How to Get the Top Ten Cancer-Fighting Foods into Your Diet

We all want to stay healthy and one step ahead of cancer - that’s no surprise. Here are some of the foods you should be eating to do just that:

1. Tomatoes. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that can reduce your risk of breast, prostate, pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Lycopene is concentrated when tomatoes are cooked, so your best lycopene sources are spaghetti sauce, tomato paste and ketchup.

2. Broccoli sprouts. These are sprouts actually developed from broccoli, and they are the only product out there that guarantees consistent levels of sulforaphane GS, a natural compound in broccoli and other cruciferous plants that support our bodies' own antioxidant function. Sulforaphane may reduce your risk of stomach, breast and skin cancer.

3. Berries are very high in antioxidants. They get their mouth watering colors from antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Look for fruits and vegetables with the deepest colors to get the highest concentration of anthocyanins, but they all have properties helpful in fighting colon and esophageal cancers.

4. Soybeans are known for their isoflavones and they help us fight breast and prostate cancer by protecting our cells from estrogen's harmful effects. There are several kinds of isoflavones in soy products, but one, called genistein, may be the best defense against the growth and spread of cancerous cells. However, findings are not conclusive. Be careful about using too much soy in your diet - it can cause hormonal imbalance that stimulates the growth of cancer cells.

5. Tea. Tea has catechins (also called polyphenols), which are the potent antioxidants that fight cancer growth. Catechins work by preventing the cancer cells from dividing, and may reduce your risk of liver, skin, stomach, lung, colon, rectum, liver and pancreas cancers. Green tea's claim to fame is a very powerful antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), but black tea has its own arsenal of cancer-fighting ingredients.

6. Carrots, and any brightly colored vegetables, are all chock-full of beta-carotene.