On a recent episode of the “Dr. Oz Show,” William W. Li, M.D., president of the Angiogenesis Foundation, explained that certain foods, eaten in the correct portions and frequency, can provide “cancerstarving” benefits.
Li explained anti-angiogenesis, a groundbreaking cancer-fighting strategy, is based on the concept of “starving’ deadly cancer cells. Angiogenesis is the body’s way of creating new blood vessels. Cancer cells highjack this process, creating an uninterrupted flow of blood that stimulates growth. Eating the right foods in the right way can control this process and cut off the blood supply that fuels ravenous cancer cells.
“At the Angiogenesis Foundation, we’re launching an ambitious new initiative called Eat to Defeat Cancer, to help people take advantage of foods that fight cancer,” Li said. “Using published data and the Foundation’s own anti-angiogenesis food research, we are identifying and telling the world about the most potent cancer-fighting foods.
“Our early research has already discovered that specific varieties of fruits, vegetables and teas are especially potent cancer fighters. The goal of Eat to Defeat Cancer is to arm consumers with this knowledge so they can make the best, most healthy food choices for themselves and their families.”
According to Li, eating these five foods can prevent cancer growth:
Bok Choy: This type of Chinese cabbage contains brassinin – a powerful cancerfighter, also found in broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Li recommends eating Bok Choy 3 times a week, in 1/2 cup servings.
Cooked Tomatoes: Both raw and cooked tomatoes contain the cancer-fighting molecule lycopene, but heating the tomato changes its chemical structure and makes the benefits more readily available to the body. Li recommends eating 2-3 (1/2 cup) servings of cooked tomatoes a week.
Flounder: Li recommends eating 6-ounce servings of flounder, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury, 3 times a week.
Strawberries: To benefit from antioxidants in strawberries that help fight cancers, Li recommends eating 1 cup a day, including the juice.
Artichokes: Considering artichokes contain 3 different cancer-fighting molecules, Li recommends eating ? cup of hearts per day.
In addition to the above 5 foods, Li says some other good examples of cancer fighting, anti-angiogenesis foods include: Green tea, soybeans, chocolate and cinnamon.
The following food facts, supported by scientific research, can also help you get the most cancer fighting benefits from your diet.
Be picky: Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples have twice as many cancer fighters as Fuji or Golden Delicious apples; the San Marzano tomato contains more cancer fighters than any other variety; and wine grapes grown in cooler climates have more cancer fighters than grapes grown in warmer climates.
Eat Your Sprouts: Broccoli sprouts can contain more cancer-fighting properties than regular broccoli.
Dunk Your Teabag: Dunking a tea bag up and down releases more cancer-fighting molecules than letting the bag just sit in the cup.
Chew Your Greens: Chewing leafy greens helps to release enzymes that activate cancer-fighting molecules embedded deep in the leaves
Go Soy: Fermented soy, like the kind used in miso soup, contains four times more cancer fighters than regular soybeans
Choose one cancer fighting food for each meal: At 3 meals each day, that adds up to more than a thousand of cancer fighting food choices each year.
