Most of us eat plenty of protein and carbohydrates. We eat fewer or no vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and fruit. The first step to changing your mind-set and making vegetables the star of every meal is to change the way you plan and shop. We look for vegetable recipes that use fresh herbs, allium roots, and a small sprinkling of olive oil.
Vegetable Groups
ALLIUMS
Garlic, onion, leek, green onions, shallots, chives
For those that like the taste—these flavors can be front and center. For those who don’t like the taste, they can blend right into dishes and you won’t even know they’re there. To reduce the strong flavor of garlic and onion without removing the phytochemicals, soak the chopped alliums in water for twenty minutes before cooking:
Leeks are a perfect base for soups.
Onions and vegetables roasted are tasty, and roasting brings out the sweetness.
Garlic can easily be added to every sauté of vegetables, beans and tofu, fish and lean meats.
Alliums have been shown in both epidemiological and laboratory studies to reduce the risk of several types of cancers.1–3 The naturally occurring organosulfur compounds in alliums could play a role in inhibiting mutations and preventing cancer growth. In one Chinese study, men who had the greatest intake of garlic and scallions (more than 10 grams per day) were 50 percent less likely to get prostate cancer than those who ate the least garlic and scallions (less than 2.2 grams per day).4 Other studies have shown risk reduction for esophageal, intestinal and stomach cancers, as well as pancreatic, colon, and breast cancers.3
CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES
Cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, arugula, bok choy, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, radish, turnip, watercress
Research suggests that eating cruciferous vegetable may decrease risk of cancer and progression of disease.5 Researchers believe that sulforaphane, a compound in cruciferous vegetables, plays a role in cancer prevention as well as slowing cancer growth.2,6,7
LOW-GLYCEMIC-LOAD ROOT VEGETABLES
Sweet potato, turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets
Root vegetables are often overlooked, but they shouldn’t be. They are high in vitamin B, which helps protect DNA and lowers cancer risk.8–10 You’ll notice that turnips are considered both root and cruciferous, so they also have sulforaphane. What’s more, root vegetables are cheap, they last a lot longer than other vegetables and they can be prepared simply by roasting them for forty minutes to an hour with a bit of olive oil, rosemary or thyme, and of course garlic (added near the end of roasting).
MUSHROOMS
Shiitake, maitake, oyster, button
Mushrooms have been used for millennia as medicine in parts of Asia. They have anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing qualities. A case-control study in southeast China involving more than one thousand women concluded that mushroom consumption decreased breast cancer risk for both pre- and postmenopausal women.11 Mushrooms are now being studied and widely recognized for their anticancer compounds, and mushroom extracts are being explored as a possible antitumor medicine.12 Other mushrooms being investigated for their anticancer properties include Trametes versicolor (other names include Coriolis versicolor, Yunzhi, turkey tail); Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi or reishi); chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus); Cordyceps; and Agaricus blazei Murrill. These mushrooms are not typically available in the supermarket as a whole food and can be found only as supplements. However, I was surprised when one afternoon a few summers ago, I paddled my canoe over to Molly’s cottage and found her brewing up a tea with chaga. I had never seen chaga before. It is dense and looks like a piece of petrified wood or clump of dirt. Molly put a few pieces on the stove to boil for twenty minutes. It has a rather earthy flavor, but satisfying. The evidence for the effects of chaga are all preclinical in cell or animal studies, suggesting it boosts the immune system, decreases inflammation, repairs damaged DNA, and increases apoptosis.13 However, little is known about the appropriate quantities that are safe to consume. Until we know more from ongoing research, it is ideal to consume your mushrooms as a whole food and not in supplement form. Preferentially, eat shiitake and maitake mushrooms (maitake is harder to find in the supermarket), as they likely have a stronger immunological effect over the other conventionally found mushrooms, such as button mushrooms.
BERRIES
Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, berries may be the most beneficial fruit when it comes to cancer prevention.14 They contain antioxidants that help prevent the cell damage that often precedes cancer, and they block genes associated with inflammation and cancer growth. Dr. Gary Stoner of the Medical College of Wisconsin has researched the role of berries in cancer prevention for more than twenty years.15 He found that a diet of freeze-dried black raspberries and strawberries cut esophageal cancer rates in rats by 30 to 60 percent and reduced colon cancer by 80 percent.
Researchers also have shown that women who eat plenty of blueberries and strawberries have lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart attacks.16 Although organic berries are expensive, especially when fresh, fresh-frozen maintain many of the nutrients and are more affordable. They pack quite the punch of phytonutrients and are especially potent antioxidants.
FRUIT
Apples, pears, mangos, oranges, grapefruit, cherries, peaches, apricots
Dried fruit can also be much cheaper, but bear in mind that if you wouldn’t normally eat five fresh apricots, for example, you wouldn’t eat five dried apricots, either. It is easy to overeat fruit when it is dried because the water has been removed. But remember the sugar content is the same as eating the fresh fruit, just concentrated.
NUTS
Walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts
Although all nuts are part of an anticancer diet,17,18 walnuts have been the most studied in terms of cancer prevention. Walnuts contain high amounts of phytochemicals called polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants.19 Walnuts also contain omega-3 fat, which can help even out your omega-3/omega-6 balance. This is also the reason you won’t often find walnuts in nut mixes—the omega-3 makes them more susceptible to going bad.
Nuts and seeds are an easy staple for snacks. The more portable and less refrigeration required, the better. Consider mixing your own nut and seed combinations.
We recommend buying only organic almonds and almond-based products after recent revelations that most almonds sold in the United States are treated with propylene oxide gas, a known carcinogen.20 This “safety measure” began ten years ago, after a number of salmonella outbreaks were traced to California almonds.21 Organic almonds are generally treated with a noncarcinogenic process that involves heating the kernel to 200 degrees.
SEEDS—AS TOPPER AND GARNISH OR IN SMOOTHIES
Flaxseed, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame, cumin, pomegranate
Scientists remain at odds about whether flaxseed can help prevent or help control hormone-related cancers such as breast, prostate, and endometrial.22,23 Lignans, the phytoestrogens in flaxseed, can change estrogen metabolism. In postmenopausal women, the effect of reducing active estrogen could reduce breast cancer risk. Animal studies have shown that lignans can reduce breast cancer growth, even with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.24 Those results suggest that flaxseed could be beneficial, but only when taken in moderation. Flaxseed is also a great plant source for omega-3 fatty acids. Fresh-ground flaxseed consumed as part of a balanced diet (less than three tablespoons per day) adds fiber and healthy micronutrients.
TASTY COMBOS
Almonds and dried unsweetened apricots
Dates and pistachios
Walnuts, goji berries, and a square of chocolate with 70 percent or more cacao (rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory polyphenols)
Unsweetened coconut flakes and walnuts
Pecans, juice-sweetened cranberries
WHOLE GRAINS
Amaranth (technically a seed, but cooked as a grain), quinoa (technically a seed, but cooked as a grain), farro, Khorasan wheat (kamut), spelt, oats, teff, millet, buckwheat
In a 2015 study, researchers at Harvard School of Public Health found that eating a bowl of quinoa daily reduces the risk of death from cancer by 15 percent. Researchers looked at the diets of more than 367,000 people in eight U.S. states and found that those who ate at least 1.2 ounces of whole grains for every 1,000 calories they consumed reduced their risk of premature death, not only from cancer, but also from heart disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes.25,26 Researchers believe whole grains have anti-inflammatory properties.27
PLANT-BASED PROTEINS
Beans, lentils, pulses (a pulse is the edible seed of plants in the legume family—they grow in pods), tofu
A single serving of legumes provides a significant amount of your daily recommended folate and fiber. Dietary fiber can reduce cancer risk in several ways, including weight control. Gut bacteria also feed on fiber, which may help protect colon cells. Meanwhile, folate helps maintain control of cell growth.28 Legumes also have phytochemicals that are being studied for their anticancer effects.29
PREBIOTICS
Chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion greens, raw garlic, raw leeks, raw or cooked onion, raw jicama
Chemotherapy can disrupt the bacterial balance in your gut: your microbiome. Prebiotics can help restore this balance by reestablishing probiotic bacteria like bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.30 Prebiotics may help inhibit cancer cell formation by improving your microbiome.31,32 They also reduce the pH of the colon and support the body’s production of a fatty acid called butyrate that has been linked to apoptosis.33 As you recall, one of the cancer hallmarks is disrupting this process so cells that should die stay alive and continue to mutate and grow.
PROBIOTICS
Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut or other fermented vegetables, dark chocolate, microalgae, miso, pickles, tempeh, kimchi, kombucha
Like prebiotic foods, probiotics help to replenish good bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract and restore balance to your microbiome. In 2013, Chinese researchers found that patients with advanced colorectal adenoma, a precursor to colon cancer, consistently had less healthy gut bacteria.34 Probiotic foods contain live bacteria, which can reseed your gut with the proper bacterial balance. In exchange, your microbiome will work better to digest your food and convert nutrients and vitamins into forms the body can absorb and use.35 What’s more, maintaining a high diversity of your gut microbiome we know is linked with reduced risk of multiple diseases and will help maintain proper balance and strength of your immune system, decrease inflammation, and will help to keep hormone regulation in balance.36 Eat fermented or pickled vegetables as condiments in small quantities, as excessive consumption has been linked with stomach cancer. One of my favorite sayings about the microbiome is “Treat your gut like a garden, not like a gutter.” Too often we throw anything into our mouths, almost like we’re throwing it away, things we know are bad for us and probably should be thrown away. But if you think about how you are maintaining a microbiome garden in your stomach, it can help keep you more conscious about what you eat and how it affects the balance of bacteria in your gut.
(Cancer patients on a neutropenic diet should check with their doctor before consuming fermented foods.)
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY HERBS AND SPICES
Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, sage, oregano, cayenne pepper, basil, thyme, coriander, black pepper, clove
Curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric, has been the focus of a lot of research for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.37 Turmeric extract has been shown to help prevent heart attacks in people who have undergone bypass surgery, and it is being studied as a drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease.38 In terms of cancer, extensive research in animals has shown that curcumin can control cancer growth. A 2011 study by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that curcumin suppresses a cell-signaling pathway that helps fuel the growth of head and neck cancer. Researchers also found that, by blocking that signal, curcumin also reduced the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the saliva of participants.39 Extensive research with all these spices has found that they are potent anti-inflammatory agents.40,41 Again, it is ideal to consume these spices as a whole food and avoid taking as supplements unless under the direction of a health-care provider.