Fight Colon Cancer With These Super Foods

Improve your diet with Colon Cancer Real Talk. Discover superfoods that can help you manage your late-stage colon cancer that can be easily found at your local grocery stores.

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Colon Cancer Real Talk
Colon Cancer Real Talk
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Phytonutrients

Also known as plant nutrition has antioxidant properties that help prevent cell damage. When mixed, these nutrient sources may enhance benefits. I encourage you to research this topic outside this website to see what works best for you.

Herbs and Spices

Here are some of my favorite herbs and spices that have helped me on my colon cancer journey:

Turmeric

My go-to and worth special note – is curcumin. Its polyphenol agent is a yellow curry powder that is shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and is accepted as an anti-inflammatory.

Sprinkle on foods or mix in juice drinks, but best used with black pepper and a splash of olive oil to help absorption. I mix ¼ tsp turmeric, pepper, and olive oil in hot water, stir regularly, and drink as tea, though this is an acquired taste.

Ginger

It has multiple benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and herbal remedies for upset stomach and nausea.

Oregano

Thought to have antibacterial properties, this herb is also known as an antioxidant and is thought to slow cancer growth.

Garlic

A powerful anticancer spice that helps boost the immune system and is thought to slow cancer cell growth.

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Juice/Drink Recipe

Here’s what you will need to make my favorite superfood drink:

  • Almond milk (1 cup)

  • almond milk ice cubes (5)

  • Blueberries (1 cup)

  • Kale, Chard, etc. (3-4 large leaves)

  • Apple (1/2 medium)

  • Lemon zest (1tbs)

  • Cucumber (1/2)

  • Chia seeds (1 tbs)

  • Flax seeds (2 tbs)

  • Ginger (Chop fine, ½ tsp)

  • turmeric (powder 1 tsp powder or equivalent chopped)

  • Matcha tea (1 tsp)

  • Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)

  • Protein powder (1 scoop)

  • ‘Green Vibrance’ powder or equivalent (1 scoop)

  • Carrots (4 mini carrots)

Blend all of these in a high-power blender to liquefy (we have great success with ‘Vitamix’, as it completely liquefies all solids).

For circumstances after chemo where appetites will not allow a full glass with pulp, a slow-rotation juicer is ideal. This worked well for me during my first year of chemo. These juicers separate the liquid from the solids to make a concentrated, supercharged, easy-to-drink concentrate of approximately 2–3 oz.

Healthy Foods

Here are some of my favorite superfoods that are delicious and easy to find:

  • Fruits: Organic Blueberries, Blackberries, Goji Berries, Mangos, Apples, Bananas, and Lemons

  • Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Brazil, and Hazelnuts (Fun fact: Peanuts are legumes, not nuts)

  • Vegetables: Organic Chard, Collard Greens, Kale, Broccoli, Broccolini, Cauliflower, Bok choy, Lentils, Sauerkraut (Fun fact: Tomatoes are the only vegetable I know that has increased nutritional value when cooked. Heating releases more lycopene — a powerful cancer-fighting antioxidant. Cornell University sites similar benefits with pureeing.)

Flaxseed and Chia Seed Features

Chia seeds are rich in soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol. These seeds form a gel when immersed in water, which makes them valuable to diabetics.

Penni Shelton explained in “Raw Food Cleanse” that the gel surrounds carbohydrates during digestion, slowing their release into the bloodstream and helping to moderate blood sugar levels.

The alpha-linolenic acid in flaxseeds may help heart attack sufferers. Flaxseeds may also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Flaxseeds must be ground to release their nutrients, but chia seeds do not. The gel-forming quality of chia makes them valuable for dieters. This gel makes you feel full longer and helps you to stick to a low-calorie meal plan.

Chia seeds also help with hydration because they soak up water when they form a gel, making them helpful for endurance athletes.

Top Healthiest Nuts

Check out these healthy nuts that you can snack on:

Almonds have as much calcium as milk and contain magnesium, vitamin E, selenium, and lots of fiber. They can lower cholesterol and help prevent cancer.

Walnuts are extremely good for your heart and brain and contain ellagic acid, a cancer-fighting antioxidant.

Pecans have tons of vitamins and minerals like Vitamins E and A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, B vitamins, and zinc. They help lower cholesterol.

Brazil Nuts are an excellent source of protein, copper, niacin, magnesium, fiber, vitamin E, and selenium.

Top Healthiest Seeds

Whether on their own or mixed with your dishes, these seeds can make a significant change in your health.

Flax Seeds are at the top of my list. I use ground flax seeds every day, either in my steel-cut oatmeal or juice/protein drink, because it’s a great source of parent omega-3s and the phytochemical Lignan, a super antioxidant that helps fight cancer. It also contains a lot of fiber and can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Sunflower seeds also help prevent heart disease and cancer with phytochemicals, folate, Vitamin E, selenium, and copper.

Chia Seeds are incredibly healthy seeds rich in omega-3 oils, protein, antioxidants, calcium, and fiber.

Hemp Seeds are a certified superfood with cancer and heart disease prevention properties. They are high in protein and fiber, with balanced omega-3 and 6 fatty acids.

Pumpkin Seeds are great for your immune system with lots of antioxidants (carotenoids), omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc.

Sesame Seeds are a good source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, fiber, iron, B1, and phosphorus. They can lower blood pressure and protect against liver damage.

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Food I Enjoy

I encourage you to find certain food that you will enjoy on your journey. On that note, here is the food that I enjoyed during my chemo treatments:

  • Stir-fry veggies: broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, bok-choy, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic

  • Vegetarian black bean chili with garlic

  • Lentil dishes and lentil soups:

  • Berries/fruit salad: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and pomegranate seeds

Super Food Notes

Check out my take on some of the healthiest food you can eat to fight against colon cancer.

Tomatoes and broccoli: Together and cooked are better than eating them alone.

Apples with the peel on: It turns out that the bulk of an apple’s anticancer properties is hidden in the peel. The phytochemicals in the apple flesh seem to work best with the phytochemicals in the peel to reduce the risk of cancer.

Cooked tomatoes with peel-on along with olive oil: 98% of the flavanols (powerful phytochemicals) in tomatoes are found in the tomato skin along with great amounts of two carotenoids. Absorption of these key nutrients is much greater when the tomatoes are cooked and when you eat some smart fat (like olive oil) along with the cooked tomatoes.

Cruciferous vegetables: There are two phytochemicals naturally found in cruciferous vegetables — cambene and indole 3-carbinol. Foods rich in cambene include Brussels sprouts and certain varieties of broccoli. All cruciferous veggies are rich in indole 3-carbinol.

Beans and legumes: hailed as superfoods in the fight against colon cancer. Black beans, in particular, raise levels of specific fatty acids that protect against the growth of cancer cells.

Berries: full of antioxidants and phytonutrients that are good for your health. Blackberries and raspberries contain extremely high levels of anthocyanins, which slow the development of malignant cells.

Carrots: full of beta-carotene, which researchers believe slows the growth of abnormal cells.

Coffee: higher levels of coffee consumption are associated with a lower recurrence rate.

Mushrooms: boost the immune system.

Veggie favorites: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach.

Green Tea: Excellent.

Foods to Avoid

Foods with high glycemic load:

  • White Rice

  • Noodles

  • Candy

  • Sugar (added sugars are a big no for me because sugars spike our bodies’ blood sugar.

  • The substance our body uses to lower high blood sugar also feeds cancer cells)

  • Red Meat (limit to a few ounces per week)

  • Processed Food

  • White and Wheat Bread

  • Alcohol (keep alcohol intake low or cut it out completely)

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Healthier Alternatives

There are substitute sweeteners to replace sugar, including Stevia and Monk Fruit. On the other hand, substitutes for regular pasta include:

  • Spinach

  • Chickpea

  • Red lentil

  • Zucchini noodles

Veggie and black bean burgers can replace red meat, while sprouted bread and pumpernickel are great bread alternatives.

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