Vegetables Can Help Fight Cancer – Nutritionist

A Nutritionist, Ochuko Erinkainwe has said that regularly eating vegetables can help fight cancer.

While speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, Erinkainwe who is also the Public Relations Officer of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, said “Researches have proved beyond doubt that people who eat more natural plant foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes are less likely to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

“Our daily meals count a lot when it comes to cancer risk factors.

“What we eat determines how much immunity we have in our body and also building resistant fluids inside the systems.

“If we want to build or design an anti-cancer diet, then we should look at adding much vegetables to our meals, we should eat plenty of vegetables everyday.

“By this, we will be flooding our systems with protective substances.

“This will help a lot, most especially the cruciferous vegetables.

“Cruciferous vegetables may have the most powerful anti-cancer properties.

“This family of vegetables includes green vegetables, cabbage, onions, broccoli and some others like cauliflower.

“The mere meaning of cruciferous suggests its importance.

“It was taken from the Latin word “crucifer”, meaning “cross-bearer” for their flowers, having four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross.

“All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition.

“They have sulfur-containing compounds which are responsible for their pungent or bitter flavours.

“Vegetables when broken down in the system provide sulfur-containing compounds – Isothiocyanates – a compound with proven anti-cancer activities.

“This compound can work in different molecules.

“They can have combined additive effects, working synergistically to remove carcinogens and kill cancer cells.

“It also produces antioxidants or even immunologic effects.

“Many are not aware of the anti-oxidant powers deposited in vegetables and the most interesting thing is that many whose lives would have been saved neglected this part.”