Picture it...Cahuilla Indians of Mexico, roasting sweet yucca (agave) in pit ovens... West African women rhythmically pounding yams to make fufu, a version of mashed potatoes... a Nepalese family sharing a dish of fragrant curried yellow lentils. Since the beginning of time our diets were based on the colorful and delicious fruits and vegetables growing around us. Our outside environment was healthy so our bodies were healthy.
Today, toxic chemicals, stress and poor diet have shifted us into a higher risk for cancer. Fruits and vegetables help keep the environment inside our bodies healthy, to protect us from what we are exposed to every day. Your body defense system has tremendous capability to repair damaged cells that could start a cancer, mobilize immune cells to destroy new cancer cells, or trigger the self-destruction of cancer cells. While going about your day, your peaceful but powerful immune system knows just what to do - but it needs the right nutrition. Here are just a few ways that fruits and veggies can help to nip cancer in the bud.
Eat Your Broccoli
Cruciferous vegetables lower the risk of cancer. Eating broccoli and cabbage will boost antioxidants in the body and ramp up the activity of detoxification enzymes in the liver. These changes cause abnormal cells to die off, help eliminate potential cancer causing substances, and help repair damaged cells that could start cancer.
Mediterranean for Men
Prostate cancer is often slow-growing and can remain "in the background" for decades. But some men develop a very aggressive type. Men can incorporate preventive nutrients to avoid prostate cancer. A few times a week, enjoy a delicious dinner that includes fragrant tomato sauce, roasted red peppers and a glass of red wine. If you prefer a more casual meal, pizza and concord grape spritzer will also work! The idea is to get your lycopene, an antioxidant abundant in cooked tomatoes and red peppers, and your resveratol, an antioxidant found in red wine and grapes.
A Nut a Day
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, an important antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of many types of cancer. Along with vitamin E, selenium acts to halt the early development of cancer. When selenium is deficient in the diet, cancer risk increases. Eating 1 or 2 Brazil nuts can provide a daily adult dose of selenium.
Capturing Citrus Power
Many of us throw away a powerful cancer preventive: the white inner rind of oranges. This white layer contains bioflavenoids which work together with the vitamin C of the fruit, to help prevent cancer. You could try thinly peeling the orange with a knife to keep more of the rind on the fruit, or use a whole fruit juicer to capture all the nutrients in the rind. If making a dish like hummus, try blending in the pureed or chopped lemon and rind, instead of just using the juice.
Keep it Moving
A diet high in fiber helps move potential cancer causing substances through the digestive tract quickly. Fiber also feeds the good bacteria in the gut, enhancing our natural immunity. Gut bacteria help balance hormones, detoxify foreign substances, and produce vitamins to create a healthy body.
Your body has many mechanisms to prevent cancer. Keep your immune system fueled and functional by enjoying phytonutrient and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables every day.
