How to Prevent Skin Cancer with Food (and Enjoy it too!)

IN THIS POST: 

• • Specific Foods to Prevent DNA damage to Skin
  • The Nutrients that Prevent Cancer
  • Delicious Salad Recipe to Keep Skin Healthy

I USED TO RELISH getting brown in the sun when I was a kid, through my late teens. In junior high school my friends and I would lie down beside my friend Susan’s pool, acting like little movie stars. She had a beautiful house with sliding doors that opened onto the patio and this grand brick-lined pool with lounge chairs. Sometimes we had the place to ourselves so we soaked up the sun like pros.We slathered Bain de Soleil oil on our faces and bodies because it smelled so good; now it smells like summer to me if I can ever find an old tube of it.

That was before we all knew as a culture that the sun isn’t great for skin and can lead to aging and skin cancer if we overdo it. There was no talk of SPF. Sun protection factor? It was more like Sun Progress Factor. Whatever we put on our skin was intended to help us soak up more rays so we could get darker sooner.

There are good ways to protect our skin from the sun today: antioxidant toner or serum underneath a chemical or physical sunblock, glasses, and hat.

The other very effective way to prevent DNA damage that leads to aging and skin cancer, is to eat foods that contain phytochemicals, antioxidants that have been proven to protect cells and even reverse some cancers. There is such an abundance of actual proof that plant foods prevent and even fight cancer cells that I’m amazed it isn’t an obsession with people.

I guess we are so busy that it just seems exhausting to worry about what we eat all the time. I like to cook (most of the time) and if I don’t feel like cooking I’m aware of what to buy while I’m out and what not to buy. This article points to skin cancer but the research shows that cancers of all varieties are halted with the right diet.

I will go into details about specific foods to include in your diet, but the basics are to avoid anything processed and eat as many whole foods as possible. I’m vegetarian so I don’t eat any mammals or birds (the easiest way to explain my diet) but I still very occasionally have a pasture-raised egg or shellfish that’s not farmed.

Animal foods, however, are not the anti-cancer foods. Grilling meat does the opposite of discourage cancer; it actually creates carcinogens. I don’t know of a plant food that doesn’t contain some protective quality (food is the operative word here because there are poisonous plants too of course). Nature is indeed our healer. This analysis of recent reports speaks to a reduced incidence of cancer amongst vegetarians.

VEGETABLES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR DIET:
Cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower. These vegetables contain a plant chemical called Sulforaphane that stops cancer cells in its track. It is best to eat these raw or lightly steamed to preserve the chemical. You can hear all about sulforaphane in this video from Dr. Rhonda Patrick.

It is easy to get broccoli crowns and simply chop them up and put them in a salad. This goes for cabbage as well, and even the brussels sprouts.

Orange/Red Vegetables: carrots, squash, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and yams. These contain vitamin A which also has cancer-fighting qualities. Vitamin A is best absorbed when it is cooked so make a soup or steam them. Pop a yam in the oven or microwave and top with olive or flax oil, even a little maple syrup and enjoy. Tomatoes contain Lycopene, a carotenoid which blocks UV rays and provides natural sun protection.  Eat tomatoes cooked with some oil for best absorption of the lycopene.

Leafy Greens: Arugula and spinach are my favorites but mustard greens are also very healthy as are beet greens and dandelions. They sell a lot of pre-washed greens so there’s no excuse not to just throw them in a bowl, add those chopped cruciferous veggies and some sunflower seeds and have yourself a good dose of medicine (oh and don’t forget the garlic and onion.)

FRUITS:
For cell-protective vitamin C, eat plenty of fruit, including berries, kiwi, watermelon, and citrus fruits. Kiwi has the highest C content. Berries are especially good because they have high quantities of phytochemicals that they develop to protect themselves from the elements as they’re growing. Watermelon, like tomatoes, contains Lycopene which protects against Ultraviolet radiation.

NUTS AND SEEDS:
In addition to Phytochemicals, nuts and seeds contain high amounts of protein, healthy omega 3 fats, and vitamins. Sunflower seeds have Vitamin E. Brazil nuts have selenium and zinc. Walnuts are high in Omega 3, which thins the blood and keeps skin soft.
The key with nuts and seeds is to eat them RAW. Roasting them destroys the healthy fats.

WHOLE GRAINS:
Yes grains also contain phytochemicals which will keep cells healthy. Choose unrefined quinoa, brown and wild rice, buckwheat (not related to wheat) and bulgur wheat. Make sure the grains you choose are non-GMO and organic. You can buy whole grains in easy packets that cook up in 3 minutes however buy only those packaged in paper, not in plastic.

Make a pot of rice while you’re cooking something else then heat it up the next day and top it with olive oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, raw garlic and some Braggs’ liquid aminos or soy sauce. Just a half clove of raw garlic a day increases natural killer cells and hey it’s delicious too. A friend of mine from Argentina likes to eat her rice with an egg on top. Eating healthfully doesn’t have to be hard. Putting this together takes 10 minutes once your rice is cooked.

GREEN TEA:
Green tea is a proven cancer blocker. Scientific studies continue to  prove the power of green tea. Black tea is also healthy but doesn’t have as much antioxidant content as green tea. Green tea protects DNA from cell damage and aids in rebuilding already-damaged DNA. That’s a pretty big claim and it’s backed by science. 

The only caveat here is IF you are wanting to derive as much Iron from your food as possible. If that’s the case, then don’t eat your leafy greens with your tea. Separate the two. Tea has catechins which block absorption of iron. Problem solved by consuming them separately. I drink green throughout the day but choose a different beverage, like an herbal tea, while I’m eating a salad.

HERBAL TEA
Herbs not only enhance the taste of food but they’ll keep the DNA destroyers away as well. Scientists in a 1995 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, write about the protective effects of basil, parsley, and rosemary.

The report showed that these herbs, particularly when joined with unheated olive oil, are protective against colon cancer. Fresh herbs are part of the Mediterranean diet and women in the Mediterranean countries have a lower incidence of and mortality from breast cancer than those in North America or Northern Europe.

You can drink your herbs as well, and find those herbals teas in almost any grocery store. Choose organic teas and make them strong for the most benefit. Mint, turmeric, jasmine, and parsley make potent free-radical-fighting teas.

• BOTTOM LINE ON PREVENTING CANCER WITH FOOD:
  Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, herbs and tea.Avoid packaged and processed foods.Keep the phytonutrients circulating in your blood throughout the day by drinking green, black, or herbal teas with potent cancer-fighters like turmeric, mint, or hibiscus.

SALAD RECIPE FOR CANCER PREVENTION
Don’t make this too complicated.
Buy the packaged, pre-washed greens if you don’t have time to rinse and chop. (Recycle the plastic if possible and hopefully one day everything will be packed in biodegradable bags.)
Broccoli and cauliflower are easily rinsed and chopped.
Keep the dressing simple: high-quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar and something like a soy sauce or liquid aminos for salt.
If this is a meal salad, add beans like garbanzos or kidneys. If you’re very hungry add a carb like some pasta or whole grain like quinoa.

Ingredients:
2 handfuls of greens
1 cup of chopped broccoli or cauliflower

1 cup garbanzo beans
1 cup shredded cabbage

1 handful of sunflower seeds or walnuts
1 chopped raw garlic clove
1 handful of blueberries1/4 onion, chopped

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and eat heartily. Feel renewed and protected by the healthful, delicious plant foods. If you’re relaxing in the sun beside a brick-lined pool, remember to drink your iced tea.

Do you eat a variety of plant foods?  Comment in the Comments Section below.

For more on eating to prevent disease, see my post Does Saturated Fat Cause High Cholesterol and Does High Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?