September is prostate cancer awareness month, a cause our team takes to heart. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure, so this post will explore what foods are good for your prostate.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men. This year, an estimated 174,650 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, with 60% of those cases being diagnosed in men over age 65. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States.
At CamWell, we support cancer patients through their treatment with a natural approach to skin creams. We also believe that food is the best medicine. Not only can food help throughout battling cancer, it plays a large role in helping prevent certain types of cancer as well. Knowing that, our team feels it is important to keep our readers armed with the latest knowledge as it pertains to what they can do to help keep themselves healthy. So what foods are good for your prostate? These two familiar veggies are packed with countless benefits – but their synergy together may play an important role in the fight against prostate cancer.
What Foods are Good for Your Prostate? Eat Your Veggies!
Growing up, our parents always forced us to eat our veggies – lest we miss out on delicious desserts (the best part of the meal!).
It turns out our parents weren’t just telling us a fairytale at the dinner table. A diet rich in plants and vegetables has shown to be most beneficial – not just for everyday life, but for aiding and preventing against different types of cancer as well. This is also true when it comes to foods that are good for your prostate.
In fact, reports from the American Institute of Cancer Research show that healthy diet and lifestyle behaviors, with a focus on a plant-based diet, can help prevent 40% of cancer cases.
Making sure to eat your colors has long since been a healthy way to approach a lifestyle, but recent scientific breakthroughs have shined more light on a particular combination of veggies that could prove to be especially powerful against prostate cancer.
A Scientific Breakthrough in Foods Good for Your Prostrate
Tomatoes and broccoli have been praised for as long as anyone can remember for their high nutrient content and multiple benefits (more on that later).
However, a study completed at the University of Illinois shows that broccoli and tomatoes are better at shrinking prostate tumors when both are a part of your daily diet, rather than being eaten separately.
This is HUGE news, and particularly interesting considering that these two super-veggies have to be eaten together to feel all their effects. The study elaborates further on this idea:
“When tomatoes and broccoli are eaten together, we see an additive effect. We think it’s because different bioactive compounds in each food work on different anti-cancer pathways,” said University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor John Erdman.
Meanwhile, a U.K. study yielded similar results, stating that men who ate more than 10 servings of tomatoes each week reduced their risk of developing prostate cancer by approximately 20 percent.
The U.K. study analyzed the lifestyles and diets of about 20,000 men, aged between 50 and 69. Their findings not only supported the cancer-fighting properties of tomatoes but also validated that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is a must for optimal health – cancer risk was reduced by nearly 24 percent when eating the recommended servings of fruits and veggies daily. This is reason enough to add these foods to your diet because they are good for your prostate.
It’s important to note that while raw veggies are great (and highly encouraged in any sort of diet), to reap the maximum benefit of this powerful tag-team you’ll want to cook your vegetables.
Cooked tomatoes, for example, have most of their water removed. Because of this, the healthiest parts of the vegetables become more concentrated. The same can be said for broccoli as long as it’s not overcooked, so fire up the stove for some sauce or sautee your veggies as a side dish!
The Science Behind the Veggies and Prostrate Health
The incredible power behind this dominant vegetable duo lies largely in their high concentration of phytochemicals and antioxidants, both of which have been shown to help fight against cancer.
Tomatoes are absolutely LOADED with antioxidants like lycopene, which helps in part to lower your risk for certain types of cancers, as well as improving your heart health. Not to mention the abundant supply of vitamin C and vitamin A, and a low-calorie count to boot!
Broccoli also has its fair share of beneficial nutrients. It’s steeped with powerful phytochemicals beta-carotene, indoles, and isothiocyanates – all of which have been shown to be strong cancer-fighting compounds. Broccoli also has phenethyl-ITC, which is formed when the vegetables are either cut or chewed – and has been shown, in lab experiments, to kill off cancer cells.
Food truly is the best medicine for your body – and we believe there is no better defense against illnesses and cancer than a healthy diet, rooted in fruits and vegetables and supported by positive lifestyle choices. What foods are good for your prostate? In your search for the best list, make sure you put these veggies at the top of your list.