We’re exposed to multiple carcinogenic agents on a daily basis. Whether it’s from the air we breathe, food we eat, or products we use, cancer-causing substances build up in the body until one day, it becomes our reality. However, including anti-cancer foods in your diet can prevent this from happening.

Food Choices and Cancer

The right food choices will greatly increase the odds of beating and preventing cancer. If all you’ve ever known is to eat fried, pre-packaged, processed, and refined foods, your body will harbor more viruses, bacteria, fungi, and yeast. The chemicals in these foods might trigger DNA mutations that lead to cancer formation. We should also keep in mind that these types of foods create an acidic state in the body, an environment where cancer thrives.

A bad diet will destroy almost any alternative cancer treatment, too. Many scientific studies have shown that a poor diet alone can cause cancer (1). Research has shown that poor diet and not being active are 2 key factors that can increase a person’s cancer risk.

For example, about 30 prospective studies of colorectal cancer (the third most diagnosed cancer in men) found that eating 50 grams a day of processed meat (about 2 ounces) is associated with a 20% increase in colorectal cancer risk. This is likely due to the added nitrates in processed meat and heme iron, both of which have been linked with increased cancer risk (2).

Modifying your diet can also keep your weight under control, which offers even more protection against cancer. A 2014 study in The Lancet found that a higher body mass index increases the risk of developing some of the most common cancers. They discovered that among 5 million people studied, a gain of 34 pounds was linked with a 10% or higher risk for colon, gallbladder, kidney, and liver cancers (3). Why? According to experts, body fat produces hormones and inflammatory proteins that can promote tumor cell growth.