By now, most of us have heard that eating lots of blueberries and cranberries can help reduce the risk of cancer – but what else can the health-conscious eater load onto their plate to lower their risk of developing malignant tumors? Here are a few super foods and a couple of herbs that you might not have known can help protect you from cancer.
Watermelon
Everybody loves this refreshing fruit, reminiscent of poolside summer afternoons. Just one serving of watermelon delivers almost a full daily recommended dose of Vitamin C, contains cancer-fighting lycopene, and may lower the risk of lung, esophageal, and colon cancer.
Pistachios
These hard-to-crack but tasty nuts pack a huge punch when it comes to gamma-tocopherol. This type of vitamin E has been shown to lower cancer risk, especially lung cancer.
Turmeric
This seasoning isn’t used too frequently in American cooking, but it’s one that you should consider adding to spicy dishes. Researchers at UCLA recently discovered that turmeric has huge powers when it comes to blocking tumor growth, and can reduce the size of extant tumors by over 80%.
Echinacea
Long-known for its cold-fighting properties among followers of holistic medicine, this herb has recently shown to help fight both tumors and leukemia. Better yet – for those already fighting cancer, Echinacea can be used to help preserve white blood cells while undergoing chemotherapy.