Add some of these healthy, low in calories and fat and power-packed with phytochemicals and antioxidants, cancer-fighting foods to your diet.
Also read: Eat Grapes To Kill Cancer Cells
Any food that is high in antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory phytonutrients is a cancer-fighting superfood. And any food that is rich in phthalates or toxins is a cancer-causing food. So here's a list of 6 anti-cancer foods that you should definitely include in your everyday diet to ward off cancer.
1. Leafy Greens
This includes vegetables like spinach, lettuce and kale. These veggies are rich sources of antioxidants like Vitamin C, beta-carotene and lutein that fight off damage causing free-radicals. The American Institute for Cancer Research has shown that chemicals called glucosinolates in these foods reprogram cancer cells to die.
2. Broccoli, Cabbage and Cauliflower
These foods are rich in glutathione, an antioxidant which has high radical-killing ability. Also, as good sources of isothiocyanates, they detox the body at a cellular level to prevent cancer. Broccoli in particular is dense in sulforaphane, a compound that boosts the production of protective enzymes in our body to fight cancer.
3. Tomato
The carotenoid lycopene, that gives tomatoes it's characteristic red color has been found to stop endometrial cancer cell growth, according to a study published in Nutrition and Cancer. The juicy fruit can also save men from prostate cancer because of its antioxidants that protect the DNA in our cells from damage.
4. Berries
Cherries, strawberries, black raspberry and most other berries are super sources of proanthocyanidin antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin A. Additionally, they possess a powerful antiviral agent called gallic acid that strengthens our immunity system to identify and kill cancerous cells.
5. Garlic
Eating garlic rich foods significantly decreases your risk towards stomach and colon cancer. It has also been found that garlic has phytochemicals that prevent abnormal cells from multiplying and also stops carcinogens from forming in the stomach.
6. Beans
Red kidney beans, more commonly known to us as 'rajma' is more than just a tasty meal. These beans increase the levels of the fatty acid butyrate in the body which protects us from cancer. Black beans are particularly effective against colon and breast cancer.
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