Cancer

Cancer is one of the worst of all human body disorders because it does not seem to matter how fit and active someone is, or what age they are, it can strike anytime, anywhere and many types, if left untreated or are not treated early enough, are fatal.

The human body produces about 3.8 million cells every second. That is about 330 billion cells each day. These new cells are formed when older cells divide by the process of mitosis.

There are two ways that cancer can develop. One is through a natural error taking place during DNA replication. This happens randomly, throughout the body, throughout life. The other is through carcinogenic substances that manage to enter the body and damage the DNA sequences of cells.

How cancerous cells survive and proliferate.

Cancer cells, proliferate in defiance of normal controls (they are neoplastic) and are able to invade and colonise surrounding tissues (they are malignant). By giving rise to secondary tumours, or metastases, they become difficult to eradicate surgically.

Most cancers are thought to originate from a single cell that has experienced an initial mutation, but the descendants of this cell must undergo further changes, requiring numerous additional mutations, to become cancerous.

The body’s natural safeguards against cancer

Fortunately, the body has evolved highly sophisticated means of fixing most, but not all, of those errors. Some of the mistakes are corrected immediately during replication through a process known as ‘proofreading’, and some are corrected after replication in a process called ‘mismatch repair’.

Although cells have mechanisms to correct errors during DNA replication, mutations still occur. Estimates suggest that for every 10,000 to 100,000 base pairs copied, one mistake might not be corrected.

Another safeguarding fix is the process of apoptosis where mutated or damaged cells are instructed by signals from hormones, which the body produces, to stop dividing and die. However, cancerous cells can evolve very quickly and ignore any instruction to stop replicating or die.

The immune system and cancer

The immune system is another back-up fix and T cells will detect and attack the abnormal cells and eliminate them, but they are not always successful in getting them all. Plus, a compromised immune system will not produce enough T cells or may not recognise the abnormal cells as pathogens.

T cells carry out their killing function by releasing two types of preformed cytotoxic protein: the granzymes, which seem able to induce apoptosis in any type of target cell, and the pore-forming protein perforin, which punches holes in the target-cell membrane through which the granzymes can enter.

While the body’s immune system can eliminate cancerous cells in the very early stages, once a sizeable tumour has formed, it’s unlikely the body has the ability to eliminate it on its own. The immune system may initially keep a tumour in check, but cancer cells can evolve to evade the immune response, allowing the tumour to grow.

The other way cancer can develop is through carcinogens that enter the body and damage the DNA causing mutations of the cells that are produced from those damaged DNA sequences.

Then these abnormal cells that are produced ignore signals that tell cells to stop dividing or to die and begin to multiply rapidly. Cancerous cells can also stimulate their own growth and blood supply, allowing them to bypass normal controls and proliferate even more rapidly.

Cancer treatments

While the body can’t eliminate a tumour, treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can destroy or remove the tumour.

Treatment has to be aggressive, in many cases, because of the fast rate at which cancerous tumours can grow. Unfortunately, these treatments can damage other tissues and cause painful and very uncomfortable side effects.

Scientists are also investigating how to starve cancer cells of the nutrients they require to multiply but, unfortunately the normal cells in the body, and various functions and processes, require the same nutrients which makes this a very difficult process to establish.

There are natural whole foods that can help the body recover faster from chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery

Find out more:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Recovery from injury, surgery and infection

Cancer and weight loss

Cancer cells can directly affect metabolism, causing the body to burn more calories and break down fat and muscle at a faster rate. Also cancer and the treatments can lead to decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty eating, further contributing to weight loss.

Natural foods to gain weight lost due to cancer and its treatments

The human body is a fantastic machine capable of withstanding much abuse. However, the delicate balance of nutrients required as fuel to keep all organs and cells in good working order is constantly ignored.

This results in the body being unable to stop the abnormal cells from multiplying, forming tumours and spreading around the body.

Prevention of cancer

Providing the correct nutrients are in place in the body to enable it to produce the proteins and hormones that activate the proofreading and mismatch fixes, the immune system’s protective response and the instructed cell death by apoptosis, cancer can be prevented.

Similarly, providing the body is not overloaded with carcinogenic toxins, where it too overwhelmed to rectify the damage being caused to tissues all over the body, it will be able to prevent cancer taking hold.

There are some important nutrients and cofactors in foods that are required for all these processes to effectively take place and help the body to recover quickly from the damage caused and they are listed below.

Nutrient supplement warning

Antioxidants derived from food sources play a vital role in keeping free radicals in check, but the latest studies call into question high levels of antioxidant supplementation. Among the most popular antioxidant supplements are vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, the pre-cursor form of vitamin A or lycopene and lutein. Taking these supplements containing high doses, instead of consuming natural foods containing these nutrients, can have the opposite effect desired and actually protect cancerous tumour cells from the body’s defences.

Antioxidants can even accelerate the growth of early tumours or precancerous lesions in high-risk people such as smokers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who receive vitamin E and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) to relieve mucus production.

Other nutrient supplements can kick the balance of important minerals out of kilter causing more harm than good. The synthetic tablet form of supplements do not contain all the co-factors that natural foods do which can also have an adverse effect.

Whole food supplements, which are produced from whole organic dried and powdered foods, without additives, fillers or preservatives etc., can be a helpful way to consume the necessary nutrients from these foods without the bulk. However, consuming the whole natural foods is always a better solution.

Natural food to prevent cancer and recover from its treatments

There are many natural foods and remedies that can help the body resist and fight off cancer. Many scientific studies have proven that certain phytonutrients in certain foods have a powerful effect. They may not work for everyone though as every human body is unique. Plus so many factors can be the cause of cancer developing it is difficult to find a solution. It is worth trying the natural foods and remedies mentioned here containing all the nutrients and co-factors the body needs as they will do no harm.

Prebiotics, probiotics, fibre and cancer

The first and ultimately important nutritional requirement to consider concerns the intestinal microbes that need to be balanced. This is because certain ‘friendly’ bacteria manufacture some of the essential nutrients required such as short-chain fatty acids and vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B7 and K2.

They also produce enzymes which enable digestion of various types of food and enable the absorption of minerals and other nutrients from the diet.

There is a direct connection between the gut microbes and processes that take place throughout the body. Keeping a fine balance of these microbes to do their jobs efficiently can be helped by consuming prebiotic and probiotics foods and fibre.

See>> Feed your friendly bacteria.

Minerals and cancer

The second very important group of nutrients to ensure are incorporated in the diet are the many minerals that are vital co-factors in the processes the body utilises to:

• a) prevent cancer cells from forming
• b) eradicate them if they do
• c) assist the body in recovery after intense damaging treatments to remove cancerous tumours.

There are four major reasons that modern day humans may have become deficient in the minerals (and many other nutrients) required for their bodily processes to work efficiently enough to prevent the rise in cancer cases this century as follows:

1. Intestinal issues, alcohol and drug abuse and illnesses like eating disorders bulimia etc, that cause vomiting and diarrhoea will force expulsion of minerals and water-soluble vitamins and stop absorption of them in the intestines.

2. Alcohol, caffeine in coffee and fizzy drinks and certain medications and recreational drugs all have a diuretic effect on the body causing it to expel fluids which will also expel the minerals and water-soluble nutrients that are in these fluids leading to deficiencies in the blood. Some also prevent absorption of certain minerals making matters worse.

3 The profit-led food industry has stripped minerals from food in the refining techniques they use. The unscrupulous producers of table salt even strip out the minerals in the salt crystals and sell them off to other industries that can use them elsewhere leaving the consumer with a salt of very poor nutritional value.

4. Food crops are now often grown in intensely-farmed lands which has stripped the soils of many minerals with each harvest and they are never replaced.

Commonly depleted minerals of intensely-farmed soils

• Caesium
• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Rubidium
• Selenium
• Zinc.

Sea vegetables like algae and seaweed, and crops grown in volcanic soils do still contain these minerals essential for health. Organically farmed crops do contain more minerals than non-organic crop producers who use synthetic fertilisers, but organic food is far more expensive and unaffordable for most.

NOTE: Himalayan pink salt crystals are the best to use as even sea-salt is not a good choice anymore due to unhealthy micro-plastics from the ocean being found in it. Another alternation to table salt is the highly nutritious dried seaweed flakes. This provides even more minerals and co-factors to the diet making it a very healthy choice.

The incidence of cancer in the Hopi native tribe of Arizona in the US is one in 1000 as compared to one in four in developed nations as a whole. Hopi food runs higher in all the essential minerals than conventional foods and it is especially rich in caesium, potassium and rubidium because the soil where they reside is volcanic. These people live chiefly on desert grown flint corn (Zea mays indurata) products but instead of using baking soda they use the ash of chamisa leaves (Ericameria nauseosa), a desert grown plant. The analysis of this ash shows it to be very rich in rubidium. The Hopi also eat many fruits per day, especially apricots, including the kernels.

In 1985, the incidence of cancer among the Pueblo native tribe was also one in 1000, the same as the Hopi, as their food at that time was essentially the same. But unlike the Hopi, the Pueblo began to use certain items from outside their environment and supermarkets were introduced to the area. Today, the incidence of cancer among the Pueblos has now risen to one in four. The higher incidence of cancer is obviously due to reduced levels of caesium, potassium and rubidium in supermarket foods.

The natives who live in Central America and on the highlands of Peru and Ecuador also have very low incidences of cancer and again the soil in these areas is volcanic. Fruit from the areas has been obtained and analysed for rubidium and caesium and found to run very high in both elements. Cases have been reliably reported where people with advance inoperable cancer have gone to live with these Indians and found that all tumour masses disappear within a  few months.

Cancer is also unknown among the Hunza of Pakistan. They are mainly vegetarian and great fruit eaters, often consuming up to 40 apricots per day including the kernels, either directly or as a meal. They drink at least two litres of mineral water from the natural springs that surround them. This water has been analysed and found to be very rich in caesium. Since the soil is volcanic in nature, it must be concluded that it will also be rich in potassium and rubidium.

Healthy and fit athletes, and others involved in intense physical activities and sports, also develop cancers. The fact that they all use up and expel nutrients, especially minerals, at an accelerated rate may make them deficient in these minerals allowing cancer and other debilitating conditions to develop.

It is difficult to be regularly tested for deficiencies of minerals and symptoms do not always show very quickly. Whereas, deeper inside the body, inside its cells, deficiencies could be having a profound effect on the processes involved with preventing and eliminating cancerous cell multiplication.

For all of the reasons above, minerals should be very carefully considered when choosing food for the diet. For details on the highest food sources of each mineral see the A-Z of minerals.

Fatty acids and cancer

The third important nutrient group to add to the diet should contain a balanced ingestion of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This is because omega-3 is anti-inflammation whilst omega-6 is inflammatory. The right ratio is about 3 or 4:1 of omega-3 to omega-6.

The western diet is far higher in omega-6 foods than it is in omega-3 foods. Omega-3 fatty acids are also essential for many important processes throughout the body.

NOTE: Hemp seeds are the only food that contains the correct balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.

See>> Fatty acids

Catechins

Catechins, particularly those found in green tea, can slow cancer cell growth through various mechanisms, including promoting cell cycle arrest, inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death), inhibiting angiogenesis (blood vessel formation needed for tumour growth), and reducing metastasis (cancer spreading to other tissues).

Consume three cups of green tea per day and/or choose some of the natural foods rich in catechins below.

Natural sources of catechins in alphabetical order

Cell apoptosis and nutrients required

In a healthy person, cancer cell ‘apoptosis’ is a normal, healthy part of biology. Every living system creates abnormal cells. There are hundreds or thousands of ‘micro tumours’ in every human being living today and, in normal healthy people, these abnormal cells are triggered to destroy themselves once the system realises they are flawed.

The body’s immune system can effectively control or eliminate tumours when cancer cells carrying immunogenic antigens are present at around 10% of the total tumour cell population. However, if the proportion of these cells drops below 1%, the tumour may not be eliminated.

Cancerous tumours reach the stage of being incurable very rapidly in many cases. In some cases, surgical removal can help cancer to spread and toxic methods of eliminating the tumours damage other tissues and cause pain and other serious health issues. In order to help the body, nutritionally, so it can use its natural defenses, early detection is vital. Ignoring any symptoms and the nutritional content of foods consumed is akin to playing a game of Russian roulette.

There are a host of nutrients that must be present for the body to eliminate cancerous cells naturally. If any of these are deficient, especially the ones that cannot be stored by the body, or are expelled quickly through other factors, the function of cell apoptosis of cancerous cells will not take place.

Nutrients that target the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis.

• Apigenin (flavonoid) Found in celery, chamomile, onions, oranges, parsley, tea, thyme, watercress and wine.
• Capsaicin (capsaicinoid) Found in red chilli peppers and red bell peppers.
• Curcumin (diarylheptanoid polyphenol compound) Found in turmeric.
• Delphinidin (anthocyanin) Rich in the dark skins of fruits and vegetables aubergine (eggplant), black currants. blueberries, cranberries, grapes (Concord and Cabernet Sauvignon), pomegranates, red cabbage, and red onion.
• Ellagic acid (polyphenol) Found in apples, blackberries, cashews, cloudberries, cranberries, grapes, pecans, pistachios, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries and walnuts.
• Epigallocatechin gallate (catechin polyphenol) Found in tea, green tea being the richest source.
• Fisetin (flavonoid) Found in strawberries, apples, cucumber, persimmons, grapes and onions.
• Genistein (isoflavone phytoestrogen) Richest sources are soybeans and soy-derived products like tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and miso plus smaller amounts in alfalfa and chickpeas.
• Indole-3-carbinol Found in cruciferous (brassicas), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, rape and turnips.
• Lupeol (triterpene) Richest sources are aloe vera and ginseng oil.
• Luteolin flavonoid polyphenol) Found in celery, bell peppers, chili peppers, lettuce and spinach.
• Punicalagin (polyphenol, ellagitannins) Found in pomegranates (peel, husk and juice.
• Resveratrol (polyphenol) found in red grapes, red berries and peanut skins.
• Silibinin (silybin) is a major active component of silymarin, a flavonoid in milk thistle (Silybum marianum)

Nutrients that activate the death receptor pathway to apoptosis

• Curcumin Found in turmeric
• Epigallocatechin gallate
• Genistein
• Lupeol
• Luteolin
• Resveratrol
• Indole-3-carbinol
• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin C

Compounds and nutrients that can have a positive effect

• Berberine
• Beta-carotene
• Chromium
• Ferulic acid
• Glutathione
• Iodine
• Kaempferol
• Limonene
• Lycopene.
• Magnesium
• Myricetin
• Phenylethyl isothiocyanate 
• Polyphenols
• Quercetin .
• Tangeretin
• Vitamin B8 (inositol)
• Vitamin B9 (folate)
• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols)
• Vitamin K (K1 phylloquinone, K2 menaquinone, K3 menadione)

Possible contributory factors in the rise of cancer worldwide

• Air and water pollution
• Alcohol consumption
• Antibiotic overuse creating mutated virulent resistant bacteria.
• Asbestos exposure (causes mesothelioma)
• Cheap price and easy availability of nutrient-deficient, chemically enhanced, processed and refined foods
• Chemical food additives
• Fad diets which lack vital nutrients
• Fibre, mineral and phytonutrient deficiency due to a poor diet of cheap, processed, fatty, high salt and sugar loaded, fast foods
• Genetically modified crops which have been made resistant to ever more powerful pesticides and had their balance of nutrients interfered with
• Heavy metal contamination
• Heavy pesticide, herbicide and fungicide use
• Hereditary faulty genes
• Higher prices of healthy high-nutrition foods
• Ignorance of the nutrition the human body requires
• Intensive unhealthy farming of animals, injected with and fed, antibiotics and hormones
• Lack of available organic fresh produce.
• Medications and recreational drugs.
• Mercury poisoning from contaminated fish and seafood
• Mercury poisoning from tooth fillings – a toxic substance which leaches out over years and collects in various places in the body
• Microplastics and chemicals in plastics that leech into cooking water and the water supply.
• Misdiagnosis of medical conditions
• Organ transplant operations requiring steroids which lower the immune system response to pathogens and cancer
• Overuse of prescribed medications, causing debilitating side effects, nutrient deficiency and imbalance of intestinal flora.
• Untreated bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections
• Painkillers which mask underlying causes of illness, allowing them to worsen
• Poor dental care
• Radiation exposure
• Sedentary lifestyle and gadgets and systems that remove the need for humans to physical move.
• Tobacco smoke inhalation
• Toxic cleaners and cosmetics causing sterile environments where the human body cannot build natural immunity to pathogens.

A-Z of natural foods and remedies for cancer

Non-harmful cancer treatment studies

Asparagus and cancer

There have been many cases reported where asparagus has been able to eliminate cancerous tumours in the body completely. This may be due to its ability to reduce the accumulation of iron in the body. Cancerous cells need iron to multiply.

The glutathione antioxidant properties and vitamin K content are additional anti-cancer agents found in asparagus, so regular consumption is obviously beneficial to both protect against and treat cancerous tumours.

Place cooked organic asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree. Store in the refrigerator (lasts 2-3 days). Take four full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening. It can be diluted with water and consumed as a cold or hot drink.

NOTE: This suggested dosage is based on past reports, but larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases. Improvement can begin to show in about 2-4 weeks.

Cactus and cancer

Since 2012, the saponins in the cactus (Agave schotti ) have been investigated for cancer treatment. Cactus plants growing in low-nutrient soils and/or under harsh climatic conditions, such as extreme temperatures, intense solar radiation and water scarcity, are particularly susceptible to attack from reactive oxygen species and have evolved efficient anti-oxidation defence systems.

The many examples of desert plants displaying anticancer effects indicates that the same defensive secondary metabolites protecting them against the harsh environment may also play a protective or a curative role against cancer, as they also do against diabetes, neurodegenerative and other acute and chronic diseases.

Since many of the native tribes in America, who have been using cactus in their diets for thousands of years have never developed cancer, this may be the reason why.  

Grapes and cancer

Many studies, including one done by the Kentucky University, have discovered that there are inorganic mineral compounds such as iridium and rhodium in grape seeds and colloidal gold in black grape skins which causes cancer cells to ‘commit suicide’ within 24 hours without affecting surrounding healthy cells.

Leukaemia cancer cells exposed to grape seed extract are rapidly killed through the process of cell suicide “apoptosis.”. An astonishing 76% of leukaemia cells committed suicide within 24 hours thanks to the ability of compounds found in grape seeds which activates a protein called JNK, which regulates apoptosis.

On the molecular level, JNK influences cellular functions by tagging other proteins with a phosphate chemical group (a process known as phosphorylation), a common mechanism cells use to turn enzymes on and off.

Phosphorylation is so important that when JNK goes awry, a number of different disorders can result, such as cancer, diabetes or neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

This JNK activating compound cannot be found in seedless grapes (obviously) or grape seed oil as the process to make the oil removes it. Grape seed extract can be found as a supplement but, if you can find grapes with the seeds intact, it is perfectly safe to chew and swallow the seeds and may help in the fight against cancer.

Grinding the seeds, which do taste bitter, into a powder and adding to meals and drinks daily to take advantage of this healthy and nutritious cancer-fighting food.

NOTE: Side effects from consuming grape seeds may include dizziness, headaches, itchy scalp and nausea. Anyone who has a bleeding disorder or high blood pressure should consult a healthcare professional before consuming grape seeds.

Wormwood, iron and cancer

Artemisinin is derived from the wormwood herb. Iron is required for cell division, and it is well known that many cancer cell types selectively accumulate iron for this purpose due to special receptors that help them in cell division, called transferring receptors.

Most cancers have a very large number of irons attracting transferring receptors on their cell surface compared to normal non-cancerous cells.

In tests, radiation resistant breast cancer cells, that have a high propensity for accumulating iron, revealed that artemisinin has 75 percent cancer cell killing properties in 8 hours and almost 100 percent killing properties within 24 hours whilst normal cells were left unharmed.

Artemisinin is effective against a wide variety of cancers such as leukaemia, colon cancer, melanoma, breast, ovarian, prostate, central nervous system and renal cancer.

Artemisinin should be taken with a combination of nutritional supplements (such as green tea, Coenzyme Q10 and pancreatic enzyme) as well as a good anti-cancer diet. It is advisable to consume iron-rich foods prior to starting treatment with artemisinin. See Iron.

Artemisinin should always be taken with food. Cod liver oil, cottage cheese or oily fish should be consumed at the same time to enhance absorption. Generally, 400 to 800 mg per day can be used for at least 6 to 12 months. After that, it can be tapered off slowly.

It should be taken 2-3 hours before or after foods rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C.

Artemisinin is a “cooling herb” according to Chinese medicine and some may find it too “cooling” with symptoms such as tingling. If this occurs, then the dosage should be reduced.

WARNING: No artemisinin should be taken within 30 days of radiation therapy because of possible free iron leaks to the surrounding tissues after radiation therapy. Taking supplements of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein supplements should all be avoided.

As the herb comes from China and South-east Asia, proper quality assurance on purity and standardization is of tremendous importance. High-grade artemisinin must always be confirmed by independent laboratory analysis on a batch-by-batch basis to ensure consistence and purity.

NOTE: Always check with a health care professional prior to taking this herb.

Although artemisinin is insoluble in water, it is able to cross the blood brain barrier and therefore may be particularly suitable for treating brain tumours when used in conjunction with Poly-MVA (an metalo-vitamin).

When alpha-lipoic acid, a powerful antioxidant with many biological functions, is connected to an electrically charged metal substrate, and joined with various B vitamins, the resulting Poly-MVA complex becomes totally soluble in both water and fat. It can easily and safely travel throughout the body and into every cell, crossing the blood-brain barrier as well.

Zoetron therapy, heat and cancer

The fact that iron content of cancer cells is high has been used in an anti-cancer therapy called Zoetron therapy, where iron containing cancer cells are induced into motion using a magnetic device to induce resonance.

Resonance generates heat and cancer cells are more sensitive to heat compared to normal healthy cells. When cancer cells are heated to a certain temperature, they die while normal cells still survive.

What is angiogenesis?

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels that helps cancers to grow, by including at least two of any of the following foods in the daily diet is a way to help prevent and reduce cancerous tumour growth. A diet of anti-angiogenic foods is also found to reverse obesity.

Which foods are anti-angiogenic?

• Apples (one per day).
• Apple cider vinegar (one tablespoon per day)
• Berries such as blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cranberries, chokeberries, Maqui berries, mulberries, raspberries and strawberries. (at least one serving per day).
• Brazil nuts (two per day)
• Citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, oranges and tangerines (one per day including the zest of half the fruit)
• Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, bok choy, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radish, rapeseed, rocket, shepherd’s purse, Swede, turnip, wasabi and watercress. (at least one per day).
• Garlic (three cloves per day)
• Green tea (three cups per day. To be drunk separately from meals.)
• Hemp seeds (one tablespoon per day)
• Milk thistle (consume daily)
• Pumpkin seeds (consume a small handful daily sprinkled onto meals or as snacks with fruit and nuts).
• Turmeric (half a teaspoon per day).
• Walnuts (five halves per day).

Points to remember about food

• Always choose organic unprepared produce.
• Always consume fruits (fresh or dried) with nuts and/or seeds.  Vitamin C from fruits needs to be equally consumed as vitamin E from fruit and nuts. They have an opposite effect on absorption of iron, manganese and zinc so need to be consumed in equal measures.
• Always consume red-, yellow- and orange-coloured vegetables with some cold-pressed oil or fat-rich foods such as avocado, coconut oil, fish, nuts or seeds as their nutrients are fat-soluble so cannot be absorbed without it.
• Consume the skins of fruits and vegetables when possible. Eat the zest of lemons, limes and oranges as some important nutrients are concentrated there.
• Always leave garlic and onions to stand for ten minutes after chopping to allow the chemical reaction that produces allicin to take place.
• Heat can destroy some of the anti-angiogenic properties in foods except tomatoes where it enhances the content of lycopene and root vegetables that require cooking to release these nutrients.
• Limit or avoid meat due to acidity. Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment and a meat-based diet is acidic.

Why is meat not good for cancer?

Farmed meats, especially beef, lamb and pork, often contain livestock antibiotics and growth hormones which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer. If meat is desired choose wild lean non farmed meats such as game birds, rabbit, venison and wild boar etc..

Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat, remaining in the intestines, will become putrefied and leads to more toxic build up.

Rare, cooked meats should be avoided as the parasites may remain in the meat and cause more problems for the weakened immune system of a cancer patient.

If meat is consumed, alkalising foods should also be eaten.

What alkalising foods reduce acidity in the body?

Related subjects

• A-Z of nutrients
• Feed your friendly bacteria

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26891

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11598436/#:~:text=Studies%20quantifying%20its%20presence%20have,Siddique%20and%20Saleem%2C%202011).

https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/pomegranates/pomegranate-health-benefits

https://academic.oup.com/carcin/article-abstract/28/2/233/2476711?redirectedFrom=fulltext

https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-020-00439-x

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