Plant Based Diet
A sound anticancer diet should be very low in fat and contain little, if any, animal protein. At the same time, an optimal anticancer diet should be high in fiber and phytochemicals. These are compounds in plants that have no nutritional value but they can have important biological effects that may lower the risk for cancer, heart disease and other diseases.
Hundreds of these phytochemicals have only been discovered during the last 10 years. Since they’re only found in plantfoods, vegetarians have much higher intakes of these compounds than meat eaters. Many plant pigments, for instance, that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors, are phytochemicals that also give protection against cancer.
More than 100 studies of eating habits throughout the world show that fruits and vegetables decrease cancer risk.
That’s why the National Cancer Institute has advised people to eat more fruits and vegetables, at least five servings a day.
