Are You Feeding or Starving Cancer?

written by Cassie-Lee Tario

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We all have small tumors in our bodies at different times in our lives.  These are small masses of cells that could stay there for most of our lives without affecting us at all.  Many of us won't even know they are there until they are brought to our attention, and for the most part they are harmless, until they grow.



The term angiogenesis means the growth of new blood vessels.  This is used in the body to help heal wounds and return blood flow to injured tissues.  The body has the ability to increase or decrease the growth of these blood vessels and an increase can lead to the body losing control of it. This then can cause different diseases such as diabetic blindness, age-related muscle degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and even cancer.  Angiogenesis can feed diseased tissues, such as tumors, through blood vessels. Eventually this can allow the cancerous cells to circulate through the blood vessels to other organs.


Antiangiogenic Foods

Antiangiogenics are things that will suppress the growth of tumor blood vessels.  These properties can be found in a lot of foods.  The best way to combat angiogensis is through food.  Incorporating certain foods into your diet that contain antiangiogenic properties will help to starve the tumors.  The following foods all contain antiangiogenic properties which will inhibit new blood vessel growth.


Citrus Fruits: 
Citrus fruits contain flavanoids that are antioxidants found in lemons, oranges and grapefruits.

This seed is gluten free and contains genistein, quartering and kaempferol which are phenolic substances.

Flaxseed helps to increase natural antiangiogenics in our bodies that are referred to as endostatins.

Grapes are high in the powerful antioxidant polyphenols which have been proven in numerous studies to have anti-cancer effects.

Cocoa usually found in raw chocolate or in powder form contains a bioactive flavanoid which is also a polyphenol.  Two particular flavanoids found in cocoa are catechins and procyanidins.

Other: Some other foods that have antiangiogenic properties may come from green tea, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, pineapples, cherries, bok choy, kale, soy beans, licorice, pumpkin, tuna, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil and grape seed oil.


These foods can be easily incorporated into your daily eating habits.  Have some citrus fruits in the morning to help you wake up and get prepared for your day, throw some ground flax seeds on a salad or in your oatmeal, have quinoa with a side of stir fried veggies, and well who doesn’t love chocolate, that one is easy just make sure it’s the dark and raw kind.

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Cassie-Lee Tario is currently finishing up her schooling to become a Certified Nutritional Practitioner.  She believes that being healthy isn’t just about eating vegetables it’s living a whole lifestyle and she is excited to help inspire people on the road to their healthier lifestyles!  You can read more from Cassie-Lee on her blog.  She can also be found online through facebook  and twitter.