While no single food can prevent cancer, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans has been shown to lower the risk. The nutrients found in these foods can also help manage your weight and strengthen your immune system.
Avoid heavily processed meats and alcoholic beverages. Alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver and bowel.
Water
Water is essential to your health and can help lower the risk of cancer. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your immune system strong and your skin healthy.
Drinking water may help decrease your risk for bladder cancer. This is because drinking water increases urination, which reduces the amount of carcinogens that are absorbed into the bladder.
Avoid foods that contain carcinogens, such as cured and processed meats (ham, lunch meat, bacon, bologna), grilled or fried meats, smoked meats, and food that has become moldy. Also limit your intake of alcohol, which is linked to 7 types of cancer.
Beans
The soluble fiber in beans (and lentils and peas) helps prevent high blood cholesterol, reduce heart disease risk factors and lower blood pressure. Beans, including the soybean variety called edamame, contain potent phytochemicals that inhibit cancer growth in lab experiments.
One cup of cooked beans provides about half the daily recommended amount of folate, which promotes healthy red blood cell production. They're also a protein powerhouse, providing complete protein, plus vitamin K, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium. But beans, particularly dry beans, are full of lectins, which can reduce our absorption of micronutrients like calcium and may contribute to leaky gut. Soaking and cooking beans reduces lectin levels considerably.
Fruits
A diet rich in antioxidants and nutrients can help reduce your cancer risk. Aim to include fruits, vegetables, lean meats, beans, nuts and whole grains in your meals. Avoid sugary soft drinks, sweets and refined carbohydrates.
The phytochemical quercetin, found in apples and other fruits and vegetables, may help prevent cancer. Green tea also contains the antioxidant catechins, which help to protect cells and prevent oxidative stress. Past research suggests that tangerine peels contain a compound that halts the growth of cancer cells. But it's too early to know if this is true in people.
Vegetables
While no food protects against cancer completely, research suggests that a diet rich in antioxidants and fiber may help reduce risk. Plant-based foods like berries, dark leafy vegetables, beans and whole grains are good choices.
Leafy greens are high in folate, which helps normal cells avoid mutations that could turn them into cancer cells. Tomatoes are a good source of the cancer-fighting nutrient lycopene.
Choose non-starchy vegetables (like carrots and jicama), red and orange vegetables and beans and peas to get a variety of nutrients, including potassium. Try to buy organic varieties of these foods, which tend to have less pesticide residue.
Folate
Folate (vitamin B9) is necessary for cell growth and building DNA, the complex molecule that contains our genetic blueprint. Folate is also involved in methylation, a biochemical process that maintains many of your body's systems.
Folic acid is added to foods and used in prenatal vitamins. It is found naturally in foods such as leafy green vegetables, beans, peas and nuts, as well as fruits.
Folate may reduce the risk of certain cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and mouth and some types of esophageal and pancreatic cancer. However, some studies suggest that high intakes of folic acid may increase the risk of colorectal cancer by accelerating the progression of pre-cancerous lesions.
Broccoli
Broccoli might make people wrinkle their noses, but it’s a nutritious vegetable that should be eaten. It contains glucoraphanin, which turns into sulforaphane when it’s digested, an enzyme that promotes anti-inflammatory activity and boosts the body’s natural detoxifying process.
Its sulforaphane and vitamin C content also help improve blood sugar control and can prevent age-related eye disorders, thanks to the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin it contains. The veggie also helps prevent gum disease and bad breath because it contains sulfur compounds that stop bacteria from adhering to tooth enamel.
Tomatoes
Whether in a spaghetti sauce, salsa or ketchup, tomatoes offer fiber, vitamin C, potassium and lycopene. The latter is a potent antioxidant that protects cells from damage, including DNA damage. Lycopene may help prevent prostate cancer, and early research suggests a lycopene-rich diet lowers the risk of other types of cancer.
Tomatoes also contain the eye-friendly nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, which can protect the retina from age-related macular degeneration. They are also rich in vitamin A, which our bodies convert to retinol, important for vision and skin health.
Tomatoes are high in the provitamin beta-carotene, which our body absorbs to form vitamin A. This is important for healthy skin and a strong immune system.
