Cancer Prevention With Whole Foods

You can lower your overall cancer risk by 40% by eating a diet rich in tomatoes. Lycopene, the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their rich, red hue, is the source of this power.

A recent study in Italy has shown that men and women who ate the most tomatoes had reduced their risk of stomach and colon cancers by as much as 60%. Research has also shown that 10 or more servings of tomatoes a week can cut the risk of prostate cancer in half. If 10 servings sounds like a lot, remember that tomato sauce, pizza sauce and salsa are loaded with lycopene—and easy to make in the Vita-Mix machine.

What lycopene is to tomatoes, indole-3 carbinols are to broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, Brussels sprouts and leafy greens. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have shown that the indoles can stop the growth of breast cancer cells.

Broccoli is considered by many to be the “crown jewel of nutrition” because it is also a rich source of isothiocyanates that can also lower the risk of lung cancer and lutein which is powerful antioxidant in the war against colon cancer. You’ll find that adding a serving of broccoli to soups and juices is quick and easy with a Vita-Mix machine on your kitchen counter.

The allicin in garlic and onions has proven to stimulate the production of cancer-fighting pase-2 enzymes, protect cells from marauding cancer-causing substances and slow the growth of certain cancers. Dutch researchers have recently discovered that people who eat at least half an onion a day are half as likely to get stomach cancer as those who don’t eat onions. Similar research in Hawaii found the onion to be just as effective in combating lung cancer.

Onions also contain quercitin, a powerful antioxidant known to capture free radicals and halt the production of tumors. So slice, dice and chop away—or better yet, add that half onion to your Vita-Mix whole food juice! Bonus: The sulfur compounds found in onions that irritates your eyes and makes you cry lowers blood pressure by keeping platelets in your blood from clumping together.

Here’s proof that all carbs are not created equal! In a recent study that analyzed the relationship between whole grains intake and various kinds of cancer, whole grains were found to exert protective effects against 17 types of cancer, including breast, uterine, ovarian, colon and rectal. Note that whole grain bread does not mean “wheat” bread made with refined or enriched wheat flour. The protective benefits of whole grains are only available when you eat the nutritious outer layer (the bran) and the inner kernel (the germ).

The Vita-Mix machine brings the goodness of whole grains to your table with ease, because you can grind whole grains into nutrient-rich flour in just over a minute. Then you simply add the other ingredients and mix and knead homemade whole wheat brad dough right in the Vita-Mix container. You never need to touch the dough—and it’s ready to rise in under five minutes. Talk about the fast track to disease-prevention! And the taste is terrific, too!