3 Juicy Fruits that Lower Your Chances for Cancer
Sweet, juicy fruits are plentiful in the summer, but three, in particular, can help protect you from life-threatening cancer.
Watermelon: two cancer fighters in one sweet package.
Watermelon is the biggest, cheapest fruit you’re not eating but should be. It’s low in calories, high in nutrients, and has at least one cancer fighter you might not know about. Here’s the proof.
Devour a cup of juicy watermelon chunks, and you’re only consuming 40 calories. Yet you’re getting vitamins A and C, potassium, choline, vitamin B6, and promising anti-cancer compounds like lycopene and cucurbitacin-E.
You already know lycopene in tomatoes may lower your odds of cancer, but did you know you absorb even more lycopene from raw watermelon than from raw tomatoes? Just make sure your melon is fully red and ripe so you reap all the lycopene the melon has to offer.
Scientists believe lycopene doesn’t work alone. The watermelon compound cucurbitacin-E may also help squelch cancer, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers.
Black raspberries unleash anti-tumor defenses.
Eating black raspberries every day may lower your colon cancer risk. As cancer begins in the colon, it turns off tumor-fighting genes. But a recent study found that eating black raspberries may help turn these genes back on. Unfortunately, black raspberries are only available part of the year, and research suggests you may need to eat them longer for the best results.
Fortunately, scientists devised a way to preserve the cancer- fighting nutrients — freeze dry the berries, grind them into a powder, and use the powder to make candy. But don’t be fooled. This candy may be packed with enough cancer-fighting compounds to equal nearly a cup of fresh berries. Scientists hope to have the candy in stores soon. Meanwhile, watch for black raspberries in your favorite produce section.
Peach polyphenols sabotage cancer.
Compounds in peaches may kill cancer cells without harming normal cells, scientists say. And new animal research suggests eating peaches may help keep cancer from spreading. Just two or three peaches a day may be enough to make a real difference.
You can lower your cancer risk even more by turning to page 74 in Grandma’s Miracle Food Fixes and learning the 6 cancer causing foods you should NEVER eat!
- FC&A Staff Writer
