemicals in ginger have been shown to lower inflammation in a number of diseases, such as the common cold and inflammatory bowel disease.
Chocolate
Dark chocolate, which is high in cocoa may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases when consumed in moderation. However, it may be heavy in calories and sugar.
Dark chocolate is packed with nutrients that are beneficial to health.
It is also high in antioxidants, which can lower the risk of cancer disease. In fact, they are believed to have more antioxidants than any other foods.
Coffee
When most people think of coffee, they think of its energizing properties. Several studies, however, indicate the possibility of further important health benefits of coffee. Potential health benefits include lowering the risk of developing heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and liver cancer.
Experts say that each day, 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed. Researchers have looked at how coffee might help people with diabetes, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver disease. Some of these claims have evidence to back them up, but others don’t.
According to a 2015 cohort research of a racially and ethnically diverse US population, moderate coffee consumption (two to three cups per day) was associated with a lower risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic liver disease (CLD).
Carrots
Carrots have more antioxidants than vitamins K and A. This food has a lot of beta-carotene, which is what gives carrots its characteristic orange colour.
Research shows that beta-carotene is good for the immune system and may help avoid some types of cancer. One study says that beta-carotene may lower the risk of getting breast and prostate cancer. Another study found that eating carrots lowers your risk of getting stomach cancer by 26%.
Legumes
Beans, peas, and lentils have a lot of fiber, which has been linked to a lower chance of cancer. Eating more beans has been linked to a lower chance of colon cancer.
A Source says that eating beans high in fiber has been linked to a lower chance of getting breast cancer.
People who ate a lot of beans had a 20% lower chance of getting breast cancer than those who ate less fiber than the daily recommendation.
