"Foods that Fight Cancer"

Treatment
Finally, the scientific research is reaching critical mass. Lifestyle factors, including diet, play a major role in preventing cancer. Richard Beliveau, Ph.D. and Denis Gingras, Ph.D., internationally renowned cancer researchers have compiled the research into a beautiful and easy to understand book, "Foods that Fight Cancer, Essential foods to help prevent cancer."

Here are the facts:
- 1 person in 3 will be diagnosed with cancer before they reach 75
- 1 in 4 will die of complications due to cancer
- 70% of all cancers are directly related to LIFESTYLE
- 30% of all cancers are directly related to what we EAT
- Only 15% of cancers are due to hereditary factors

The results of over 160 studies show that a significant intake of fruits and vegetables leads to a marked decrease in the risk of developing cancer. "Foods that Fight Cancer" gives a detailed explanation of how certain molecules found in fruits and vegetables interfere with processes that occur in the development of cancers. Laboratory studies have shown that these phytochemicals have an amazing ability to inhibit cancer growth.

Phytochemical compounds are molecules that allow plants to defend themselves against infection and damage caused by microorganisms, insects or other predators. Phytochemicals have antibacterial, antifungal and insecticidal properties; they repair damage caused by aggressors and allow the plant to survive hostile conditions. Studies focusing on phytochemicals show that a large number interfere with the sequence of events that triggers the birth of a tumor in people.

Fighting the development of cancer through diet means using the anticancer molecules present in food to create an environment that is hostile to tumors, subjecting microtumors that are present in all of us to a daily bombardment, and preventing them from growing, just as chemotherapy does.

If we eat poor quality food we are creating an internal environment that supports the growth of cancer.

Beliveau and Gingras share with us the latest discoveries in the phytochemical properties of a wide variety of foods. Here's a short list of the foods they cover. The book is full of specific information that will help you make the best food choices. For instance, tumeric needs pepper for its phytochemicals to be activated.

-Cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale
-Garlic and onions
-Soy, but only the right kind of soy
-Tumeric, must add pepper
-Green Tea, certain kins can be 100x better
-Berries
-Omega 3's
-Tomatoes
-Citrus
-Wine
-Chocolate

How nice they added wine and chocolate so we don't feel as if we'll be completely deprived.

Think about it. We eat 3-4 meals a day, 7 days a week. That's 21-28 times a week that we can make choices that will promote our bodies' ability to prevent the growth of cancer. This is great info to add to our arsenal whether we have been diagnosed or not.

Thanks to Frank at weSPARK for recommending this book.

BTW, I've found an easy and super tasty way to get every day started with a phytochemical packed meal: the Green Smoothie.