The Best Anticancer Vegetables

I am a family physician, a mother of two “and a half” children, and a metastatic ovarian cancer survivor . When I was diagnosed in 2010, I decided to combine official medical treatment with a change in my diet based on the latest research and aimed at reducing the side effects of chemotherapy, increasing quality of life during treatment, and promoting long-term survival.

The cancer is gone, five years have passed, and I am overflowing with health, happiness and energy as I await the birth of my daughter.

I want to share with you one of the changes in diet that helped me during my process. It is about including in the menus more vegetables and vegetables with proven anticancer properties. These foods are an important part of a healthy diet that could prevent one in three cancers.

I am not proposing anything radical to you. What I suggest is that you recover the traditional diet in which garden products were consumed and cooked at home with great care and without haste.

Vegetables and vegetables provide chemical compounds that protect against cancer and chronic diseases. These substances have been called phytochemicals or phytonutrients. They are responsible for the color, smell and taste of vegetables. When you ingest them, they act like real medicines that block the mechanisms of production and spread of tumor cells.

Cruciferous vegetables anticancer

And if there is a star vegetable family, it is undoubtedly that of the crucifers. Include cabbage, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, Brussels sprouts, kale, red cabbage, bok choy, kale, mustard, collard greens, watercress, turnip greens, radish and turnip in your regular diet.

Regular consumption of crucifers is associated with a lower risk of any cancer. A study funded by the Canadian government showed that three or more servings a week cut the risk of prostate cancer in half and decreased the risk of metastasizing.

Bccoli, defense against cancer

In the top ten of this healthy family is broccoli. Broccoli is the richest in sulforaphane, which prevents precancerous cells from becoming malignant, induces the death of tumor cells and prevents the appearance of vessels through which the tumor progresses.

It activates the defenses thanks to glucosinolates that stimulate the immune system to eliminate tumor cells by increasing the activity of “natural killer cells” by 50%. It also regulates estrogen levels in the blood, something especially useful for preventing breast cancer.

Women who consume crucifers at least once a week have a 17% lower risk of breast cancer, according to research carried out at various European universities. And one of its amazing benefits is that it acts on the genes.

The compounds present in crucifers are even capable of inhibiting the expression of two genes related to breast and prostate cancers of genetic origin: BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Cook them so that they retain all their anticancer properties

Glucosinolates are soluble in water and sensitive to heat, so if we cook these vegetables for more than ten minutes, they are reduced by half. The anticancer power of broccoli increases when it is consumed as sprouts and when it is cooked with horseradish or mustard seeds.

To enjoy the flavor of broccoli as well as its anticancer properties, you can steam it for 5-7 minutes. Season it with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper. To lick your fingers!

You can also make a coleslaw with a turmeric and pepper vinaigrette, garnished with broccoli sprouts.

Other anticancer vegetables

Garlic and onion

Garlic is rich in alliin, the essential oil responsible for its smell. When it is crushed or chewed, it reacts with the enzyme allinase and becomes allicin, which has a great anticancer power. Women who consume high garlic suffer half as many cancers as those who hardly consume it, according to a study from the University of Minnesota.

• Garlic Oil : Make it by adding three crushed cloves to a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Use it to dress your salads.

“Each onion we eat extends our existence one day,” says a saying. Like chives and leeks, they are from the garlic family and all stand out for their abundance in quercetin, another anti-cancer phytochemical, and glucokinin, which regulates blood sugar levels.

Tomato, good red

Its place of honor among anticancer foods is due to lycopene, a carotenoid that gives it its red color (it is also present in watermelon, papaya, pink grapefruit or grapefruit, and guava, although in smaller quantities).

A tomato a day increases the production of adiponectin, an essential hormone for the prevention of breast cancer, according to a study carried out at Ohio State University.

A study carried out at Harvard University (United States) revealed that frequent consumption of lycopene reduced the chances of developing prostate cancer by 45% in a population of 48,000 subjects who consumed at least ten servings per week.

Reward yourself with pumpkins

They are rich in beta-carotene with anticancer properties: they protect the skin and mucous membranes, thus preventing cancers of the mouth, stomach, colon and cervix. They also have a significant amount of lycopene, as well as vitamins C and E.

The bottle – gourd has more beta – carotene, coumarin , also vitamin C and antioxidants – than other varieties. It is ideal for preparing vegetable creams to which it contributes its characteristic sweet flavor.

Don’t forget the fermented ones

Since ancient times, humans have eaten fermented foods: bread, yogurts, olives, sauerkraut, wine, vinegar, kimchi, kombucha, miso … Fermentation transforms food through the action of enzymes or ferments produced by tiny organisms such as molds, bacteria and yeasts. These foods improve the intestinal flora and activate the defenses. For this reason, I recommend you include them in your menus.

I invite you to incorporate all these foods in your daily meals. Remember that, to be effective, they must be part of your eating pattern indefinitely. If you also exercise and enjoy life, health is a long-distance race that you can win.