Lightchronicles

Cancer-Free Foods
Top 10 Anti-Cancer Food

Cancer. The mere mention of the word makes us shrink in fear. It’s
like a death
sentence. It’s the leading cause of death in the United States,
overtaking heart
disease. But take heart, recent statistics show a decline in the
incidence of
both diseases. Now, that’s heartening news! And the American Cancer
Society
reports that half of all these cancer deaths can be prevented by
adopting a
healthier lifestyle (assuming you already lead a healthy one). Now,
that’s
doubly heartening news! Opting for a healthier (and heartier) lifestyle
means
you should stop smoking, lose weight, exercise, and eat more
antioxidant-rich
fruits and vegetables, according to a recent article published in
Healthy
Options lifestyle newsdigest.

For starters, let’s get to know more about the top 10 anti-cancer
foods. Take
this list (and please take them often):

1) Tomatoes. You probably know that tomatoes are oozing with lycopene,
which
helps ward off the free radicals associated with lung and digestive
cancers as
well as prostate, ovarian and lung cancers. Lycopene is also found in
watermelon
and pink grapefruit.

2) Broccoli sprouts. For a veggie that’s so small you can hold it with
one hand,
this one’s got a fistful of antioxidant benefits that last for days. In
the same
family of cruciferous vegetables are broccoli, brussels sprouts,
cauliflower,
and cabbage. Their sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol protect against
prostate,
bladder, colon, pancreatic, gastric, breast, and other hormone-related
cancers.
Indeed, it’s the ultimate baby vegetable, baby!

3) Berries. Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, raspberries,
cranberries, and
grapes are all berry-rich in anthocyanins that help repair and protect
DNA.

4) Soybeans. They’re soy-good for your health as they’ve got
isoflavones (like
genistein) that prevent – and treat – prostate cancer. Soybeans may
also reduce
breast cancer risk. Soy is truly beanificial to our health!

5) Tea. Tea – make that green and black – is steeped in powerful
compounds that,
according to countless studies, may lower the risk of several types of
cancer.
Care for tea?

6) Pumpkin. This Halloween symbol – and Cinderella’s chariot – has
magical
powers indeed. But not too many know that this superfood is a
super-rich source
of beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, two carotenoids that work hard to
fight
lung and ovarian cancers. Also rich in carotenoids are carrots, yams,
squash,
melons, and sweet red peppers.

7) Spinach. Aye, aye, Popeye was right – spinach’s a-okay. Its active
antioxidant – lutein – may even help KO cancers of the liver,
ovaries, colon,
and prostate. Lutein is also found in kale and other leafy greens.

Garlic. The allium family, to which garlic belongs, works to boost
the body’s
antioxidant defense systems to protect against stomach, esophageal, and
breast
cancers. Meet the other members of the family: scallions and onions.
Truly, in
onion, there is strength.

9) Pineapple. This pine cone-like fruit with its coveted sweet pulp
contains an
anti-inflammatory enzyme – bromelain – that may inhibit the growth
of malignant
lung and breast cancer cells.

10) Apple. Yes, there’s a mouthful of wisdom in the saying “An apple a
day keeps
the doctor away.” Studies show that quercetin – a flavonoid abundant
in apples –
prevents the growth of prostate cancer cells. The phytochemicals in the
skin of
an apple inhibits the reproduction of colon cancer cells. According to
the
National Cancer Institute, eating an apple a day may reduce the risk of
lung
cancer by as much as 50 percent. Excuse me while I bite into my apple.

A cupful of warning
If you’re an instant noodle lover, please read this quickly before you
chow down
your next bowlful or cupful: Make sure you break for at least three
days after
eating instant noodles before you eat your next packet because the wax
coating
the noodles takes at least two days for the body to clear. The wax
prevents the
noodles from sticking together. One story has it that one steward,
after eating
instant noodles almost every meal, had cancer and eventually died of
it. Which
is why some even refer to instant noodles as “cancer noodles.”