Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). Most cancers form a tumor but some do not, like leukemia. At all ages, it affects the people but the risk for most types increasing with age. Abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells can cause the cancer. These abnormalities may be caused by the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents.

Proper healthy diet or dietary changes will lower the cancer risk and help to prevent them as follows:

Increase Your Fiber Intake:

• In all the research between food and cancer, it was found that high fiber diet lowers the chances of colorectal cancer. Potential carcinogens are moved through the intestines faster by taking Fiber that decrease the contact time between carcinogens and the intestinal wall. The less exposure to carcinogens means the less chance of colon cancer.
• Also, fiber binds carcinogens and keeping them away from the intestinal wall.
• It also absorbs bile acids, keeping them from acting on bacteria to produce fecapentanes, the cancerous substances that are formed by decomposing foods within the colon.
• A high fiber diet seems particularly protective against cancer in persons who have a hereditary risk of developing precancerous colorectal polyps.
• Also, a high fiber diet can lower the risk of breast cancer by binding estrogen in the bowels, thereby decreasing the estrogen effect in the cells of breast tissue.
• Based on both these scientific and common sense findings, eat at least 25 grams of fiber a day.
• Best anticancer fiber sources are: wheat bran, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, navy beans, whole wheat, whole grains, legumes, whole grain bread, and prunes.

Eat lots of raw fruits and vegetables:

• Plants contain phytochemicals which help your body to fight against cancer.
• The five major classes of compounds of fruits and vegetables act as natural blocking agents against carcinogens are: phenols, indols, flavones, cumines, and isothiocyanates. The vegetables most important to reducing the risk of cancer are the cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, mustard greens, kale, and cauliflower.
• Phytoestrogens from plant foods, especially cruciferous vegetables, can lower the risk of estrogen-dependent cancers, such as breast cancer. The phytoestrogens fill estrogen receptor sites on cells, keeping the cancer-causing estrogen from promoting the growth of malignant cells.
• Antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E and beta carotene, seem to have a synergistic effect when taken together. So, eating lots of fruits and vegetables in a salad together produces a greater anti-cancer effect than eating each one individually.

Eat more soy products:

• Phytonutrients like isoflavones which available in soy gives anti- cancer effects by inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels necessary for tumor survival.
• Also, it protects against colon cancer by blocking the carcinogenic effects of bile acids (a process called angiogenesis).
• Isoflavones also help regulate the production of sex hormones, which could affect the risk of prostate and breast cancer.
• It seems to protect against the most common types of cancer, including lung, rectal, colon, stomach, prostate, and breast.
• One serving of soy (equal to a 1/2 cup of cooked soybeans, tofu, tempeh, or one cup of soy milk) a day can lessen the risk of cancer.

Change your oils:

• Best protection against cancer is a diet that contains omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., fish and flax oils) which have anti-cancer properties. It helps to produce cancer-fighting phytochemicals. Coldwater fish, such as salmon and tuna, are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Also, Monounsaturated oils such as olive oil play a role in cancer prevention. Women who tend to have an olive-oil rich diet, have a much lower risk of breast cancer.
• As much as possible, avoid saturated and hydrogenated oils.

Eat foods containing calcium:

• High intake of calcium lowers the incidence of colorectal cancer. Calcium controls the multiplication of epithelial cells lining the colon which proliferate at a fast rate when the risk of cancer increases.
• To lower your risk of colorectal cancer, consider taking between 500 and 1,000 milligrams of calcium carbonate or calcium citrate daily, depending on how much calcium you get from food each day.
• Best sources of calcium are dairy products, such as yogurt, and bony fish.

Eat a diet high in antioxidants:

Antioxidants protect against cancer in several ways:

1. They protect the membrane of intestinal cells
2. They prevent free-radical reactions that can cause bowel contents to be carcinogenic.
3. They prevent faulty metabolism in the cell, which can predispose a cell to becoming carcinogenic

Antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E definitely lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of the naturally occurring antioxidants.

Sources of antioxidants: Beta carotene from carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut and other types of winter hard-shell squash, Vitamin C from citrus fruits and vegetables

Flaxseeds:

• It contains two cancer-preventive compounds: omega 3 fatty acids and lignans, which may reduce the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.
• Ground flaxseeds, because they contain both the fiber and the oil, have more potent anticancer properties than flax oil alone.

Eat other anti-cancer nutrients:

Increasing several other daily nutrients can also lower your risk of cancer.

Vitamin D is obtained from vitamin D-fortified milk and other foods and also from sun when exposure to sunshine (around 10 to 15 minutes) a day. The rates of breast, prostate, and colon cancer are lower in climates that have the most sunshine.

Selenium mineral is a potent antioxidant or scavenger of carcinogenic free radicals. Selenium is most effective when taken along with foods or supplements that are high in vitamin E. Best sources of selenium in food are fish (especially red snapper) lobster, shrimp, whole grains, and vegetables. Other sources include: brown rice, cottage cheese, lambchops, chicken (white meat), sunflower seeds, and garlic.

Acidophilus, the intestinal-friendly bacteria have been shown to have anti-cancer properties. They promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon and reduce the conversion of bile acids into carcinogens.

Green tea has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, possibly because of phytochemical "catechins”.

THE TOP ANTI-CANCER FOODS:

Anti-cancer vegetables are broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, kale, onions (red), peppers, radishes, soy, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and yams

Anti-cancer fruits are apricots, blueberries, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, strawberries and tangerines

To prevent cancer follow the 10 step which are given below:

1. Increase exercise.
2. Stay lean.
3. Reduce stress.
4. Increase fiber to between 25 and 35 grams a day.
5. Limit dietary fat to 20 percent of total calories, with less than 10 percent of total calories as saturated fats. Eliminate hydrogenated fats.
6. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
7. Eat foods high in the antioxidants beta carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E.
8. Switch from red meat to seafood and soy products.
9. Eat foods high in calcium.
10. Consider daily supplements of the following:
    • Vitamin C, 500 mg.
    • Calcium, 500 mg.
    • Flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed), 30 grams
    • Acidophilus powder, 1 teaspoon
    • Vitamin E, 200 IU
    • Selenium, 100 mcg.

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