Growing your own veggies in gardens is not only rewarding but also makes you more conscious about having a healthy diet. Previous research has shown that a modified diet including certain kinds of vegetables and an active lifestyle is a cure for those recovering from cancer.
Gardening is ideal when it comes to boosting physical activity levels and adding several veggies to your plate. You do not need a fully-fledged garden to start growing vegetables, but any vacant space you have in your house would serve the purpose, even a window sill. All you need is a few basic things; nutrient-rich soil, pots, a perfect amount of sunlight, and seeds of cancer-fighting vegetables, and you are good to go.
Looking for that specific vegetable that might prevent cancer or help in the recovery process? One thing is for sure that no single vegetable can have all the nutrients you need to avoid cancer. Here is the list of superfoods that might help in reducing the risk of having cancer, especially cruciferous and non-starchy vegetables: Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Garlic, Tomatoes, Kale, Bok Choy, Lettuce, and other leafy greens.
Having at least one serving out of every category of freshly grown vegetables would enhance your ability to fight cancer. Since many of these foods contain carotenoids and lycopene, research suggests that they might help combat prostate, lung, mouth, throat, breast, liver, and colon cancer.
Due to its high food values and strong anti-cancer properties, broccoli is a popular vegetable grown in gardens all across the world. It is cold weather, a fast-growing crop that grows about 60-90cm in height and has edible flower buds and stalks. Garden fresh young broccoli is said to pack the most nutritional punch of all vegetables with a unique bitter taste.
Another vegetable full of antioxidants and vitamin C is the tomato that can ward off every day toxins from our body and prevent cell damage. Better homes and gardens declared tomato as the epitome of a cancer-fighting food staple. Tomatoes can be grown as vining or bush but it’s practical to plant tomatoes and basil side-by-side as they are often used together in recipes. Nothing beats the taste of a vine-ripened, home garden-grown tomato. If you have limited garden space, you can grow tomatoes in pots and make it a container garden. Include tomatoes, a lycopene vegetable, in your favorite dishes and prevent the growth of tumors naturally.
Garlic is a universal food supplement that helps fight cancer by boosting carcinogen detoxifying enzymes in the body. No wonder why many cultures around the world have been using garlic as a medicinal herb for centuries. The best time to plant garlic is fall, so it can be ready to harvest in the early spring.
“Onions are the greatest source of flavonoids in the human diet,” says Rui Hai Liu, a professor in Food Sciences at Cornell University. She also suggested that yellow onions are the most effective in fighting liver and colon cancer cells. If you are just starting growing onions, start from indoors, shift them into the garden when it’s still cool, and harvest when they are matured and the tops turn yellow.
You can also blend the other important cancer-fighter vegetables like kale, spinach, carrots, cabbage, and turnips into your regular vegetables, plants, or flowers according to their growing times of the year. Freshly picked vegetables from the home garden have the best flavor and nutrient values.
Gardening can not only be relaxing but also a peaceful activity to lift your mood and sense of wellbeing. It’s a great way to exercise without going far from the house and stay fit and healthy. Start your own indoor or outdoor garden, and grow and enjoy freshly grown vegetables.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/looking-for-that-fruit-or-vegetable-that-might-prevent-cancer/2015/02/13/9518692e-a651-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dipanjan-Ghosh 6/publication/351164106_Yours_Truly_Broccoli/links/609818f992851c490fcb4c74/Yours-Truly-Broccoli.pdf
- https://www.bhg.com/health-family/conditions/cancer/cancer-fighting-superfoods/