Protective Foods
What we eat and how we treat our bodies on a daily basis have a
very powerful effect on our health and quality of life. Building
a diet from health-giving foods requires no doctors' appointments,
waiting rooms, or health insurance, yet it provides the fundamental
building blocks needed for a healthy immune system. Thinking of
food as your medicine is a simple, delicious way to put yourself
on the road to good health.
Many nutrients found in plant foods have been linked to reducing cancer
risk. For example, diets rich in the phytochemical lycopene
may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, fiber-rich diets have been
shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer, and choosing a diet low
in fat helps to prevent breast and other types of cancer.
Since many different dietary constituents have been touted for their ability to prevent
a wide array of cancer types or even reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, you may not
know where to begin.
Although cancer can affect many different parts of the body, the
foods that prevent cancer and deter cancer growth are generally
the same from one to the next. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes
all have important nutrients and other cancer-fighting substances
called phytochemicals that strengthen immune function and
destroy cancer-causing substances before they do their dirty work.
Research has shown that people who eat a diet free of animal products
and one that is low in fat have a much lower risk of developing
cancer.
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