Many health and fitness magazines, blogs and articles talk
about the power of cancer fighting foods or superfoods to fight cancer. This gives people living through this disease
and their families an alternative cancer treatment to win against this dreadful
foe. Moreover, a growing number of
medical professionals and cancer research groups advocate the use of these
superfoods to fight cancer. However,
there is a side to this claim that remains in the shadows. Free your mind from the common misconceptions
and give light to what is the real score when it comes to cancer-fighting
foods.
Superfoods in a nutshell
Superfoods are ordinary foods that have the power to
fight or stop cancer. These cancer fighting
foods have certain chemicals present that help fight and even ward off
cancer. What is important to understand
is that these are not genetically altered foods. They are run of the mill, buy-at-the-grocery
types of food. This is why the appeal of
superfoods to battle cancer is so high.
What you do not know
However, because of the immense influence of the internet
on the daily lives of people, the hype on these cancer fighting superfoods has
been blown out of proportion. Of course,
eating healthy foods has its merits when going head to head with cancer. But before you make a drastic lifestyle
change based on what you read about these cancer fighting foods, it would be
prudent to go over some information that are rarely highlighted about these cancer
treatment superfoods.
Concentrated amount of the superfood’s chemicals
Many foods especially fruits have ant-oxidants n
them. Also, some chemicals present are
showing positive strides towards fighting cancer. However, it is important to understand that
in cancer research tests; these chemicals are isolated and are in high
concentrations. What you get from its
naturally occurring counterpart does not come close to what the laboratory amounts
are used to test its ant-cancer properties.
Although reports may say that a particular chemical found
in a plant or fruit is doing wonders for patients, it does not mean that the fruit
or plant has enough of it in the right dose.
Other substances in the fruit may interfere with the chemicals
In addition to the concentration concerns of these
special chemicals, fruits and vegetables seen as superfoods have other
substances in them. This means, these
chemicals may interfere with the performance of the cancer-fighting compounds. What many cancer research laboratories are
doing is to isolate these chemicals to determine its potency. However, it may not have the same effect when
it is taken from naturally occurring fruits or vegetables.
Laboratory tests
In addition, laboratory tests are done in controlled
environments. This is a stark contrast
to what you may do at home. We normally
do not eat fruits and vegetables in beakers or graduated cylinders. We simply munch on them and enjoy. The rigorous standards in cancer research
labs are way too stringent for the common home to follow. Plus, I do not think homes have centrifuges
to isolate these compounds before eating them.
Food preparation
Another area of exploration is the food preparation techniques
used on these cancer fighting foods. The
cooking method may alter the compounds that fight cancer. Oxidation of fruits, heat, combination with
other substances, temperature changes and the way they are handled can affect
the substances that fight cancer.
In retrospect
I recognize the power of nature to provide for our health
and fitness. With the aid of science and
technology, we begin to unravel its secrets.
However, many blindly follow what others do in a bid to become healthy
and fight cancer. Some even go to
drastic measures as to undergo modified eating habits and lifestyle change
based on hype. If this is done without
ample information it can become counter-productive – or even deadly.
Enjoy the superfoods after all healthy foods are always a
good choice. However, never forget the
limitation that they have. Moreover, take
precautions when trying out new cancer diets, alternative cancer treatments or
just chancing your food choices.
The fight against cancer is being fought at different
fronts. One critical battlefield is
disseminating the right information to cancer patients, their family and
practically the whole world. Be informed
and you can fight cancer better.
If you have a related link on health and fitness or cancer treatment, share it here.
image by Strecosa CC-0 via Pixabay
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