ANTICANCER FOOD
Many natural foods contain specific anticancer agents that target several mechanisms that kill cancer cells such as apoptosis, angiogenesis, and the activation of our immune defense. Such foods have demonstrated efficacy to protect against cancer. Today, it proves what we have done empirically for ourselves over many years when suggesting in our teaching to adopt a better diet that includes a list of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains that includes the following list.
Mushrooms, tofu, spices, cruciferous vegetables that are some on top of the list along with broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, watercress, cauliflower, pumpkin, artichoke, onions, and especially red onions, garlic, eggs, red beets, celery. Vegetables and fruits contain about 4000 know pigments including thousands of phytochemical substances like anthocyanins, flavonoids, polyphenols apigenin, quercetin, lycopene, lutein, sulphoraphane, betanin, genistein, hundreds of carotenoids, which occupy a top position in cancer prevention and cancer treatment.
All these phytochemicals have been subject to extensive research and publication. They can protect your body against cancer by boosting the immune system, inducing apoptosis, and combating inflammation.
For instance, several studies have shown that quercetin can reduce the risk of certain cancers such as pancreatic cancer greater than 40%. One study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center had shown that quercetin enhanced the effects of doxorubicin and cisplatin, and therefore, work synergistically toward much better results.
Mushrooms have been used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years as medicine. During the past 2 decades, they were also the subject of extensive research having demonstrated several antineoplastic properties affecting cancer through immunomodulation, resulting in cancer cell destruction. Mushrooms contain a substance known as polysaccharide, which possesses strong properties to stimulate the immune system such the NK cells, T-cells, dendritic cells, as well as to stimulate the bone marrow.
Another interesting vegetable, pumpkin, boosts the immune system. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, C, E, iron, and fibers. One cup of pumpkin gives you 200% of your recommended daily Vitamin A intake.
In my anticancer diet, we include watercress, broccoli, red beets, artichoke, black radish, daikon (a Japanese radish with high antioxidant properties), parsley, ginger, Mushroom, garlic, radish, black radish squash, parsley, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, carrot, pumpkin, pomegranate, vegetable sprouts, red and yellow peppers. Vegetables are either cooked or best steamed, but never prepared in a microwave oven. This is important to remember. You can also use hot water or eat them raw or used to make a vegetable juice cocktail, or prepare in a blender as raw food. I always add parsley to the vegetable juice cocktail since it contains a high level of apigenin, a molecule that acts exactly as the antineoplastic agent glivec by blocking tumor blood vessels to stop its growth.
By Professor Serge Jurasunas, MD (hc), ND