Superfoods - The Hidden Gems to Prevent Cancer

Cancer is a word that can bring shivers down the spine to anyone. It is a dreadful disease caused by the abnormal development of cells that start dividing in an uncontrolled manner, infiltrating and destroying the body tissue.

These cells don’t die but multiply rapidly. They interfere with the functioning of the immune system and hamper it from functioning properly. Although there are a lot of treatments, sadly, there isn’t any definite cure for it.

It is the second-highest cause of death in the entire world with a very poor survival rate. A lot of research and studies have been conducted on cancer for decades, and though the medical experts have not been able to develop a cure, there have been considerable improvements in the detection, screening, and treatment of this dreadful disease.

Despite all the progress in its treatment, cancer patients are exposed to a lot of struggle, pain, and changes in their lives. The treatment is very expensive and involves a lot of difficulties and challenges for the patients.

Therefore, the best way to protect yourself from cancer throughout your life is to try and prevent it from developing in the first place. Although we do not have much control over the external risk factors of cancer such as genetics and pollution. Many cancer-causing risk factors depend on our day-to-day lifestyle and are directly in our control.

How Dietary Changes can Reduce the Risk of Cancer?

Eating well can help you in both preventing and fighting cancer. Good dietary habits include eating a lot of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and whole grains while avoiding processed and fast food. The main idea is to stay fit and maintain body weight by consuming fewer calories, less starch and less fats.

Also, good dietary changes for cancer prevention involve moderating your meat intake and reducing it as much as possible. Processed meat has been directly linked to various types of cancer including that of colon, bowel, and stomach. The focus has to shift towards plant-based proteins through beans, lentils, and similar food.

Superfoods That Prevent Cancer

Changing your eating patterns and adopting good dietary habits is essential in preventing the risk of developing cancer. But besides this, there are some superfoods that are considered to be hidden gems in the fight against cancer. They are said to have the  perfect properties consisting of essential nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and most importantly phytochemicals (plant chemicals that protect cells from damage) that can lower down the risk of cancer significantly.

Some of these superfoods are:

We all hate that strong garlic breath, but the same component that causes it, i.e. sulfur, is a key component that can stop the formation of cancer building substances in your body. Besides that, sulfur is also known for speeding up the process of DNA repair and killing cancer cells even before they become dangerous or start to spread. Also, being part of the allium family, just like its family members like onion, chives, leeks, etc, garlic is also linked to protecting against cancer of the stomach.

Phytochemicals, as discussed above are chemicals present in plants that can protect the cells from damage and keep them healthy. Broccoli is a superfood that is filled with these amazing phytochemicals. A phytochemical named glucosinolate is found in plenty in broccoli, and it is known to produce protective enzymes that prevent the rupturing of the walls of body cells and keeps them healthy. It also contains a compound named sulforaphane which detoxifies the body, removes pollutants and toxins and aids in protecting from the risk of developing cancer.

3. Beetroot

Beetroots are amazing sources of Vitamin B that promotes heart health. Besides, it is rich in antioxidants known as betalain that can flush out the toxins from the body and keep you protected from cancer in the kidney. Betalain is also a powerful fighter against cancer cells and does not allow them to grow, killing them at an initial stage only in case they appear.

It is referred to as a super spice as it brings numerous health benefits to the human body. It has a great quantity of essential oils that brings benefits such as stroke prevention, reduced risk of heart disease, a decrease in chronic inflammation and most importantly reduction in the risk of cancer. The essential oils block the growth of the cancer cells, giving cinnamon the name of cancer-fighting spice. You should include a half tablespoon of cinnamon in your diet each day.

Spinach has always been related to good health in most fables, cartoons and folklore. In reality, it is much more beneficial and a true superfood that is a blessing for the human body. It is full of antioxidants and chemicals including lutein, zeaxanthin, carotenoids that remove free radicals in the body before they can damage the cells. Also, a study has found that people who eat spinach are less likely to develop esophageal cancer. Also, the carotenoids are known to reduce the risk of developing ovarian, lung and colorectal cancer.

Papaya is known to have anti-cancer properties. It is found to be majorly effective in preventing liver, pancreas, lung and breast cancer. Moreover, it works on improving the strength of the immune system and enables it to fight free radicals that can be very dangerous to the body cells. Papaya is also helpful in improving the metabolism of the body and prevents the development of cancer cells in the stomach too.

Blueberries are the richest sources of antioxidants amongst all fruits. These are super effective against free radicals that can be damaging to cells and cause various types of cancer. They also contain a chemical compound named anthocyanin, known to bring down the biomarkers for cancer of colon. Apart from this, blueberries are a great source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers that have great health benefits.

Vitamins are found in abundance in carrots. From Vitamin A to Vitamin K, you can find them all in carrots. Additionally, carrots contain a lot of antioxidants, one of which is known as beta-carotene which provides it with a distinct orange color and strength to the human immune system. As many as 8 studies have linked beta-carotene with reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancer. A separate analysis also concluded that regular consumption of carrots can decrease the risk of stomach cancer by 26%.

The American Institute for Cancer research has concluded that all nuts possess some anti-cancer property. But Walnuts stand out from others as these contain a substance known as pedunculagin that upon entering the metabolism turns into urolithins and binds the estrogen receptors to prevent breast cancer. Walnuts also consist of multiple genes that can suppress tumors and thus considerably reduce the risk of developing multiple types of cancer.

When we talk of legumes, we include everything from beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas. The biggest advantage of these is that they have super high contents of dietary fiber, making these easiest to digest while promoting the health of your gut. Moreover, these contain prebiotics that can transform the microbiome in the gut and reduce the risk of developing cancer in the stomach. To add to it, these are also rich in phenolic compounds. These compounds are great for health and have shown effectiveness in reducing inflammation and preventing the growth of cancer cells.

Besides eating good and including the aforementioned superfoods in your diet, there is one more essential thing that you should religiously follow to reduce your cancer risk, and that is to drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated.

Water plays a crucial role in eliminating toxins from the body and protecting the cells from damage by keeping them hydrated. It is a key component of each cell in our body and we can reduce cell damage by drinking lots of water. You can even switch from your regular tap water to alkaline water.

Alkaline water has a pH balance of over 9 on the pH scale and is renowned to keep the cells hydrated for longer, hence further reducing the chances of developing cancer. It can also improve the pH balance in your gut and prevent it from various gastrointestinal diseases, further reducing the risk of problems in the stomach.

To get easy access to alkaline water anytime you want, you can buy a DYLN Bottle. It is built with state-of-the-art technology and it comes with the VitaBead Diffuser at the bottom that turns regular water into alkaline water within a few minutes. The bottle can be easily carried anywhere, and hence you can drink alkaline water throughout the day, keep your cells hydrated, and prevent illnesses.

Final Words

By taking a few preventive steps and some precautionary actions, we can significantly reduce the chances of ever developing cancer.

The food we eat has a major impact in our health. It decides whether we will live a healthy life free of diseases or whether we will struggle a lot with multiple serious diseases, including cancer. By making some right choices and including healthy food in your diet, you take a big step towards good health and divert away from the risks of cancer. So start including the above-mentioned superfoods in your diet and minimize your risk.