Every time you choose a meal, snack or drink, you are making a decision that has a positive or negative effect on your body. Diet can prevent cancer or, conversely, contribute to cancer. Learn about the anti-cancer diet, an important element in anti-cancer prevention.
The anti-cancer diet is a preventive diet aimed at stopping the growth of cancer. Today no one is arguing that 60-70 percent. You can prevent cancer by doing just two things: quit smoking and eat healthy food. Cancer can be prevented by eating properly and shedding excess weight.
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Anti-cancer diet – what to eat?
Anti-cancer diets should be low in fats, sugar and salt, and rich in vitamins A, C, E (i.e. carotene, ascorbic acid, tocopherol) and elements – magnesium and selenium, which inhibit the development of cancer cells.It is these vitamins and minerals that remove free radicals from our body and prevent the carcinogenic effect of nitrosamines, i.e. dangerous compounds contained in food products and formed in the stomach. So let’s take a closer look at our diet.
Anti-cancer diet – healthy drinks
Of course, mineral water should come first. But fresh juices also have anti-cancer properties (because they have not yet transformed nitrates into harmful nitrites).We should also drink green tea, herbal mixtures (rosehip, hawthorn, nettle) and vegetable juices, mainly red beetroot. And remember – alcohol abuse increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, esophagus, throat, larynx, breast, liver and intestines. Men’s favorite beer is the main source of nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic, so people who drink amber liquid are at a higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who drink it occasionally. But wine containing resveratrol (a phenolic compound) in moderate amounts, i.e. a glass a day, has a protective effect.
Cancer prevention – important correct weight and good mood
Cancer likes obese and stressed people. Although there are no precise data on all types of cancer, it is known that obese women are 1.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than lean women. The relationship between cervical and gallbladder cancer (in women) and prostate cancer (in men) and being overweight is less clear. However, maintaining a proper body weight is certainly conducive to our health. It’s the same with stress. Neurotic people and those who cannot break away from the hardships of everyday life are more prone to all diseases, including cancer. A weakened immune system is less active, less alert and, even if it could deal with individual cancer cells, it does not have the strength to do so.So let’s not forget about relaxation and rest.
Cancer prevention – plenty of vegetables and fruit in the diet
They are very important in the prevention of cancer, especially fresh and raw ones, but they can also be boiled or stewed. Increasing their consumption reduces the risk of colorectal, stomach, lung, breast, mouth, pancreatic and bladder cancer. The incidence of these tumorslike metastases is 39 percent. higher in people on a traditional diet. Fruits and vegetables contain not only fiber and minerals necessary for health, but also substances called phytochemicals.Under this name are flavonoids, indoles and phenols – compounds that prevent cancer.Where can we find them?In easily available and inexpensive products:
- tomatoes contain a carotenoid called lycopene, a phenolic compound that protects the body against carcinogenic pollutants in the environment.It is known that the risk of prostate cancer in men who eat 10 tomatoes a week is reduced by 45%.
- broccoli and related vegetables contain beneficial indoles.They also contain glucosralates, which transform into sulforolates in the body, which are effective in fighting lung and colon cancer.
- Grape skins and the skins of other fruits are rich in resveratrol (present in red wine), a compound that stops the growth of cancer.
- Grapes have ellaginic acid, also present in cherries and strawberries, which has anti-cancer properties.
- Citrus fruits are rich in anti-cancer flavonoids and lutein.
Vegetables and fruits also have other antioxidants – vitamins E, C and beta-carotene.The shopping basket should include: cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, garlic, onion and parsley.
A diet that protects against cancer – more starch
Foods rich in starch, such as whole grain flakes, rice, pasta, oats, legumes, and potatoes, contain fiber, and increasing your intake reduces the risk of colon cancer.Fiber reduces the time it takes for food to pass through the intestines.This allows the substances that cause the disease to come into contact with the intestinal walls for a short time.Research shows that a substance called butyrate, formed by the action of the gastric microflora on fiber, is essential for the proper functioning of the intestines and prevents cancer.Apparently, it also has the power to destroy individual cancer cells.
Whole grain cereals contain lignan, a fiber-like product that is a phytoestrogen and some nutritionists believe it reduces the risk of hormone-dependent cancers.This is also how soy works, which contains isoflavones.However, in this case, it is better to be careful.In addition, laboratory studies on breast cancer cells have shown that low doses of soy isoflavonegenistein (the most active soy phytoestrogen) cause these cells to multiply, while large doses stop their growth.