Foods That Reduce Your Risk of Cancer and Boost Your Mood
What to eat for great health, wellbeing, and big smiles!
The healing power of nutrition has been well documented, with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables vastly reducing an individual’s risk of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Many of the same foods that are good for your heart are also associated with reduced risk of certain cancers.
Protection from Cancer
The foods richest in antioxidants include dark and brightly coloured foods such as greens, squashes, berries, carrots and tomatoes.
A 2010 study by Tel Aviv University’s School of Health Professions showed that people who eat plenty of these foods are better protected against skin cancer because the antioxidants serve as a first line of protection, by delaying sunburn and skin damage.
Fruit and vegetables, especially greens, such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and runner beans are all rich in chlorophyll which has anti-cancer properties. The Journal of Cancer reported that chlorophyllin, a derivative of chlorophyll, was ten times more effective at killing cancerous cells than the chemotherapy drug, hydroxyurea.
Potatoes
In 2010 the Agricultural Research Service found a new method to detect and measure beneficial nutrients in potatoes. They were able to identify high levels of phytonutrients and antioxidants in some varieties, rivalling spinach in the nutrition stakes. They reported that potatoes could provide some protection from certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory conditions.
The key message is that a mix of colourful vegetables, including potatoes, can provide a variety of nutrients which are beneficial to health.
Better than a happy pill!
Vitamin C is found in abundance in all fruits and vegetables but is particularly high in citrus fruit, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cauliflowers, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
As well as providing antioxidant protection against a wide range of diseases, Vitamin C was shown by researchers at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital, to improve the emotional wellbeing of patients, improving their mood.
Combine this positive outlook with vitamin C’s well-documented immune-boosting qualities and it becomes a valuable element in the healing process.
Diet tips
- Choose lots of colourful fruits and vegetables for their excellent nutritional profiles;
- Eat some greens every day, because they’re particularly dense in nutrients and low in carbohydrate;
- Choose fruit instead of sticky toffee pudding - you might feel better for it;
- Why not grow your own vegetables, to increase the enjoyment of your food, from garden to plate!
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