Ever since my father-in-law (a lifelong vegetarian who has followed a strict excess-free life) was diagnosed with colon cancer we are trying to eat healthier, to fight the carcinogens that have invaded our ecosystems, to make dietary changes that may help us all in the long run.
Certain foods and spices are known to have a positive effect in preventing and retarding growth of cancerous tumors. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, blueberries, tumeric just to name a few really do help. I have been reading up on this and it seems that betacarotene (or the orange/ yellow colored) foods are really good. Try pumpkin, papaya, carrots. Then avocado is another good food; good spices include cumin and ginger.
I am working on creating recipes that are anti-carcinogen + delicious. I came up with a pretty good 'barbati dhal'. Barbati beans are the black eyed peas lentil, I made this dhal with a shrimp stock, many veggies and spices and pomegranate seeds (another good food).
Try the recipe:
Ingredients:
barbati dhal (1/2 cup soaked overnight, then drained and pressure cooked with 3 garlic cloves, 1 chopped onion, handful or a little more of pomegranate seeds and 1 tomato till soft)
2-3 cups prawn or shrimp stock (make this by simmering shrimp, heads and tails with garlic, celery, carrot and onion bay leaf about 30 mins)
1 tsp haldi powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tomatoes
little oil
salt to taste
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Blend pressure cooked dhal with celery, carrot, onion from simmered stock + a few more garlic cloves.
In a heavy pan, add some oil, then add spice powder and tomatoes and fry very well till oil separates from spice and tomato mixture.
Add the blended dhal to spice tomato mixture + the stock. Add salt to taste. Simmer for at least half an hour before serving hot with plain steamed white rice.
