When it comes to cancer prevention, superfoods are your best friends.
Nutritionists recommend five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, as well as eating the right amount of food to stay at a healthy weight.
For cancer, an anti-cancer diet is an “important strategy to reduce your risk of cancer,” says wellness and nutrition expert Hauwa Huru.
It is something called a Genesis 1:29 diet.
That is natural and plant-based foods,” explains Huru.
“Plant based because we get it organically grown. We are selective when we feed cancer patients. We also supplement because they may not get all the nutrients from those plants. We use a well-structured and supplementation strategy.”
It is a ratio: 70% plant-based foods and 30% all others.
The result is wonderful, so long as you are diligent enough to go through it, says Huru.
It begins with the less, the better. Nutritionists call it eliminating unnecessary foods from your diet.
“There are a lot of food that we have advised that people eliminate from their diet. Not just because they have cancer but to prevent it,” says nutritionist Jackie Ikeotuonye.
“Like processed foods, hydrogenated oils in form of these groundnut oil. A lot of them contain high level of Omega-6 fatty oil because of the way they are processed. There is nothing wrong with them but because of the way they are processed.
“We advise people to cut down on the red meat they consume. A lot of meat you see these days have undergone one form of genetic modification or the other. Same with eggs the chickens are raised under a lot of chemicals condition with a lot of antibiotics, so if you get someone with organic poultry, you are safe.”
Huru has more. “For instance, you can eat salad, blend your fruits and vegetable, even things like acha, breadfruit (ukwa) unripe plantain. We have vegetables like cabbage. “Moringa has high level of anti-inflammatory properties and they are antioxidants. When you consume foods with high anti-inflammatory properties, you are already protecting yourself from all forms of ailments. So, one of the things you should incorporate in your diet, is turmeric, moringa, avocado, tiger nut and more.”
She continues: “Your avocado and tiger nuts is great. A quarter of avocado and tiger nut flour or milk is good. Pour one table spoon of tiger nuts in your blender, add any tropical fruits, you are already taking a super food that is high antioxidant and a meal that has anti-inflammatory properties. If you are taking turmeric, apart from the fact that it treats cancer, it prevents it. Let’s prevent it. Sugar is a no, no,” she said.
