According to the American Cancer Institute, nearly one-third of all cancer deaths are due to diet and lifestyle. If you want to eat for cancer-free health, turn to The Cancer Lifeline Cookbook (Sasquatch Books, 2004), by Kimberly Mathai, MS, RD, which offers diet tips and more than 90 recipes for cancer prevention and treatment. Or if you can’t wait to get going, start with Mathai’s list of the top 10 super foods, below. These are the best choices of phytochemical-rich foods to protect against disease. Yes, all fruits and vegetables are beneficial, according to Mathai, but these examples are more effective than others at protecting cells from cancer.
- Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other vegetables in the cruciferous family
- Beans, including soybeans
- Berries and cherries
- Onions, garlic, chives, and other vegetables in the allium family
- Carotenoid-rich (deep orange, yellow, red, and green) vegetables
- Oily, cold-water fish
- Tomatoes
- Medicinal mushrooms
- Nuts and seeds, including flaxseed
- Green tea
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