ANTI-CANCER DIET

Anticancer Diet

“Mutated cells need the right neighborhood to grow.  The way to prevent re-growth could be to just change the neighborhood.” Dr Susan Love, founder of the Susan Love Research Foundation.  Another way to phrase this would be to “change the soil” or “change the terrain” so that the seeds of cancer may not take root and grow. One of the most effective ways to change your internal environment is to make adjustments to your diet and your lifestyle.

Eliminate the foods that promote the growth of cancer:

  • Sugar- because cancer metabolizes sugar and uses it for its growth and spread. Read more about sugar and cancer.
  • All processed wheat and grain products as they are easily converted into glucose, once again promoting the growth and spread of cancer.
  • Soda (diet and regular) and other sugar-sweetened beverages.
  • Red meats and dairy products because they are inflammatory.
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Polyunsaturated oils such as vegetable oil, corn, canola, soy, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower as well as the products made from them such as margarine and shortenings become rancid very easily when exposed to light, heat and oxygen and this rancidity will interfere with the ability of the cells to intake oxygen and expel waste.
  • Aspartame, Splenda, and other artificial sweeteners.
  • Processed foods and fast food because they are considered nutritionally dead foods
  • Microwaved foods- cooking with a microwave can alter and harm the nutrients in foods. Read more about this

When starting an anti-cancer diet: many people find it is easier to begin by incorporating more of the good stuff into their daily food intake as they ween themselves off all of the bad stuff, that way they don’t feel so deprived.  Then, as you are feeling comfortable with your new routine, you can set your goals higher, ultimately leading the way to a mostly raw, organically grown, whole foods diet.

Eat a nutrient dense diet:

  • Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. The goal for those with cancer is to eat at least 10 servings of vegetables and at least 5 serving of fresh fruits every day. A variety of vegetables should make up a majority of your plate when you sit down for your meal.
  • Fresh vegetables-  are some of the most nutrient dense foods that you can eat. Some cancer-fighters include bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, green beans, kale, leeks, onions, garlic, radish, scallions, mustard greens, spinach, leafy greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, peas, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peas, mushrooms, sprouts, etc. They can be eaten raw or lightly steamed to keep their nutrients intact.
  • Fruits- If you are excluding fruit from your diet, you are missing out on an abundance of antioxidants, flavonoids, and anthocyanins that can prevent and reverse cellular damage and reduce overall inflammation. Fruits have astringent-like qualities that can cleanse the lymph system and get it moving again. Some powerful fruits to include are: Red grapes, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries, pomegranates, pineapple, granny smith apples, lemons, limes, and oranges.  Fruits are easily digested, therefore they should be eaten separately or about 1/2 hour before your main meals, or they can easily be blended into nutritious smoothies.
  • Juicing fresh vegetables and blending fresh fruits with greens are both excellent ways to increase your overall servings of these nutrient dense foods. A good rule of thumb here is not to juice fruits because you want to have fiber to go along with the natural sugars that are in the fruits.
  • Complex carbs can include sweet potatoes and yams with the skins, adzuki beans, and lentils (red, green, yellow, black and brown).
  • Grains can include amaranth, black rice, wild rice, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, and triticale.   How to soak and cook grains.
  • Eating very limited amounts of animal proteins. These can include wild-caught salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, and pasture-raised eggs a couple of times per week as needed to maintain weight.
  • Make nutrient rich bone broths a couple of times per week, as needed.
  • Adding herbs and spices to your foods, such as oregano, basil, thyme, cilantro, lemon grass, cumin, garlic, ginger, sage, turmeric and cayenne pepper.
  • Sea vegetables such as kelp, wakame, dulse and nori that provide a natural source of iodine along with other essential minerals.
  • Eat a variety of mushrooms, read more about their benefits
  • Nuts can include raw almonds, Brazil, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia, pecans, cashews, walnuts, and their butters (except for peanuts and peanut butter), and a variety of seeds including hemp seeds, flax, chia, black sesame, pumpkin, sunflower. Read how to soak and sprout these.
  • Unprocessed stevia, monk fruit, or raw organic honey can be used sparingly as a sweetener, as needed.
  • Avoid all chemically-laden processed and fast foods- consider these to be nutritionally dead foods.
  • Eat organically grown foods whenever possible – they contain more nutrients because they are grown in enriched soils without the toxic residues.

Water

  • Your body needs a minimum of 50 ounces of water per 100 pounds of body weight per day in order to flush toxins out of the body and to stay well hydrated.  This water should have minerals– such as found in spring water. Consider purchasing a water filtration system that will remove fluoride, chlorine, and other chemicals and metals that are found in municipal water supplies. A simple carbon filtration system will only remove chlorine so don’t assume that any filter will get the job done. You can find products such as a Big Berkey Water Filtration System that will remove the harmful elements and leave the beneficial minerals intact.
  • Drink green tea a couple times per day. Read more about green tea.

Recipes to make filtered water alkaline:

  • Recipe #1 – mix one gallon of water with 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt, the juice of 4 organic lemons or limes (and toss in the skins too), 1 tbsp of raw, organic honey, and a pinch of organic stevia (if needed) and drink this throughout the day. Sea salt contains 82 trace minerals which will enhance this water.  Lemons and limes will create an alkaline ash following digestion.
  • Recipe #2- wash 3 organic lemons or limes and quarter them. Blend them up with the skins in 3 cups of filtered water.  Strain/squeeze the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and then store it in a mason jar in the fridge.  To use, add 1/4 cup of this mixture into a glass of 8 oz filtered water. Drink this mixture 3 times per day.  This will help with alkalinity and elimination of toxins.
  • Recipe #3– adding barley grass or wheat grass powder to your drinking water.

Drink fresh juice daily

  • This is the easiest way to increase your overall servings of vegetables without overtaxing your digestive system
  • Preferably using organic vegetables
  • Include a variety of fresh greens into your juice as well
  • Your goal is to drink about 40-64 oz of fresh juice per day
  • It takes a lot of energy to digest foods.  Try having a fresh juice / smoothie fast for one day each week to allow the body to use some of that energy toward repair and regeneration instead.
  • Read more about juicing vegetables

Make healthy smoothies.

  • This is an easy way to incorporate superfoods into the diet.
  • Rule of thumb- Blend your fruits to get all of the nutrients in the skins and the fiber which will help the body process the fructose (natural fruits sugars).
  • Read more about making smoothies
  • A beverage that can be used to help put weight back on if this is a concern for the cancer patient: blend together coconut milk, almond milk, Hemp Protein Powder, 1 banana, 2 raw eggs (organic, pasture-raised), stevia (if needed), and ice.

Fats

Herbs and spices

  • Use Himalayan or Celtic sea salt instead of processed salt as it contains trace minerals
  • Use fresh herbs to season your foods.  Oregano, basil, thyme, cilantro, sage, turmeric, cumin, garlic, ginger, rosemary, etc.
  • Cayenne peppers contain capsaicin which can promote cancer cell death.  You can read more about capsaicin with this post.

Enzymes

  • Are required for the digestion of food, the absorption of nutrients, and the delivery of those nutrients throughout the body.  When we consume foods that contain their own enzymes (living foods), then the body can use those enzymes to assist with the digestive processes, this will lessen the continual demand to reallocate enzymes for digestion.  Try to eat about 80% of your produce in their raw form so that you can benefit from these enzymes. If you are having issues with digestion, you can generally solve those issues by including digestive enzymes in your new diet routine.
  • Eat naturally fermented vegetables which are rich in enzymes. 
  • Read more about digestive enzymes.

Detox therapies:

Limit your exposure to chemicals:

  • Remove chlorine and fluoride from your drinking water
  • Use non-toxic laundry detergents
  • Use a non-fluoridated, natural toothpaste.  There are several brand on the market, or you can make your own with the recipes below.
  • Make a toxin free deodorant with baking soda that is mixed into a paste with some unrefined coconut oil, add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender.  Store in a cosmetic tin and apply with fingertips
  • Eliminate exposure from other chemicals in your personal care items
  • Use non-toxic cleaning supplies or use just use baking soda and white vinegar to clean
  • Recipes to make your own natural care products

Health tips

Anti-angiogenic supplements and foods that promote cancer cell death

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels are formed and is responsible for much of the growth and spread of cancer.  Once a tumor grows to a certain size, the tumor sends chemical signals out that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels that carry the blood to it.  If you can stop the tumor from receiving a blood supply, then the tumor will essentially “starve” and die.  The following is a list of anti-angiogenic foods and supplements that you could add to your healing protocol.

anti-angiogenic diet and foods
Foods that promote cancer cell death
Supplements that build up the Natural Killer Cells of the body

Other cancer-fighting diets that may interest you:

Additional Reading

Radical Remission by Kelly A. Turner, PhD

Complete Cancer Cleanse: A Proven Program to Detoxify and Renew the Body, Mind, and Spirit

Cancer is the result of an overly toxic body with an overwhelmed and collapsed immune system. The links below provide details on an anticancer diet and supplement plan, along with methods to detox the body so you can begin to address a cancerous situation using a multifaceted approach.
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