Cancer Fighting Foods: Featuring the Apple!

There is not a single food or individual food component that by itself can protect you against cancer. However there is strong evidence that does show that consuming a variety of plant foods in your diet daily such as beans, fruits, vegetables and whole grains helps lower your risk for many cancers.

The minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals (a chemical compound that occurs naturally in plants) in laboratory studies do demonstrate anti-cancer effects but evidence does suggest that these compounds offer the strongest cancer protection when working together in the overall diet. In other words, taking supplements containing the individual vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals does not offer the same benefits as consuming whole foods containing these nutrients.

Not only do these whole foods contain nutrients they are also important for maintaining a healthy weight as being overweight with excess body fat increases the risk for seven cancers. Consuming fruits and vegetables can help you get to a healthy weight and maintain it as they are low in calories and provide a great source of fiber to keep you feeling full. Beans and whole grains can also help with weight management. They provide the majority of your fiber and are moderate in calories.

Your goal should be to have at least 2/3 of your plate containing fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains in order to meet the current recommended intake of these foods.

The Cancer Fighting Food of the Week is the Apple! 

The old saying that "an apple a day keeps the doctors away" was not that far off. Apples are a low calorie food with a good source of fiber and Vitamin C. It also contains phytochemicals such as Quercetin (a flavonoid that shows anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties),  epicatechin, anthocyanins (in red apples), and Triterpenoids (mostly in the apple peel). 

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving of Apple (1 small apple or a 1/2 cup)

75 calories

4 grams of fiber

The fiber in the middle of the apple is called pectin which is used by the GI tract to produce compounds that protect colon cells. It is important to keep those cells healthy because your GI tract is in charge of making sure that the right compounds are transferred into your blood. 
The nutrients in apples have evidence of lowering the risk of many cancers such as:

• Colorectal cancer - diets high fiber (convincing evidence)
• Cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, lung and stomach cancer - diets high in fruit (probably evidence)
• Esophageal Cancer - diets containing vitamin C (probably evidence)

This is a great apple recipe from The Delicious Dietitian website using the Apple Wine Vinegar (recipe can be found at www.thedeliciousdietitian.com in the vinegar tab under the vinegar recipes):

Spinach Apple Salad

Ingredients

1    apple    apples, raw, with skin, sliced

2    oz    goat cheese

4    tbsp    olive oil

2    tbsp    Apple Wine Vinegar

2    tbsp    pecans, chopped

1    tsp.    Splenda brown sugar

6    cup    spinach, raw

Directions

In small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and Splenda. On separate plates arrange spinach, apples, goat cheese and pecans. Pour a 1/4 of the dressing on top of each plate and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (4 servings)

Calories    250

Carbohydrates    12 gm

Fat    21 gm

Cholesterol    11 mg

Protein    5 gm

Sodium    109 mg

Potassium    326 mg

Saturated Fat    5 gm

Mono Unsaturated Fat    12 gm

What are some of your favorite ways to eat apples?? Please comment and let us know some other delicious ways to fight cancer with apples.
-Is it apples with peanut butter or almond butter...