Keep the big ‘C’ at bay with your diet

There is no food that can prevent you from getting breast cancer, at least not yet anyway.

But there are certainly many foods that you can eat to keep you healthy, boost your immune system and therefore help to lower your risk of developing cancer.

Breast cancer awareness month

This month here at Purition we supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Care with the launch of our new Limited Edition Raspberry flavour shake.

We thought therefore it would be appropriate to take a closer look at diet and what you should it more of and less of to help keep the big ‘C’ at bay.

According to Breastcancer.org diet is thought to be partly responsible for about 30% to 40% of all cancers whilst Cancer Research UK reports that one in 10 UK cancer cases could be prevented through healthier diets.

So what do we already know...

The link between diet and cancer is obviously a complex one but it would seem everyone agrees that eating a healthy, balanced diet can provide the body with the essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it requires to stay healthy.

Eating lots of fresh fruit and veg is obviously a go go and it’s a good idea to mix up your protein options – more fish and eggs (or a Purition shake) and less red and processed meat. It’s thought the latter contain lots of fat, salt and nitrate levels and as for beef – that’s thought to contain lots of extra hormones which can interfere with the body’s natural balance.

Eating healthier snacks like carrot sticks, fruit or a handful of nuts such almonds can help reduce the amount of sugary processed foods in your diet which can increase the risk of cancer developing and buying organic (whilst expensive) can also reduce exposure to chemicals which can cause health problems.

Cancer fighting foods

There are a range of foods which have been deemed cancer-fighting foods which eaten regularly are said to help lower the risk of cancer developing. Food containing healthy proteins and fatty acids for example keep the immune system working and help prevent deficiencies and hormonal problems.

So if you’re heading to the shops here’s our top 6 super cancer-fighting foods to add to your list:

Nuts and seeds of course

With chia seeds being in plentiful supply within our wholefood protein shakes, as well as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds we can’t help but shout about the amazing health benefits of these little beauties. Chia seeds are one of the most nutrient-dense seeds in the world, providing fibre, Omega-3 fatty acids and lots of minerals.

Berries galore

Deemed the powerhouse of all fruit and veg, raspberries blueberries and cranberries in particular have shown potential to help prevent cancer because of the presence of an antioxidant called pterostilbene. We love them because they make a perfect addition to our shakes.

Grapefuit – learn to love it

A sort of love it or hate it kind of fruit but being packed full of Vitamin C it’s one worth getting to like. Vitamin C can help to prevent the formation of cancer-causing nitrogen compounds and eating a diet high in Vitamin C has been linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer and other cancers such as stomach, colon and bladder.

Load your basket up with kale and other scrumptious greens:

Cancer fighting compounds such as bioflavonoids and carotenoids are found in abundance in kale and other greens. They also contain indoles which are said to lessen the cancer-causing potential of oestrogen.

Eggs – yolk and all

One of the few foods that contain vitamin D, which is understood to reduce the risk of some cancers, as well as heart disease and diabetes. But make sure you eat the white and the yolk!

Pomegranates- the wonder pearls

We’ve talked about the wonder of pomegranates before on our blog. Loaded with ellagic acid which in lab studies has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth it’s a must buy on everyone’s shopping list.

If you’re clever maybe you could even come up with a recipe that includes all these cancer-superfoods. Add in a bit of salmon perhaps to bulk up your protein intake. Let us know what you come up with!

Information contained in this blog has been taken from a number of different sources:

https://draxe.com/nutrition/cancer-fighting-foods/

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/diet-and-cancer/how-healthy-eating-prevents-cancer

https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20430736,00.html

https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/10-foods-to-help-prevent-cancer/

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