10 Cancer Healing Foods

Cancer Healing Foods. As the great Hippocrates once said... "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."

This isn't going to be medical advice, but we are going to break down some research on what science says are some of the top healing or preventative foods for cancer.

To give you some stats on Cancer:

It is one of the leading causes of death.

As the population of planet earth is aging, the numbers of cancer rates are going up.

Cancer survival rates are different depending on the country you are in.

....People from poorer countries experience an even bigger increase in cancer deaths.

(Sources for all of that here.)

Cancer is incredibly serious but thankfully we are living in an era of information! Studies! Science! Experts making public their knowledge. Let's take advantage and learn.

Cancer and diet go hand in hand. It is estimated that 30-40% of all cancers can be prevented by exercising, how you live your life and, most importantly- your diet. (Source)

Let's talk about 10 healing and preventative cancer helping foods. By the way, there is no food that can completely rid us of cancer, but there are foods that can help block the blood vessels and calm inflammation that feeds cancer. (Source + Source.)

10 Cancer Healing And Preventative Foods

1. Fatty fish

Not just any fish! We are talking fatty fish like anchovies and salmon. These types of fish are rich in cancer-fighting nutrition. B vitamins, potassium, and Omega 3 fatty acids, to name a few. It's the Omega 3 fatty acids that are said to really have an effect on cancer cells.

Fatty acids, in general, have been reported to suppress cancer mutations, make it so cells can't/won't grow and, what's really cool- can enhance cell apoptosis. (Source)

In a study that focused on a Chinese population and colorectal cancer, they found that increasing the amount of freshwater and sea fish had a positive impact on decreasing cancer risk.

There was another study that focused on an elderly male population, and it showed that consumption of fish products significantly (not kind of, significantly!) lowered risk of prostate cancer. That's huge!

2. Carrots

Did you know that Vitamin A and Vitamin K are essential for fighting cancer? Antioxidants too. Carrots are loaded with them!

But the real star just might be the beta-carotene (which creates the orange color.)

There was a meta-analysis of eight different studies that showed that beta-carotene is linked to a decrease in the risk of both prostate and breast cancer.

When it comes to stomach cancer, there was a study done that showed a higher intake of carrots translated into having a 26% decrease in risk of getting stomach cancer.

3. Camu Camu

We're happy that Camu Camu makes the list as our Founder, Karen Berrios, is a cancer survivor and one of the superfoods she believes in more than anything is Camu Camu.

Camu Camu is local to Peru, it's a sour-ish fruit with lots of medicinal properties! Make sure yours is sourced straight from Peru- no middle man! Check ours out here- guaranteed fresh and top quality.

Vitamin C is incredibly important for fighting and preventing cancer, and Camu Camu contains more natural Vitamin C than anything on the planet. (See our initial article on the role Vitamin C plays in the body.)

Camu Camu also has astonishing antioxidant benefits. People preventing or treating cancer want to combat free radicals as much as they can, and antioxidants help mop these up and clean our bodies of them. Camu Camu has been shown to help when it comes to lowering free radicals and inflammation.

4. Turmeric

Turmeric is regarded as a potent alternative cancer treatment. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and also has lots of antibiotic properties.

This study talks about Turmeric canceling out cancer cell signaling and stopping cancer-related fibroblasts. We should aim for 1/2 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric a day. By the way, it's the curcumin which is the activated part of turmeric that makes the difference.

5. Green Tea

Many people who live in blue-zones of the world (places where there are large amounts of people who live to be over 100) drink green tea!

Though evidence of it's cancer-fighting properties are not yet conclusive, green tea is loaded with an antioxidant called polyphenols, which many scientists believe have anticancer activity. (Source.)

One study that covers tumor growth and consumption of green tea is especially interesting.

Quality is everything- make sure yours is organic, fresh, and consider that loose-leaf is often best!

6. Broccoli

There is a plant compound in specific cruciferous vegetables called Sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane actively helps our bodies fight off cancer. (Source) Of course, you're going to want to make sure your broccoli is organic- no pesticides, please! Why counter-act all that goodness?

There have even been powerful studies on broccoli having a positive correlation (aka a decrease) in metastatic cancer.

Eat up! These are great for meals and also thrown into smoothies- disguised with the right ingredients, you wouldn't even taste it!

7. Blueberries

Aw yes. They are small but they are mighty! And definitely have some anti-cancer properties.

Blueberries have many phytochemicals, which, like many berries, help fight off cancer.

These phytochemicals include:

Pterostilbene and resveratrol

Anthocyanins

Catechins

Quercetin

Kaempferol

Ellagitannins and ellagic acid

+other flavinoids

Blueberries have also been shown to scavenge free radicals.

8. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is so common amongst our pantries and many do not know just how powerful the medicinal properties can be!

The number of polyphenols and antioxidants in cinnamon are outstanding- both of these constituents help with cancer. Cinnamon has even more than Oregano and Garlic. (Source)

Test tube studies with cancer cell growth have been positive with use of cinnamon as well as certain studies done with mice.

9. Olive Oil

Aw yes! How grand it is to have olive oil in our meals, but not just for taste! The ingredient oleocanthal, which is extra-virgin olive oil, has been researched to find that it can kill cancer cells without harming normal, healthy cells. Incredible! (Source)

If we can include olive oil every day, we'd add in extra protection! This study concluded that a Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, can help prevent Colorectal Cancer.

Sourcing is highly important, make sure your extra virgin olive oil is pure and not cut with other oils and that it is organic. Be sure to c heck out the International Olive Oil Institute for recommendations.

10. Brazil Nuts

Why do cashews and peanuts get all the love? It's brazil nuts doing the heavy lifting! I'm joking- but not really! Did you know that there have been studies done on the bioactivity of brazil nuts in relation to preventing cancer?

It is the selenium in brazil nuts that help boost the immune system. In fact, meta-analyses and studies have been done that are in favor of increasing selenium intake for the sake of helping to prevent cancer.

Which of these jump out at you most? Are there any you are already eating? Keep it up!

Healing Smoothie

This smoothie has a few of the different foods we talked about in the Cancer Healing Foods article. It is loaded with antioxidants, polyphenols, sulforaphane and beta-carotene!

You will see this smoothie has Camu Camu in it- which we believe to be a key player in staying healthy. Our Camu Camu is of the highest quality and straight from Peru-- the vitamin C, antioxidants and flavonoids in it are tremendous! A daily dose is perfect.

You will also see we used broccoli in it, but no need to be scared! It's almost completely undetectable. So yes... safe smoothie to make for the kids when you want them to get extra greens! 😉

Click Here for the recipe!

Courtesy of Katey Yurko @thevioletfog