Fight Cancer by Choosing Organic Foods

Cancer is a growth in our bodies of cells that don’t contribute to our well being and shorten our life span. For example, those who are diagnosed with terminal cancers have a life expectancy of four months to a year and a half.
 
However, cancer is not a hopeless condition. Whether you are fighting breast cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer or any other type, in the battle to be well, food matters. Some foods strengthen the immune system and improve your disease fighting ability. Other foods, including processed foods, are best avoided.

Does eating locally grown food help cancer a patient? It seems to help everyone with physical and emotional problems. Integrating into your surroundings or “being in the present,” is part of the health cycle, and consuming locally grown food is a part of that process.

A diet that focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, less meat and uses unsaturated fats helps fight cancer. Proper choice of foods can increase your antioxidants. Colorful foods are high in phytochemicals, which are fighters and boosts the immune system. Tasty, strong flavored spices like garlic, curry powder and basil have cancer-fighting nutrients. Meats lack fiber, and fiber helps keep the digestive system healthy.

Organic farming means the food is not exposed to fertilizers such as raw manure, and livestock is not fed plastic pellets, animal byproducts or formulas that contain urea or manure. Generally, herbicides and pesticides can stay in the environment and in our bodies for a long time, so they are not used.

Farming organically creates a natural magnet for wildlife, insects and birds. Proper soil conservation practices can prevent erosion. Food grown locally means the distance between where the food was grown and your dinner table is not far, so the effects of packing materials on the food is minimal. A wider variety of foods can be grown because the farmer is not limited to varieties that have a long shelf life.

All this adds up to foods that are fresh, tastes great, and contain high levels of nutrients, such as Vitamin C. Phosphorus; iron and magnesium levels are higher. Cows milk has elevated amounts of conjugated linoleum acids, a link in cancer prevention.

There is a connection between diet and cancer. If you’re close enough, buy your foods directly from the farm. Get to know the farmer and eat foods that are in season. You can also search out farmer’s markets, or stores that offer locally grown foods. Read labels to find out where the food originated and what is in it.