I have a continuing commitment to cancer, cancer awareness, cancer research, healing cancer and cancer patients and supporting cancer patients in all stages of their disease process and recovery. As such. I will always work to bring you new and informative information about health and nutrition support for cancer patients, their families and their care givers.
Please enjoy this guest article by:
Kelsey Servi
Public Outreach
Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com
What are the Best Fruits and Veggies for Mesothelioma Patients?
Hi, Nature and Nurture Nutrition readers! My name is Faith Franz, and I’m a health and nutrition writer
for The Mesothelioma Center. Like Claudia, we’re firm believes in the power of a healthy diet – so much
so that we truly believe nutrition can play a powerful role in cancer treatment.
Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential nutrients that prevent many diseases. But sometimes,
other factors can cause cancer, no matter how healthy a person’s diet is. (For instance, mesothelioma
develops after a person inhales or ingests asbestos.) In these cases, a healthy diet isn’t for naught – it’s
still an amazing tool in recovery.
Powerful Foods
Below, we list the five most powerful foods in mesothelioma treatment:
• Berries – While many fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, berries are some of the most
concentrated sources. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries are all powerful
sources of vitamins and polyphenols. Many oncology nutritionists suggest their patients
consume several servings of various berries each week.
• Reishi mushrooms – The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center identifies Reishi mushrooms
as a powerful immune stimulant for their ability to enhance the body’s natural cancer-fighting
abilities. The mushrooms can help control the side effects of mesothelioma treatment, including
nausea and toxicity. They can also help enhance patients’ response to radiation therapy.
• Broccoli – Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage also contain anti-cancer compounds.
They help protect cells from the DNA damage that occurs during cancer development, and
they may inhibit blood vessel formation in existing cancer cells. (Cancer cells must produce
new blood vessels to spread.) These benefits are especially pronounced in patients who have a
specific metabolic enzyme known as glutathione S-transferase.
• Tart cherries – Tart cherries contain substances called anthocyanins, which help with pain and
inflammation. Preliminary studies also suggest that they may deprive cancer cells of the proteins
necessary for growth, helping slow the development of new tumors. Mesothelioma patient
Wayne Neal credits them with his survival.
• Garlic – No list of cancer-fighting foods would be complete without this allium vegetable. Garlic
bulbs contain allicin, which produces several unique compounds when the bulbs are chopped or
crushed. Researchers believe these compounds may block cancer-forming substances, and even
induce cell death in tumors.
Whole Foods
Because all fruits and vegetables contain health-supporting nutrients, it’s important to eat a diet rich in
all whole foods. Berries, cherries, broccoli, mushrooms and garlic do not make up a healthy diet on their
own. However, when combined with other fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and other
health-supporting foods, they can certainly be a powerful catalyst for healing.
Unfortunately, a few seemingly healthy foods – like grapefruit – can actually interfere with the effects
of traditional cancer treatment. As a result, it’s important to develop a dietary plan with an expert.
An oncology nutritionist can design a personalized nutrition program for your individualized health
concerns, and you shouldn’t make any sudden changes without their approval.
Faith Franz is a researcher and writer for The Mesothelioma Center. She advocates for alternative medicine and encourages patients to explore all of their treatment options.
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