Most cancer patients would have a major improvement in their outcome if they controlled the supply of cancer's preferred fuel (glucose) into their bodies. By eating healthy, patients can strengthen their immune systems and change their body's acidic environment to a more alkaline environment. This would help to slow down the progression of the cancer and, with the proper cancer treatment, kill and destroy the cancer cells.
Controlling one's blood-glucose level through dieting and supplementation is one of the most crucial components to an effective cancer recovery program.And, one of the best ways to do that is to eat primarily a plant-based diet of raw and lightly-cooked vegetables, some fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and plant oils.
A diet consisting of a variety of raw fresh vegetables and some fruits is the best prevention and also a potential cure for most cancers, depending on how far the cancer has progressed and how easily the body can digest and properly assimilate the nutrients from the food. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, leafy greens, sprouts, avocados, red and yellow peppers, red cabbage, dandelion, beets, garlic, turmeric, blueberries, flaxseed, and many more foods have been proven in numerous scientific studies to not only prevent, but to also destroy, cancer cells.
If we did research on every single piece of raw produce we eat, we’d probably find that almost all of them, if not all of them, prevent and fight cancer in some way or another. This is what the modern diet is missing -- fresh raw produce. Early humans ate pounds of it a day, all day, every day.
Do not underestimate the miraculous healing properties of whole, raw, fresh, organic, uncooked, unadulterated produce. Believe it or not, it’s the foundation of almost all of the best remedies for ailments, and it is the only path to true health. Eat a wide variety of raw produce every day. Cooked produce has benefits, but raw produce heals. Make big salads every day with lots of produce and drink raw juices and green smoothies.
The 1931 Nobel Laureate in medicine, German Otto Warburg, Ph.D., first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. The crux of his Nobel thesis was that malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in anaerobic glycolysis -- a process where glucose is used as a fuel by cancer cells and lactic acid is produced as an anaerobic byproduct -- compared to normal tissues. The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation of glucose from cancer cells is then transported to the liver where lactic acid is converted back to glucose (this cycle is known as the lactic acid or cachexia cycle).
The conversion of glucose to lactate generates a lower, more acidic pH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue and pain from the lactic acid buildup. And, the lactic acid promotes tumor growth causing larger tumors, which tend to exhibit a more acidic pH.
This inefficient pathway for energy metabolism yields only 2 moles of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy per mole of glucose, compared to 38 moles of ATP in the complete aerobic oxidation of glucose. By extracting only about 5 percent (2 vs. 38 moles of ATP) of the available energy in the food supply and the body's calorie stores, the cancer is "wasting" energy, and the patient becomes tired and undernourished. This vicious cycle increases body wasting, which is one reason why 40 percent of cancer patients die from malnutrition, or cachexia (wasting of the body).
Hence, cancer therapies should encompass regulating blood-glucose levels via diet and supplements, for cachectic patients who lose their appetite and a lot of weight loss. Professional guidance and patient self-discipline/motivation are crucial at this point in the cancer recovery process. The quest is not to eliminate sugars or carbohydrates from the diet but rather to control blood glucose within a narrow range (ala what diabetics have to do) to help starve the cancer and bolster immune function.
The best way to control one's blood glucose is to follow a low-glycemic, macronutrient-dense nutritional program such as the Death to Diabetes Nutritional Program with lots of green vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli; onions, garlic), raw vegetable juices, high quality fats (olive, coconut, flax) and high quality protein (Whey, ground flaxseed, wild salmon).
The lower the glycemic rating, the slower the digestion and absorption process, which provides a healthier, more gradual infusion of sugars into the bloodstream. Conversely, a high rating means blood glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates and stresses the pancreas to secrete more insulin and insulin growth factor, which fuel the cancer/tumor to grow faster.
In fact, many cancer patients have cured their cancer by using an effective cancer diet with these attributes. However, most cancer patients who have had extensive chemotherapy and radiation will require a lot more than a good cancer diet, i.e. a specific cancer-focused treatment protocol. refer to the blog post about the Cancer Treatment Strategy.
How far you go with your cancer diet is up to you, but this much is clear, a poor cancer diet will fuel the cancer and allow it to continue to grow and cause more damage throughout the body.
Many doctors in alternative medicine (e.g. Gonzalaez, Gerson, Christopher, Moerman, Hoxsey, etc.) were people who knew how to cure cancer and they knew that the "cancer diet" was a major factor, even the primary factor, in a cancer person's ability to nourish their normal cells and kill the cancer cells in order to survive and defeat their cancer!
Many books have been written about various cancer diets. You hear terms like "live food," "raw food," "superfood", wheatgrass juice, carrot juice, macrobiotic diet, sprouting, and many more.
In somes cases, people will simply go to a clinic or a retreat to get their cancer diet. While this is good if you have the money, you will still have to learn how to eat healthy when you return home.
Goals of Nutritional Program
It is best to use a solid and well-structured alternative cancer treatment protocol as the main treatment to fight and kill the cancer cells; and use the cancer diet to build the immune system, nourish the normal cells and possibly kill some cancer cells.
The goals of an effective cancer diet should include the following:
1. Strengthen the immune system by helping to activate phagocytes, e.g. macrophages, natural killers.
2. Help your immune system "find" the cancer cells so that they can do their job: stop the spread of the cancer and kill the cancer.
3. Provide key nutrients to feed the non-cancerous cells and starve the cancer cells.
4. Eat healthy foods that provide energy to the body without feeding the cancer cells.
5. Turn the body's environment from acidic to alkaline.
6. Reduce the lactic acid created by the cancer cells (cachexia cycle or lactic acid cycle).
7. Keep your blood glucose in a tight range (80 to 99 mg/dL)
Guidelines and Attributes of a Superior Nutritional Program
Foods to Avoid
The obvious foods to avoid include all foods made with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, molasses, brown sugar, artificial sweeteners (e.g. NutraSweet, Equal), and processed honey. This includes foods such as sweets, candies, jams, jellies, cookies, cakes, pies and desserts. This also includes beverages such as soda, diet soda, bottled juice, soft drinks, and energy drinks.
Some of the other obvious foods to avoid include foods made with flour, wheat, gluten, or starch such as white bread, enriched bread, wheat bread, biscuits, cornbread, pasta, rice, macaroni, cereals, crackers, donuts, pancakes, pastries, pizza, biscuits, spaghetti, cakes, pies, and other processed foods; and, starchy vegetables such as white potatoes and corn.
Another group of foods to avoid include foods that contain trans fats such as all processed foods made with hydrogenated oil, such as stick margarines, French fries, potato chips, pretzels, cookies, fried foods, donuts, crackers, store-bought baked goods, pastries, packaged foods, and canola oil. The process of creating hydrogenated oil destroys the essential fatty acids in the oil and replaces them with deformed trans fatty acids. These trans fats make the cell walls hard and brittle, making it easier for transform healthy cells into cancerous cells.
Another reason to avoid processed foods is to ensure that you avoid foods that contain excitotoxins such as MSG and aspartame and, also GMO foods such as corn, potatoes and soy.
Another group of foods to avoid is meat and dairy. Foods include animal meat, organ meats, processed meats, lunch meats, fried/barbecued meats and dairy products (cow’s pasteurized, homogenized milk, cheese, butter, ice cream).
First, pancreatic enzymes, which are critical for cancer patients, are programmed to digest meat before they are programmed to strip-off the protein coating of cancer cells, which makes the cancer cells "visible" to the immune system so the immune system can kill them.
Also, animal proteins may "feed" cancer cells as much as sugar. This is an unknown, but what is known is that meat proteins are one of the most consistent factors contributing to why a person gets cancer.
Meat is also very acidic. Obviously, sugar, white flour, and many other things, literally feed cancer cells because they are so acidic. In addition, digesting meat requires a lot of energy to break down the meat, which can tire out the cancer patient and rob the body of the energy it needs to fight the cancer.
Exception: Blood system cancers - lymphoma, leukemia, myeloma - need to include lean meat protein so as to build blood and bone marrow. Just make sure that the meat is organic and free range.
The last group of foods to avoid is vegetable oils and other processed oils. These oils include soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower along with canola oil and lard.
Although, "drugs" are not a food category, you should avoid all drugs and most medications, if possible. Drugs include alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, prescription drugs, and recreational drugs.
Alcohol and tobacco devastate the liver, lungs and cardiovascular system. Caffeine is a stimulant that may trigger insulin surges. Excess caffeine may cause the body to produce an oxidative chemical called alloxan that may damage the pancreatic beta cells in some people, reducing their production of insulin. Many OTC and prescription drugs cause serious side effects that can lead to liver, kidney or heart failure. Also, these drugs “fool” the body by altering the biochemical and hormonal functions within the body, leading to chemical dependencies and the suppression of symptoms that later manifest themselves as a disease.
You should avoid most beverages, especially tap water, soda, diet soda, coffee, bottled juices, cow's milk, energy drinks, other beverages, and alcohol for many of the previously mentioned reasons. In addition, tap water contains chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, antibiotics, and other toxins that can directly interfere with your cancer treatment.
As a side note, you should avoid most toothpastes because they contain fluoride! Instead use baking soda or an herbal-based powder to brush and clean your teeth, gums and tongue. Also, avoid traditional mouthwash products. Also, use a dental probiotic to rebalance your mouth's terrain.
Note: All of the above aforementioned foods contain sugar, flour, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats (hydrogenated oils), pesticides, antibiotics and other chemicals and toxins that fuel cancer cells.
FYI: For those of you who have read DeWayne McCulley's book (Death to Diabetes), the above list should look very familiar. McCulley is the engineer who almost died of a diabetic coma with a blood sugar over 1300 and a potential double-leg amputation, blindness, kidney failure and pulmonary embolism -- all due to poor circulation, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, deep vein thrombosis, two blood clots, and pancreatitis. The doctors said that any one of these problems along with the nonketotic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar coma should have killed McCulley.
Foods to Eat
At this point, you're probably thinking "What's left to eat?"
Actually, there is a lot of good foods left to eat.Key foods include green and leafy vegetables, bright-colored vegetables and possibly some (limited) bright-colored and dark-colored fruits. If possible, try to obtain these foods locally and organically grown.
Vegetables include green/leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, bok choi, kale, Romaine lettuce; asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, okra, peppers, stringbeans, other greens (collard, turnip); sea vegetables/blue-green algae such as chlorella, spirulina and sea plankton; and, grasses such as wheat, barley, and alfalfa.
Vegetables of other bright colors (green, red, yellow, purple, orange) include artichokes, avocado, bean sprouts, beets, carrots, chickpeas, mushrooms, parsley, peppers, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini.
Fruits include dark, bright-colored fruits such as açai berries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, elderberries, strawberries, apples, grapes, goji berries; apricots, avocado, figs, grapefruits, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangosteens, melons, papaya, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, prunes, raspberries.
In general, only whole almonds, whole macadamia nuts and whole walnuts should be eaten on a cancer diet. Almonds and macadamia nuts both have laetrile, and both are acceptable. Walnuts have the very critical omega-3 EFAs. Other nuts should be used very sparingly. Peanuts (which are not really nuts) and cashews both have too much fungus and should be avoided.
Note: With the exception of walnuts being used in a Budwig Diet treatment, even the acceptable nuts should be used sparingly.
Organic Vegetables
As a general rule, all vegetables should be organic, if possible. Green vegetables, including grasses (generally juiced) and sprouts, must be the foundation of a good cancer diet. The fiber, enzymes, chlorophyll, minerals, and many nutrients are necessary for your cancer diet. These are required to be the foundation of your cancer diet!!
Essentially, you should have organic, fresh salads/vegetables/juiced grasses/sprouts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many of the other foods that are allowed on a cancer diet should be mixed in with the salad, except for the vegetable juices.
FYI: Here is a list of the key vegetables taken from Robert O. Young's book "Sick and Tired?: Reclaim Your Inner Terrain" (Page 96):
“broccoli [*], asparagus [*], beets [*-moderation], cabbage [*], carrots [*-moderation], cauliflower [*], celery, cucumbers, egg-plant, green and yellow squash [moderation], green beans and peas (fresh), red[*] and yellow[*] peppers (also green[*] if they agree with you), spinach, mustard greens, collards, kale [*], lettuce, okra, parsley[*], scallions, radishes, Swiss chard, watercress, sea vegetables, such as nori, wakame and niziki, wheat grass[*-usually juiced], barley grass[*-usually taken as a supplement], turnips[*], and sprouted grains[*] or beans[*]. Also eat lots of garlic[*] and onion[*], if they agree with you.”
The [*] symbol means this is a known anti-cancer food and these foods should be favored. It would be a really good idea to juice all of the vegetables available that have the [*] symbol.
Note: Both this book and Robert Young's first book (The pH Miracle) are not specific to cancer, so make sure that you focus on the vegetables with the asterisk.
Juicing
Juicing is an excellent way to get critical nutrients into your cells and body with the least amount of energy. Juicing vegetables and grasses will help get more nutrients into your body. However, some whole vegetables should be eaten in order to get the fiber. Fiber is critical to a cancer treatment.
As with all juices, if you make the juice from the actual foods, the juice should be drunk immediately after they are prepared (before oxidation destroys the enzymes). In cases where many small doses of a fresh vegetable juice are needed to be taken (e.g. to avoid diarrhea), the juice can be refrigerated during the day.
There are two advantages to juicing vegetables. First, juicing makes the nutrients in a vegetable more digestible by the body, meaning more of the nutrients are extracted from the vegetables with less of the obstructing fibers. The second advantage is that you can consume a lot more vegetables (particularly vegetables and fruits with cancer killing nutrients) in a shorter amount of time and with a lot less effort.
The bad thing about juicing is that the nutrients are not extracted sufficiently from the seeds or skins of some key vegetables and fruits. If you are eating a food where the seeds and/or skins contain key cancer fighting nutrients (e.g. purple grapes), you should not use a juicer for the seeds or skin, but rather use a food processor or use a hand grinder, to grind the seeds and skins to make mush.
In general, it is often better to juice on an empty stomach (before meals) so that more enzymes and nutrients can be absorbed and assimilated into your cells.
A Note About Carrots
A special note about carrots is in order. Like virtually all vegetables, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of phytonutrients in carrots that have not yet been identified or tested for cancer-fighting abilities. It may be that we do not yet know the best cancer-fighting nutrient in carrots, but based on many testimonials and some books, carrots may be the best cancer-fighting vegetable of all.
In a review of 206 human studies, carrots consistently emerged as one of the top cancer-fighting foods. The power of carrots lies in the group of pigments called carotenoids (beta-carotene is among this group), which give them their orange color.
Vegetables Juices
The raw vegetables (with cancer-fighting substances) that you should focus on include: carrots, cabbage, green asparagus, broccoli, red beets (i.e. beetroot), beet tops, bell peppers, cauliflower, asparagus and other related (cruciferous) vegetables.
As a minimum, the vegetable juice should include:
1) Carrot juice (1 to 2 quarts per day),
2) Beet juice (from at least 2 red beets, with their beet tops)
3) A significant amount of cruciferous vegetables including: broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower (this is for both the cancer and the critical protection of the liver)
Note: Beetroot can cause the urine of a person to turn red. So, if you take beetroot and your urine turns red, it is not necessarily blood in the urine.
Here are just a few of the cancer cell killing nutrients in vegetables:
-- Carrots (alpha carotene, beta carotene, Vitamin E, etc.),
-- Broccoli (sulforaphanes/isothiocyanates),
-- Cabbage (isothiocyanates),
-- Asparagus (saponins),
-- Beetroot/red beets (proanthocyanidins (PAC's or OPC's)), and
At least 80% or above of the vegetable juice should come from vegetables with known cancer-fighting abilities, although other vegetables are not far behind the ones listed above.
Fruit Juices
In general, because of the high amounts of glucose, most fruits should be avoided, except those with cancer-fighting nutrients such as blueberries and other berries.
Raw fruits you should focus on are: purple grapes (with skins and seeds), red raspberries, black raspberries, strawberries, and other non-citrus fruits, with their seeds, especially peaches and apricots (the seed is inside a hard shell). Actually, any fruit with dark blue or dark purple coloring is acceptable, such as blueberries. Raw pineapple is especially good if you can get it and afford it. Tomatoes also have cancer fighting nutrients.
Here is a sample of the known cancer-killing nutrients in fruits:
-- Raw pineapple (bromelain and pexoxidase)
Note: Juice the core of the pineapple for maximum bromelain benefit.
-- Whole purple grapes with seeds and skins (more than a dozen)
-- Apricot seeds and apple seeds (laetrile)
-- Strawberries, red raspberries, black raspberries (laetrile and ellagic acid)
-- Blueberries (ellagic acid, anthocyanins, OPC),
At least 80% or above of the fruit juice should come from fruits with known cancer-fighting abilities.
Exception: If you have pancreatic cancer, you should avoid fruit completely since this type of cancer feeds on fructose.
Also consider the super-fruit juices: mangosteen, Tahitian noni and wolfberry or goji. These are allowed, but only in very limited quantities. No more than a 5 or 6 ounces of these super fruit juices (combined) should be taken each day because they place a burden on the liver by releasing a great deal of toxins in the body.
In addition, use green drinks that contain wheatgrass, barley grass, chlorella and spirulina. If you can, prepare your own wheatgrass. For chlorella and spirulina, make certain that it is an organic, highly absorbable product. Do not fall for many of the overly-marketed green powders because they contain very little nutrients and include things like hay and sand as fillers!
Green Tea
Start drinking green tea (or white tea) every day. Green tea has epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and catechins, as tough on cancer cells as they are on the tongue to pronounce. EGCG retards cancer growth; and stomach and lung cancer rates in Japan would likely be even higher considering all the cancer-promoting salty food and tobacco there.
Note that in the United States it is extremely difficult to get real green tea. What you are buying is green tea drink (sugar, water, and someone whispering the words "green tea" over the bottle) or green tea mix (a blend of teas to ease that natural bitterness of green tea). The most potent green tea comes from Japan; and Asian supermarkets carry many varieties, with the best brands being in boxes with letters you can't read. Note also that black teas lose healthy catechins in the fermentation process; and decaffeinated teas lose catechins in the washing process.
Amino Acids and Glutathione
The best way to stimulate your immune systems response to disease is to get your body to produce glutathione (the master antioxidant). Glutathione production can be stimulated by taking three amino acids: cysteine (NAC), glutamic acid and glycine; or, by taking high-quality whey protein.
Amino acids as a whole are known as the building blocks of cellular structure. Amino acids individually or combined can stimulate many different body processes.
Note 1a: These amino acids should be taken on an empty stomach if you want to get maximum results. Always take your supplements with a large glass of filtered water. You need the water to give the body the liquid it needs to transport all of these great nutrients to every cell in your body.
Note 1b: An empty stomach is when you haven't eaten for at least one hour and you will not eat for at least one hour. An even longer time with an empty stomach is even better. Amino acids must be taken on an empty stomach because all foods are amino acids and in taking amino acids as supplements they work therapeutically better without food mixed with them. Therefore, if you want to stimulatea therapeutic response with an amino acid you should take amino acids in combination with just the amino acids that work on this one process that you want to stimulate. Otherwise the amino acids in the food will combine with the supplemental amino acids and become a food instead of a body response.
Note 2a: Regular supplementation with the nutrients Vitamins E and C, Alpha-lipoic acid, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin and Selenium and the amino acid Methionine, and SAMe, can help the body produce its own glutathione naturally. But, do not take these all at one time. Spread out through out the day so that you don't flood your body with more that the body can process at any one time. These supplements should be taken with some food.
Note 2b: There has been scientific studies that have found that people who take the mineral selenium or have a high selenium level in their body have a 50% less chance in getting many cancers. Other research has shown that selenium works best when taken with Vitamin E. Some research shows that you should not take over 400 mcg's of selenium per day. You can have blood tests done to check your selenium levels.
Top Foods
Here is a more detailed list of some of the top foods for fighting cancer and other similar systemic diseases (e.g. heart disease, Type 2 diabetes).
Avocados: Avocados are an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated fat, vitamins and antioxidants, making it one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Avocados are rich in cancer-fighting carotenoids, which are most plentiful in the dark-green portion of the flesh that's closest to the skin.
Beetroot: This dark-red vegetable is a super food with multiple health benefits. Beets contain anthocyanins which kill cancer cells. It also contains resveratrol, a potent antioxidant that fights cancer especially blood and brain cancer.
Berries: All berries, especially blueberries, contain ellagic acid and other polyphenol antioxidants that inhibit tumor growth. But black raspberries, in particular, contain very high concentrations of phytochemicals called anthocyanins, which slow down the growth of premalignant cells and keep new blood vessels from forming (and potentially feeding a cancerous tumor), according to Gary D. Stoner, PhD, a professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Broccoli/Brussels Sprouts: All cruciferous vegetables (e.g. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale) contain sulfur and other cancer-fighting properties. These vegetables are rich in isothiocyanates and indoles, compounds that put the double whammy on cancer by inhibiting enzymes that activate carcinogens and stimulating enzymes that deactivate them.
Citrus Peel: Orange, Tangerine, and Lemon Peels: All contain limonene which stimulates liver detoxification of carcinogens, anti-tumor activity, and induces differentiation (maturation of cancer cells into healthy cell types).
Carrots: There is no other single food that has been as well-documented as a top cancer-fighting food. The key however is to select organic carrots and juice the carrots to obtain optimum benefits.
Drinking carrot juice is one of the best ways to
prevent cancer or fight cancer. Carrots
contain the carotenoids alpha carotene and beta-carotene, along with
potent antioxidants. Carrots contain
one of the few carotenoids with pro Vitamin A activity, which means
that
the body converts the beta-carotene into Vitamin A as needed. In
addition, carrots contain calcium pectate, a source of soluble fiber,
Vitamin B-complex, C, D, E and K, iron, calcium and phosphorous and
manganese.
Cruciferous and Allium Vegetables: Cruciferous vegetables and vegetables from the allium family contain sulfur, which is able to penetrate the cell walls of cancer cells, which allows oxygen and nutrients such as Vitamin C to get into cancer cell and kill it. Cruciferous vegetables include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli sprouts; and, foods from the allium family include garlic, onions, and leeks.
If possible eat the garlic and onions raw. If you can't stand eating raw garlic, slice them up and let them sit for at least ten minutes before cooking. This will allow the alliinase enzyme to release alliin, which is converted into allicin, which kills cancer cells.
Fermented Foods: Raw yogurt, buttermilk, cottage cheese, kefir, sauerkraut, miso and natto are some examples of fermented foods. These foods have been through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food, and creates beneficial enzymes, B-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin K2 and various strains of probiotics.
Natural fermentation of foods has also been shown to preserve nutrients in food and break the food down to a more digestible form and increase the beneficial bacteria in the gut. This, along with the probiotics created during the fermentation process, helps to improve digestion, overall gut health and immunity.
Beneficial bacteria in the gut are crucial to the fight against a variety of illnesses including cancer. In America a $173 million gut project showed that illness often follows a decline in the gut bacteria levels and diversity. This coincided with chronic inflammation as ´bad´ gut bacteria normally overwhelmed by the good guys were free to make their toxins.
Gut bacteria are now proven in research to direct a strong immune system and your immune memory, and digest foreign microbes, yeasts and candida every night while you sleep. They don´t just help release nourishment and essential cancer preventing and cancer fighting compounds from your food, but they generate certain compounds to prevent or beat cancer.
Some gut bacteria even produce short chain anti-inflammatory esters like sodium butyrate and this has been shown to cause cancer cells to self-destruct. But drugs and antibiotics kill them off reducing your natural ability to beat cancer. Multi-strained probiotics can at least replace some of the lost millions of your crucial little helpers. But don´t take huge doses. Research shows that is counter-productive. It is not the volume you need to focus on -- it's the diversity. Once you have a bacterial strain in your gut, the foods you consume can increase the numbers very quickly. One research study showed that your gut composition could change markedly within 24 hours.
Illnesses linked to problems with the gut bacteria include IBS, Crohn´s, colitis, diabetes, Alzheimer´s, heart problems, dementia, blood pressure, and even obesity. And, especially colorectal cancer where a lack of diversity has been shown to reduce the compounds that protect you from good bacteria, while microbes producing localized inflammatory compounds dominate.
As a supplement, everyone over 50 needs to consider taking a multi-strain probiotic daily and avoid the sort of things that disrupt the balance of natural intestinal flora.
Note: If you take a probiotic supplement, take it 30-40 minutes after a meal, to protect the bacteria from stomach acids. Always keep the probiotic in a refrigerator; and, only use a reputable manufacturer, with live strains that are genuinely probiotic.
Prebiotics: In addition, you can feed the good bacteria properly, with prebiotics like whole fibrous foods, such as chlorella. Together with the probiotic it provides excellent levels of vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and enzymes.
Prebiotics (pre-life) are non-digestible or fiber components of food. While these fibers would be useless to us without our friendly little helpers to break them down, they are essential life support systems for our good bacteria. Examples include chlorella and greens in general (from wheatgrass to chicory, cabbage, onions, leeks, asparagus); pumpkin, sunflower and other seeds; lignans in liquids like olive oil and aloe vera; fresh and dried fruits like apples, pears, bananas and apricots that contain pectins; and, herbs such as garlic, turmeric, echinacea, propolis, slippery elm bark, cat´s claw bark and liquorice.
Inulin (for example from chicory and onions) also promotes the growth of bifidobacteria in the gut. Several studies have shown that bifidobacteria increase short chain fatty acid (SCFA levels) in the gut from digestion-resistant fibre. SCFAs include butyrate, acetate and proprionate, which have been linked in research to lowered cancer levels and lowered blood cholesterol levels.Fish: Cold-water fish such as wild salmon provides omega-3 fatty acids, which act as an anti-inflammatory; strengthen healthy cellular structure, function, and communication; stimulate immune cells and function; support cancer prevention and may promote anti-cancer activity. Omega-3 fatty acids also promote brain and nervous system health.
Garlic: Phytochemicals in garlic have been found to halt the formation of nitrosamines, carcinogens formed in the stomach (and in the intestines, in certain conditions) when you consume nitrates, a common food preservative. Garlic, onions and leeks and other foods in the Allium Family enhance immune function and promote the death of cancer cells; and, help to remove carcinogenic substances such as nitrosamines and N-nitroso compounds that are created in overgrilled meat and during tobacco consumption. In addition, these foods provide sulfur compounds that help to penetrate the cell wall of cancer cells and promote the detoxification of carcinogen and cancer-promoting compounds
Ginger: Ginger, a cousin spice of the super anti-cancer substance turmeric, is known for its ability to shrink tumors. The anti-cancer properties were observed in addition to ginger’s role in reducing inflammation as well as being a rich source of life-enhancing antioxidants.
Grapefruit: These tart and tangy fruits in pink and red are particularly rich in the powerful antioxidants beta-carotene and lycopene. Studies show that the phytonutrients in grapefruit called limonoids may inhibit tumor formation, and the pulp in grapefruit contains compounds that may help prevent breast cancer.
Green Tea: With nearly 200 studies against various types of cancer over the past 10 years, the catechins in green tea are proving to be especially beneficial for cancer patients. The best amount of green tea includes 3 cups daily. You can consume it iced, as well as refrigerated then used in other types of food such as soups and rice.
Herbs and Spices: Various herbs and spices provide health benefits for fighting cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The key herbs/spices that fight cancer include turmeric, ginger, rosemary, thyme, and basil.
Kale: Kale is rich in many phytonutrients like carotenoid-based antioxidants and other sulfur-based compounds including indoles, which support natural liver detoxification processes and may help protect against DNA damage or inhibit tumor blood vessel formation.
Lemons: Lemons and other tart citrus fruits such as limes and grapefruit help to alkalize the body and reduce the body's level of acidity. Lemons contain high levels of Vitamin C, limonoid, limonene, citrus pectin and flavonol glycosides, which stop cell division in cancer cells, stimulate cancer-killing immune cells (lymphocytes) and break down cancer-causing substances. Grapefruit contains the flavonoid narigenin, which is believed to reduce the risk of some cancers.
Mushrooms: These mushrooms (Maitake, shiitake, enoki, crimini, portobello, and white button mushrooms) stimulate the reproduction and activity of immune cells such as natural killer cells and helps to suppress cancer metastasis. In addition, these foods enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy while reducing side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Mustard Seeds: Mustard seeds are surprisingly rich in phytonutrients called isothiocyanates, which have been extensively studied for their anti-cancer benefits. For example, a study published in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research in 2002 found that isothiocyanates can inhibit mitosis and stimulate apoptosis (cell death) in human tumor cells.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds (e.g. almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts; apricot seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and sunflower seeds) contain various phytonutrients that help fight illness and diseases such as cancer and diabetes. These phytonutrients include Omega-3 fats, ellagic acid, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, luteolin, isoflavones, tocotrienols and lignans. Many of these phtonutrients reduce inflammation, which fuels and triggers most cancers. Furthermore, the unsaturated fat in nuts and seeds reduces the risk of breast and other cancers.
Papaya Leaf Extract: Papaya has powerful anticancer properties and impact against numerous lab-grown tumors – and without the negative consequences of chemotherapy. The researchers used papaya leaf extract for the study conduction, with the anticancer effects being even stronger with a larger dose of the extract. What’s more, the extract can be taken for a long time without nasty side-effects.
Radishes: Not all cruciferous vegetables are dark, leafy greens. Radishes are root vegetables, but like their cruciferous relatives broccoli, cabbage, and kale, they have cancer-fighting properties.
Seaweed: Seaweed foods such as kelp, nori, kombu, wakame, arame, and dulse have some of the most incredible effects on cancer. It might be due to their high levels of iodine, which is hard to come by in foods grown by modern farming techniques. Studies show that women with breast and ovarian cancers have low levels of iodine in their blood.
Seaweed foods stimulate immune cells such as T-cells and natural killer cells and help to inhibit tumor growth. These foods help reduce the formation of new blood cells needed for cancer growth (angiogenesis) and also act as an anti-inflammatory to reduce inflammation, which fuels cancer and other systemic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Sea vegetables are also super rich in potassium and calcium, which make the body more alkaline. Cancer cannot exist in an alkaline environment.
Brown Seaweed (Modifilan, Laminaria) contains at least 3 nutrients that kill cancer cells: furanone, fucoidan, and alginic acid (aka alginate); good for breast cancer.
Selenium-rich Foods: Brazil nuts, tuna, sunflower seeds, oysters, Shiitake mushrooms, and vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, spinach) are vital to immune system function and help to keep your thyroid functioning properly. Selenium works in conjunction with vitamin E, vitamin C, glutathione and vitamin B3 as an antioxidant to prevent free radical damage in the body and may help prevent cancer by affecting oxidative stress, inflammation and DNA repair, especially breast cancer and prostate cancer. .
Herbal sources of selenium include burdock root, alfalfa, fenugreek, fennel seed, catnip, chamomile, garlic, cayenne, nettle, oat-straw, yarrow, peppermint, sarsaparilla, lemongrass, ginseng, hawthorn berry, rose hips and raspberry-leaf.
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes and yams are other foods that can be enjoyed year round. They are rich in phytonutrients called carotenoids, such as beta- and alpha-carotenes. Including even small but consistent amounts of carotenoid-rich foods may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. Other foods rich in carotenoids include carrots, acorn or butternut squash, and pumpkin.
Quinoa: Quinoa (keen-wah) is a great source of protein. It’s naturally gluten-free and often called an ancient grain because it’s been grown for thousands of years. Quinoa is actually a seed that can be ground into flour. It is considered a complete protein, which means that it contains all nine essential amino acids, just like meat. Quinoa is also rich in fiber and minerals like iron, magnesium and calcium plus phytonutrients like quercetin, an antioxidant that we just learned is also found in the skin of apples.
Tomatoes: This juicy fruit is the best dietary source of lycopene, a carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red hue. The lycopene is best absorbed when the tomato is cooked and includes a healthy fat like olive oil or avocado, packing more of a nutritional punch.
Turmeric: Among the most currently researched of cancer fighting foods, turmeric has repeatedly been shown to be an effective cancer-fighter and even block cancer growth. Previously found to reduce tumors by an astounding 81%, the naturally occurring compound found in turmeric, curcumin, exhibits numerous anti-cancer properties.
Walnuts: Their phytosterols (cholesterol-like molecules found in plants) have been shown to block estrogen receptors in breast cancer cells, possibly slowing the cells' growth, says Elaine Hardman, PhD, associate professor at Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, West Virginia.
Wheat Grass (And, other Super-Green Foods: Chlorella, Spirulina, Blue-Green Algae and Barley Greens): These chlorophyll-rich foods help nourish the blood by providing oxygen and chlorophyll for detox purposes. These super greens chelate and remove excess copper from the body, which may help inhibit angiogenesis.
Whey Protein: Whey protein helps to fight cancer because it helps our bodies increase our glutathione levels and it provides an easy-to-digest protein that helps the body rebuild and repair its cells due to the damage from the cancer.
Glutathione (GSH) is a small protein composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine. It is involved in detoxification of the liver and the body. Glutathione binds to toxins, such as heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides, and transforms them into a form that can be excreted in urine or bile. Glutathione is also an important antioxidant, counteracting the effects of free radicals produced in the body by oxidation reactions from cancer cells and other damaging functions such as cellular inflammation.
Glutathione, better known as the ‘master’ antioxidant, helps to neutralize free radicals inside our cells. Over 40,000 papers on its effects were published in 2010. Vitamin C and E depend on its presence to function fully. Glutathione is also an immune system booster that helps T-cells to function properly.
So, what is a high-quality whey product? Key attributes include use of pasture-fed cows or goats, easy-to-digest (medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)), cold-processed, rich in healthy fats such as CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), no GMOs and whey protein concentrate, not protein isolates.
In addition, a high-quality whey is free of toxic heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic) and is low glycemic, low carb and does not contain any artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohol, glycerin, fructose, sugar or gluten.
Other Foods
Some of the other foods that provide cancer-fighting benefits include almonds, anise, ashwagandha, basil, bee propolis, black pepper, boswellia, beta glucan, caraway, cardamom, chili pepper, cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, curcumin, fennel, fenugreek, figs, flaxseed, garlic, ginger, gooseberry, gruggul, Holy basil, honey (raw, manuaka), lemongrass, licorice, mace, mango, mint, mustard seed, nutmeg, onion, oregano, parsley, pecans, pomegranate, prunes, resveratrol, rosemary, saffron, sesame seeds, strawberries, and tamarind.
Note: For more details, refer to the post about the top 10 foods for fighting cancer.
Cooked Foods
Cooking vegetables destroys 100% of all enzymes in the vegetable. Because many foods contain the necessary enzymes needed to digest that food (and get the nutrients out of the food), cooked food places a great burden on our body and does not allow a person to get as many nutrients out of their food. Actually, cooking food does damage to the value of the food in over two dozen different ways.
Eating cooked food prevents the immune system from working on what is really important in keeping you superbly healthy and young in body, mind and soul. We exhaust and dissipate the body's strength by using the immune system to combat the unnatural cooked foods, chemically based supplements, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones (in meats, poultry, fish and dairy) and numerous other toxins we ingest, breathe in or absorb through our skin. When we really need the immune system to support us (as when a disease or infection develops or an injury occurs), it then lacks the strength to defend us properly.
While it may be true that some nutrients are made more readily available by cooking, overall, it is better to eat vegetables raw than cooked, boiled or broiled. Some foods, however, are generally cooked for safety reasons, such as peas and green beans.
A possible exception is if you have just completed chemotherapy/radiation, your immune system may be so weak that raw foods could be a problem because of the bacteria on the raw food. Make sure that the raw food is cleaned and washed very well with things like organic vinegar or organic food cleansers such as orange peel.
If eating raw just doesn't suit you, then, consider lightly steaming your vegetables with a steamer. But, make certain that the water does not touch the vegetables because this will leach the phytonutrents from the vegetables into the water! Also, make sure that you don't over steam the vegetables -- if the vegetable is limp or has lost its bright color, then, you steamed the vegetables too long.
Another option is to use a device such as a Vitamix or Blendtec to prepare and drink green smoothies as alternate way to get raw foods into your body.
Cooked Meat
A major problem with cooked meat is that it is high in protein content and zero in enzyme content (unless it is raw). It is also highly acidic.
Animal protein requires the enzyme trypsin to digest. The body can only produce so much trypsin. If all the trypsin is being used to digest animal protein, then little or none is left to break down the protein lining on cancer cells, and the cells start to flourish and multiply because leukocytes (white blood cells) cannot kill them.
We have destroyed the natural enzymes in the meat by cooking it, and we deprive the body of its precious trypsin supply by ingesting the meat. Now you can see why a diet high in cooked animal protein is carcinogenic.
Note 1: Trypsin and chymotrypsin are defensive enzymes, not digestive enzymes. Their job is to defend us against cancer cells by killing the cancer cells (before they can flourish). But, they are being conscripted to digest animal proteins.
Note 2: Trypsin helps to break down large protein molecules (chains of amino acids) by cutting protein chains at specific sites. The specific site along the protein chain where trypsin is active are those with the amino acids lysine and arginine, two of the smaller amino acids.
Note 3: The enzyme chymotrypsin also cuts the larger protein chain but at different sites from where trypsin cuts. Chymotrypsin makes its cut at positions along the protein chain that contain very large amino acids such as phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. Otherwise, it is very similar to trypsin.
Fats That Heal vs. Fats That Kill: Good Fats vs. Bad Fats
Believe it or not, fat is good for you! -- as long as you eat the right fats. Good fats help your cells be more permeable and able to better absorb oxygen (and cancer cells hate oxygen).
The good fats include:
-- Monounsaturated fat, e.g. extra virgin olive oil
-- Polyunsaturated fat: Omega-3 EFA, e.g. wild salmon, sardines
-- Polyunsaturated fat: Omega-6 EFA, e.g. gamma linolenic acid (GLA), evening primrose oil (EPO)
-- Saturated fats, e.g. extra virgin coconut oil; raw milk, raw butter; free-range chicken, turkey, bison
The bad fats include:
-- Polyunsaturated fat: vegetable oils, e.g. corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil; also canola oil
-- Saturated fats, e.g. conventional animal meats, processed meats; dairy (milk, cheese)
-- Trans fats, e.g. fried foods, processed meats, margarine
Note: Don’t believe the “No trans fat” labels on margarines and other processed foods -- a certain amount per portion size is legally allowed without mentioning it on the label.
Every one of our 100 trillion cells is surrounded by a membrane. This cell membrane is composed of half protein and half fat. The fat component is composed of Omega-6, Omega-3, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids. One major function of the Omega-3 fats is to help the cells absorb oxygen. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) work like tiny magnets drawing oxygen into all cells, tissues and organs.
FYI: Did you know that there is monounsaturated fat in chicken and turkey?
Glucose Concern
A major concern with any diet is glucose. Most processed foods contain a lot of glucose. Even, carrots have a high level of glucose. This glucose is readily taken in by cancer cells. So, you may be wondering -- what difference does it make what I eat if both the processed foods and the healthy foods such as carrots contain glucose?
Well, you see, when the glucose is taken in so are the nutrients in the carrots, etc. that kill cancer cells! So, although you are feeding glucose to the cancer cells, you are also feeding cancer-killing nutrients (kind of like a "Trojan horse" to the cancer cells). So, eating foods such as carrots are okay because the cancer-fighting nutrients far out way the glucose problem.
In other words, do not consume vegetables or fruits, or any other food which is high in glucose, unless they are cancer-killing foods.
Mixing foods that contain high levels of glucose, but do not kill cancer cells, dilutes the amount of cancer-killing nutrients that get into the cancer cells, making the treatment a lot less effective!!
Meal Planning
The key to meal planning is to keep it simple and to include a diversity of the aforementioned foods while avoiding the refined and processed foods that fuel cancer.
Even if you're following a specific cancer diet protocol, in most cases, your meal plate should be dominated with whole foods of mostly raw or lightly-steamed vegetables, along with some raw juices and green smoothies, raw fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and plant oils -- based on your specific health needs and food preferences.
In general, here is an example of what your meal plate should look like:
The Importance of the Liver and Kidneys
The liver and kidneys are critical to your health because they filter the toxins and other chemicals from your blood. One or both of these organs may be damaged from the cancer and/or the chemotherapy/radiation treatments.
As a result, it may be necessary to perform a liver and a kidney detox as well as a colon detox. However, it is imperative that you work with your doctor and a qualified licensed alternative healthcare practitioner to ensure there is no conflict with the drugs you may be taking. In addition, it is imperative that the cleansing/detox products are organic and preferably in tincture form to improve absorption.
According to Dr. Max Gerson, and others, even before the symptoms of cancer appear, the liver is damaged. As the cancer progresses, the damage to the liver also progresses.
The liver is the major organ in the body which deals with toxins. A person on an alternative cancer treatment releases a lot of toxins into the blood stream which end up in the liver. Because of this, the liver must be “detoxified” or “cleansed.”
There are some alternative treatments that contain liver detoxification elements in the treatment itself. The grape cure, Essiac Tea, barley greens, and others, cleanse the liver along with the treatment.
There are also herbs such as milk thistle that stimulate or detoxify the liver. However, make certain that the product is pure and not synthetic.
Several alternative cancer treatments specifically deal with the liver by using enemas. Coffee enemas are by far the most common and are part of the Kelley metabolic plan, the Gerson diet, the Hulda Clark treatment, and others. Coffee enemas are said to open the bile duct of the liver so that it quickly sends material into the colon for elimination.
The bottom line is that in designing a treatment plan, the care of cleaning the liver is critical. If the toxins in the liver build up and are not removed, it can cause the death of the liver, which means the death of the patient.
The liver (among its many other functions) is the major organ of detoxification. Anything we can do to ease our toxic burden makes the liver’s job easier – including eating less, drinking more water, reducing our intake of toxins, exercising more, eating more fiber, and so on. There are also a number of herbs that help the liver with its detoxification tasks. These include dandelion root, yellow dock, burdock, chickweed and barberry – which are more effective when taken in combination.
Another thing that will ease the burden on the liver is the lymph system. The lymph system also helps remove toxins from the blood, but the lymph system does not have a “pump,” such as the circulatory system has (the “pump” of the circulatory system is the heart). The lymph system is only pumped by exercise -- that is one of the reasons why exercise is so important.
Like the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system is made up of channels or vessels, valves and filters (nodes). Unlike the bloodstream system, however, there is no pump like the heart. Instead, the lymphatic fluid is forced through the system by the action of the muscles and breathing.
The lymphatic system is critical to the immunity system, to the treatment of cancer and to taking a burden off of the liver. Many cancer patients, for a variety of reasons, are in no condition to go for long walks, jog, or do other types of exercise. However, the good news is that the arm muscles are just as good, and perhaps better, at pumping the lymphatic system as are the legs. Thus, lifting hand weights can accomplish much in helping the lymphatic system.
Please Note!: However, prior to cleansing the liver of toxins, the colon must be cleansed first so that the toxins can be dumped into the colon!! This means that at the beginning of any alternative cancer treatment, there must be a colon cleanse.
Note: For more information about cancer diets, refer to Amazon or one of the many cancer alternative treatment websites. Also, refer to our blog posts about the top 10 cancer-fighting foods, nutritional supplements and the top 10 foods that cause cancer.
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