SUPER FOODS : TO FOIL CANCER

 

Eating right can help prevent the disease. Here are some foods you can include in your diet

Countless researches and studies with conflicting information often make it an ordeal to figure out what is a health risk and what isn't.

These days, everything from mobile phones, to microwaves, to even the wrong kind of fabric, contains some form of cancer causing risk.

Studies have now helped experts to narrow food groups into cancer combating category.

Here is a list of foods classified as per their ability to help curb tissue cancer.

Wholegrain

Wholegrain cereals are rich in fibre, which may help reduce your risk of breast cancer.

One Swedish study found that women who ate more than 25 gm of fibre per day were nearly 40 per cent less likely to develop the disease.

Eat more: Opt for healthy wholegrain carbohydrates such as granary bread, cereals such as Weetabix or porridge, brown rice and wholemeal pasta.

Fruit and vegetables

A diet full of antioxidant-rich brightly-coloured fruit and vegetables could help combat free radicals — rogue cells that can trigger cancer.

A study in China this year found that women, who ate the most fruit and vegetables in their diet, lowered their risk of breast cancer.

Eat more: Forget five, for maximum cancer protection some nutritionists are now advising us to eat nine or 10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily.

One serving is equivalent to a glass of fresh juice, medium orange or 12 grapes.

Vitamin D-rich dairy products

Research has shown that vitamin D can halt cell division and growth, offering protection against the cell changes that lead to cancer.

The richest sources are dairy products, eggs and oily fish. In the past, dairy had been linked to breast and prostate cancer, but a recent review of studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found low-fat dairy products, such as skimmed milk, cottage cheese and yoghurt, may protect against the disease.

Eat more: Have a glass of skimmed milk a day and eat eggs several times a week. vitamin D is also made by sunlight on your skin, so get at least 15 minutes of sunshine daily.

Good fats

High levels of estrogen can encourage breast cells to multiply, increasing the risk of cancer developing.

Experts think that lots of what they call 'oestrogenunfriendly' fats in your diet could cut your risk.

These include omega-3 fats found in oily fish and omega-9 fats found in olive oil.

Eat more: Have one to two portions of oily fish such as salmon, mackerel or fresh tuna (not tinned) per week, and cook with olive oil.

Beans and pulses

Beans and pulses such as lentils and chickpeas are packed with cancer protective fibre, as well as polyphenols and lignans which have been found to limit a tumour's growth.

A study in Harvard tracked the diets of 90,000 nurses over eight years. Those who ate beans two to four times a week had a 25 per cent lower risk of tissue cancer than those who rarely ate them.

Eat more: Add a can of kidney beans or lentils to chillies, spaghetti bolognaise, dals, soups and stews two to three times a week, and snack on lentil based dips and sauces.