My mum used to tell me to eat healthy. In fact since I was a child, she used to cook nutritious foods for dinner everyday and telling me to eat vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods on a regular basis. I have to thank her for inculcating in me the value of living a healthy lifestyle by focusing on proper nutrition. Since then, I always have an interest in healthy eating and even learning about the benefits while reading and making research. One thing that amazed me in my findings was that there are certain foods which can prevent cancer or potentially cure it. As you might know, cancer is among the worst diseases of mankind and kills many people everyday. Till now, there has not been any known and proven cure for it although research on cancer is constantly evolving. People usually go through some kind of treatment like chemotherapy and this involves the killing of cancerous and infected cells while destroying the good ones as well. Patients feel weakened after this treatment.

Living with cancer is a struggling battle for survival everyday and many people just wished how amazing it would have been if they could have prevented it in the first place. But many people don't know how cancer is formed and it's still a mystery to solve. One thing that scientists have discovered about cancer is that cancer has a lot to do with the foods we eat or even our lifestyle. There are several factors that can cause cancer like smoking, poor and unhealthy nutrition, obesity and sedentary lifestyle. This is why it's imperative that you start losing weight if you're obese. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between obesity and cancer. By making changes in our diet and lifestyle, we can considerably reduce our risks in triggering cancer in the first place. In this article, am going to give you 6 weight loss superfoods which have powerful medicinal properties and have been known to act as powerful agents against cancer. Include them in your nutrition regularly and be sure to reap the benefits of not only preventing cancer but losing weight as well as these 6 superfoods will help you in your quest for weight loss.

Broccoli

I don't know about you but I simply love broccoli and it's one of my favourite vegetables. I like eating it when it's a bit crunchy and not overcooked. Steaming or light stir-frying is ideal. It's amazing to discover that broccoli not only being a healthy vegetable contains powerful antioxidant compounds which can prevent cancer. Those compounds include sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. Indole-3-carbinol is found pretty effective in preventing or treating breast cancer as it can reduce the levels of potent oestrogens. The latter is responsible for fostering tumour growth in particularly hormone-sensitive cells. As for sulforaphane, it has the ability to increase the production of certain enzymes to block cancer tumours from manifesting. Also, studies have shown that broccoli can benefit people with prostate cancer by shrinking the tumour or prevent it.

Tomatoes

Who doesn't like tomatoes and ketchup? Tomatoes are easy to prepare and can be eaten either raw or cooked. They can be used with many foods like rice, bread, pizza, pasta and more. One great thing about tomatoes is they contain lycopene which is a phytochemical with powerful antioxidant properties. Lycopene has been known to aid or lower the risks of certain types of cancers for people who consume it often. Some of these cancers include lung, stomach and prostate. According to research, these phytochemicals can increase when cooking the tomatoes as compared to raw so cooking them is more beneficial against cancer.

Olive Oil

Who would have known oil can be healthy? Good news is that not all oils are the same. Palm oil and hydrogenated oil are some of the bad oils containing saturated fats while certain oils like olive oil, canola oil and flaxseed oil are the good ones as they are a rich source of unsaturated fats. Olive oil is categorized mostly as monounsaturated fats but also contains some polyunsaturated fats like alpha-linolenic acid. Olive oil is abundant in the Meditarranean diet for good reasons. Olive oil is loaded with omega-3 essential fatty acids(EFAs) and is chock-full of phytochemicals including ligustroside, flavonoids, oleuropein, triterpenoids and oleacein. These phytochemicals are rich in antioxidants which can potentially aid or lower the risks of certain cancers like breast and colon cancer. Effective ways of using olive oil in your diet is to just add a drizzle in your salad or doing a light stir-fry with vegetables or meat. Avoid deep frying with olive oil. When you buy olive oil, opt for "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" as the latter has undergone very little processing hence retaining most of its nutritive values.

Apples

The saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is so true. Not only will apples keep you in great health but they have powerful antioxidant properties which can aid in preventing or treating certain cancers like lung, colon and skin cancers. The part of the apple which has medicinal properties is in the skin. So it's better not to peel your apples. Apples contain polyphenol extracts and flavonoids such as anthocyanins and all these are cancer-fighting agents.

Garlic

Some people don't like garlic due to its pungent smell. But did you know that garlic has very powerful medicinal and antioxidant properties? It does. Eating garlic regularly can help detoxify your body as well as preventing and treating certain diseases including cancers like colon, stomach, pancreas, breast, intestinal, esophagus, prostate and colorectal. Garlic is high in sulfuric compounds called Allicin and flavonoids as well. Allicin has been proven to restrain the growth of cancerous cells as well as killing tumour cells in some cases. Garlic might have a pungent odor but this is a spice that when stir-fry with foods like meat and vegetables make your meals very tasty. So consider adding garlic in your meals to reap great health benefits and be sure to brush your teeth after.

Onions

Last but not least, onions just like garlic are antioxidant rich foods with high sulfuric acid compounds and loaded with phenolics and flavonoids which are phytochemicals. Onions contain anti-cancer chemicals and are effective against liver, breast and colon cancer and some other cancers as well. In addition, onions also prevent free radicals damage as free radicals can be dangerous to body cells. For your cooking, onions can add great flavour to your meals and can be eaten raw or cooked. Try making an omelet with some onions. Lightly stir-fry the onions with some olive oil first, then add them to your egg batter. Add some salt and pepper according to taste and mix well. Next, proceed with the omelet in a pan. This is a simple yet delicious and healthy recipe.

These 6 weight loss superfoods have healing powers and can help put cancerous cells at bay and without any doubt will improve your health as well as helping you burn fat and lose weight.