Food Therapy: Implementing a Nourishing Diet
Understanding the energetic action and medicinal properties of food is a starting point to implementing a nourishing diet. It is also important to understand what works best for each individual. This is crucial for people dealing with a chronic disease such as cancer, as their digestive systems are often compromised.
Thus, improving your body’s ability to absorb nutrients is critical to the healing process. This may require preparing easy-to-digest quality food that is soft, low fat and mild tasting. The basic foundation for health and healing is to incorporate into your daily diet foods that help:
- Boost the immune system’s capacity to fight disease
- Reduce inflammation and pain
- Strengthen the liver’s detoxifying ability
- Increase the amount of beneficial intestinal flora, which helps your body absorb nutrients
- Regulate blood sugar levels
- Prevent or minimize tumor growths
In our quest to heal ourselves, we can use food as one of our tools. However it is important to keep in mind that food does not heal us, but rather it allows our body to heal itself. This process may take time, and time will vary for each individual. For some, positive changes may come within weeks, for others it may take months and even years.
Our food recommendations below are certainly not exhaustive, but should serve as a basic foundation.
Vegetables
In general, vegetables are essential to keeping us healthy or to enhance healing. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. The best sources of antioxidants and phytochemicals are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.
Orange Vegetables
(Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes)
These vegetables rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene are brightly colored – orange, red, yellow, green – and can help to reduce accumulations (build up) in the body and inhibit the development of certain types of cancers.
Cruciferous Vegetables
(Cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower)
These vegetables have been endorsed by the National Cancer Institute for cancer prevention, as they have anti-cancer and antioxidant properties. They are also thought to stimulate a sluggish liver. These vegetables can be pickled, a process of fermentation that promotes better absorption of its nutrients. (Example: cabbage in sauerkraut).
Beets
Both the greens and the bulb have a cleansing effect on the liver and blood. Beets are also valued for their ability to strengthen the heart, calm the spirit and for their lubricating properties, thus, excellent for dealing with constipation. (NOTE: Beet juice is very concentrated, so it is a good idea to mix it with other juice, such as carrot, in a 1:3 ratio.)
Mushrooms
(Especially shiitake, maitake)
Mushrooms are thought to stimulate the immune system, and can thus prevent developing degenerative conditions such as cancer.
Onion Family
(Onions, leeks, shallots, and chives)
These vegetables are valued for their medicinal properties, as they act as a natural anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibiotic. Rich in the phytochemical quercetin, they are also a strong antioxidant.
Garlic
When garlic is crushed, the nutrient allicin, an antiviral, antibiotic, antifungal and anti-yeast compound is released. It is best to consume garlic raw, and it can be added to dressings for great flavor. You can also sauté it in a bit of olive oil and add it to vegetables. (NOTE: Olive oil can only be used for low-temperature cooking.)
Radishes
Radishes (red, white, black, daikon) have cleansing properties, and are great for eliminating the mucus residues of animal products (beef, chicken, etc) that may contribute to tumor growth.
Asparagus
Asparagus is considered one of the foods highest in glutathione, an important antioxidant which can inhibit cancer.
Ginger
Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It inhibits the creation of blood vessels, which tumors need to grow. Ginger is also helpful in alleviating nausea.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain both Vitamin C and E, and are also a good source of the antioxidant lycopene.
Herbs and Spices
(Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, mint, parsley, celery seed, and other aromatic leaves)
(Spices: cinnamon, turmeric, curry, ginger, cumin, coriander, fennel, bark and other seeds)
Herbs and spices are thought to help kill cancer cells and reduce their spread.
Seaweed
(Nori, kombu, kelp, wakame, arame and dulse)
Seaweed stimulates the immune system, and is effective against inflammation. Seaweed is also a great flavor enhancer, and can be added to soups and salads. When Kombu is added to beans, it shortens their cooking time and makes them more digestible.
Beans
(Chickpeas, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, red beans, split peas, and lentils)
Beans contain the phytochemicals diosgenin, which appears to inhibit cancer cells from multiplying. Beans are high in protein and can be a great replacement for meats and dairy. (NOTE: We recommend soaking beans before cooking to help with the digestive process.)
Sprouts
(Mung bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, chickpea sprouts, broccoli and cabbage sprouts, clover sprouts, radish sprouts, soybean sprouts).
Sprouts are considered a superfood, because their nutrients are easily available to our bodies and are easily digested. The sprouting process pre-digests the nutrients of the seeds, making it easier for our body to assimilate. The sprouted seed, say of a sprouted mung bean, may be easier to digest for people who have a hard time digesting beans.
Fruit
Fruit can be even more cleansing than vegetables, and they have traditionally been recommended to treat cancer. Ideally, fruit should be consumed by itself. Preferably, fruit juices should be consumed in the morning and vegetable juices in the afternoon and evening. If a carbohydrate-heavy meal is eaten, try to drink juice at least one hour before, or three hours after your meal.
Apples
Apples contain malic and tartaric acid, which prevent fermentation in the stomach, making them an easy food to digest. Apples are especially recommended, as they help eliminate mucus from the body.
Berries
(Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries).
Berries stimulate the elimination of toxins. Raspberries contain ellagic acid, which has been proven to slow the growth of blood vessels, which tumors need to grow. Cherries contain glucaric acid, a substance that helps the body eliminate cancer-promoting xenoestrogens, which come from environmental chemicals.
Papaya
Papaya contains the enzyme papain, which helps facilitate digestion. Papaya also helps the body produce glutathione, an important antioxidant.
Grains
Whole grains are rich in fiber, which carries toxins out of the body and eliminates waste. Because of their ability to stabilize blood sugar, eating whole grains can reduce cravings for sweet and fatty food.
Oats
Oats are highly recommended because they are high in fiber content, which helps eliminate mucus and carry toxins out of the body. Oats give stamina and warmth to the body. They soothe the nervous and digestive system, thus improving resistance to stress and promoting a healthy state of balance. (NOTE: Try making oat water or a thin porridge to soothe an overly sensitive digestive tract.)
Brown rice
Brown rice is considered a strengthening food. It increases energy, promotes digestion, helps relieve mental depression, and calms diarrhea.
Barley
In Chinese Medicine, barley is used to reduce tumors. In general, it helps with digestion and can calm diarrhea. It can be used in soups, barley water or a thin porridge.
Quinoa and Amaranth
These are great to help eliminate excess mucus. Quinoa is rich in good fat and high in protein content.
Millet and Kasha
(Roasted buckwheat)
Millet is easily digestible. Kasha, which is used as a grain but is technically not a grain, contains no gluten, and is low in acid-forming compounds. Cancer often results from over consumption of acid forming foods, thus consumption of these grains are recommended. (The typical American diet is far too high in acid-producing animal products like bread, desserts, pasta, meat and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables and fruits.)
Natural Sweeteners
Sugar, while providing us with instant energy, is not a nutrient, and thus is not recommended. Cancer cells feed on sugar. These days however, a tendency to over-consume sugar is very common. This may come from the fact that sugar is found in practically all commercial foods, even soups and ketchup. Carbohydrates from starch are absorbed slowly, and maintain steady energy. When we consume sugar alone, without the other essential nutrients, a sequence of imbalances begins to unfold. In principle, try to avoid sugar, and favor natural sweeteners such as fruit juice, raw honey, maple syrup, barley malt and rice syrup, but use them in moderation; over-consumption of any kind of sweetener can cause growths to spread.
Animal products
(Fish, organic lean meat, organic eggs, organic dairy)
The recommended diet for cancer patients is primarily plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, good quality oils, herbs and spices). Animal protein is optional. If chosen, it should not represent the main ingredient in the plate, but rather used as a condiment. If you choose to eat animal protein, choose the best quality you can, and consume it sparingly.
Sources
Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA, 2000
Anti Cancer, David Servan Schreiber, MD, PhD, Penguin Group, New York, NY 2008
Whole Foods Encyclopedia, Rebecca Wood, Penguin Group, 1999
Food and Healing, Annemarie Colbin, Ballantine Books, New York , 1996