Eat Right And Prevent Cancer

By Meluse Kapatamoyo

Though the human body is susceptible to over 200 different types of cancer, diet alone is said to be responsible for causing one to two thirds of all cancers.

The human body has four main cancer fighting systems in place, and these also help prevent a recurrence.

Professor Parham

 Professor Groesbeck Parham MD, of the African Center of Excellence for Women’s Cancer Control says "the human body can help prevent a lot of these cancers if we would change our diets."

The liver which is the detoxifying organ in the body, is responsible for removing all toxins from the blood stream. The liver also makes bile, a substance that modifies fat so it can be absorbed and turned into secondary bile acids that promote cancer by bacteria.

“What determines the type of bacteria in your intestines is what you eat. If you eat, grains, fruits, beans, legumes, you will have healthy bacteria. If you eat a lot of red meat, you have harmful bacteria,” says Professor Parham.

One of the food components that help the waste disposal system is fibre.  It increases the speed at which food that is eaten exits the body. It also ushers out the toxins and transform bacteria from harmful to a healthy ones.

Fibre is found in grains, oatmeal, fruits, beans and legumes.

Professor Parham explains that "fibre is not in any animal product (as can be seen from above examples). It is in products that grow in the ground.  And if you want to keep your intestine healthy and keep your waste disposal working well, you have to put a lot of fibre in your body everyday.”

It goes without saying much that animal products such as chicken, beef, pork, cheese all harm the waste disposal system because they have no fibre. However, dark, lean leafy vegetables are full of antioxidants that help prevent cancer. Examples of such vegetables are tomatoes, guava, watermelons, carrots, mangoes, papaya, sweet potatoes, oranges, tangerines, lemons, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, broccoli, lime.

“Zambia has some of the greatest green leafy vegetables. You eat the roots plus you eat the top. You can eat the green tops of beans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes. That is the smartest thing I have ever seen in a diet,” notes Professor Parham.

Cooked animal productions, especially meats, harm the antioxidants in the human body. Present in all meats are amino acids called Creatine. This is present in all meats including fish, when grilled, fried or boiled at high temperatures; it makes Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), a cancer causing agent. HCA increases the risk of breast and colon cancer.

The longer the meat is cooked, the higher the levels of HCA. If meat is boiled or grilled over hot flame, it produces another toxic agent called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). The more intense the heat, the higher the level of PAH which increases the risk of stomach cancers.

Fortunately, foods such as squash, kale, spinach, turmeric, garlic and onions all stimulate the immune system which is responsible for destroying foreign invaders such as viruses, cancer cells and carcigeons.

Turmeric

Turmeric is said to be one of the world’s most powerful stimulants known to man.

Most harmful to the immune system is fat. While there are two kinds of fat, vegetable and animal fats, neither one is good, but vegetable fat which has Omega3 found in Canola, Olive and Flax seed oil is said to be better. The worst fat comes from meat, which has Omega 6 (like butter), it slows down the immune system and does not respond just as fast.

The detoxification system consists of the liver, the colon, the skin and the lungs. The liver has a system of enzymes that detoxify cancer causing substances and make it more water soluble and are excreted through urination, sweating, breathing, and defecation.

Enzymes can be stimulated to work better by eating foods such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussel sprours, Oranges, Tangerines, and Turmeric.

Professor Parham advises that "the bottom line is eat intelligently, when you go to the stores, buy something yellow, green, red, orange, pink, and not something brown. Eat like your grandparents used to eat in the village. And try and eliminate animal products.

“If you are going to drink milk, try and drink soy milk. Cow’s milk has a protein in it called whey, one of the worst proteins you can put in your body," concluded Pro. Parham.PYM