Tips To Fight Cancer With Your Fork

The holidays are in full swing and festive food is everywhere. While these foods are delicious to eat, some have an added bonus of containing cancer-preventing nutrients, says Stephanie Meyers, MS, RD/LDN, a nutritionist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Pumpkin isn't just for pie

Pumpkin can be a holiday staple for many families. And for some, it may be one of the tastiest ways to enhance the body's natural cancer fighting ability, says Meyers. Pumpkins are packed with cancer fighting nutrients called carotenoids, which have been linked to the prevention of colon, prostate, breast, and lung cancer.

Although many people only think of eating pumpkin when it is made into a pie, it also can be consumed in a variety of other ways, including roasted pumpkin, pumpkin soup and high fiber pumpkin muffins or bread.

Other orange vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots and squash, such as acorn and butternut, also are rich in carotenoids.

Meyers stresses that it is more beneficial to consume carotenoids from whole foods rather than from supplements, as the carotenoids in the pill-form do not appear to have the same protective properties. In fact, that is true of many of the nutrients in foods. Eating whole foods typically provides greater health benefits than taking a dietary supplement.

An apple a day

Apples are another food with cancer preventing properties, thanks to the nutrient quercitin, which protects DNA in the cell from damage that could lead to the development of cancer.

Meyers points out, however, that apples provide the most protection against cancer when eaten with the skin on and not combined with sugar and fats, such as in a pie.

Not just for the holidays

Cranberries also offer nutritional protection against cancer. Cranberries contain benzoic acid, which has been shown to inhibit the growth of lung cancer, colon cancer, and some forms of leukemia.

Meyers reminds her patients that cranberries aren't just for the holidays and encourages them to eat cranberries year-round. She says that buying bags of cranberries now, while they are at their nutritional best, and popping them in the freezer for later will help ensure that the berries provide the highest level of cancer protection all year long.

Color your world

The overall key to finding cancer fighting foods is to look for a lot of color. The brighter and richer the pigment, the higher the level of nutrients. "You want to load up your plate with as much colorful plant-based foods as you can, such as tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes" explains Meyers. "Eating a plant-based diet all year long is the best way to help lower your risk of cancer."