Fight against cervical cancer – Dietary tips and prevention

Cervical cancer is said to be the second most dangerous type of cancer amidst women, it causes death to over 2,00,000 women in a year. The reason behind this cancer is HPV—Human Papillomavirus. An interesting fact is that most women come in contact with this virus once in their lifetime. But thanks to our immune system, they don’t allow it to multiply and grow.

It is our responsibility to take care of our body against HPV by eating good and healthy food and also avoiding certain foods. Here are some diet tips which may help you to increase the body’s resistance against HPV. Read on to find out.

• Eat food rich in I3C
  Cabbage belongs to the cruciferous family and is considered to prevent cervical cancer. Few of these vegetables are cauliflower, kale, broccoli and cabbage. The reason behind this is, it contains a natural compound called Indole 3 carbinol (I3C). This I3C is produced when we crush, chop or chew the vegetables mentioned above. I3C also contains anti-estrogenic activities which provide more protection against cervical cancer. But Consuming too much protein will affect your digestion and you may get less time to fight the cancer cells.
• Turmeric
  Turmeric gets its colour from a phytochemical named curcumin. Some recent studies have shown that this curcumin can help fight against cervical cancer by providing protection from HPV which is considered to be the main culprit behind cervical cancer. Curcumin deactivates the Human Papilloma virus.
• Don’t consume nitrate-containing foods
  Did you know? Many manufacturers use nitrate in their foods to give meat its bright and deep red colour. When we consume this nitrate, your body transforms it into nitrites which further converts into nitrosamines. Few scientists had shred evidence about how nitrosamines cause cancer. Some vegetables also consist of nitrate but due to a large number of antioxidants existing in them, the nitrate in it is harmless for us. But the nitrate present in refined and processed food is definitely linked with cancer.
• Eat Vitamin E and Vitamin C
  Vitamin E and C boost our immune system as they are rich in antioxidants. They also stop the formation of nitrosamines which are responsible for triggering cancer. Vitamin C works when there is zero fat deposition in our stomach. In fact, if there is fat present in our body, it can boost the formation of nitrosamines rather than prevent it.
• Eat foods rich in flavonoids
  One should eat foods which are rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids can be found on many nutritious foods like lettuce, soy, Brussels, black beans, garlic, sprouts, onion, cabbage, broccoli, cranberry, spinach and so forth. Flavonoids have the ability to protect the body against cancer.
• Include Zinc in your diet
  Zinc help protect more than 100 vital enzymes in our body. One of such enzymes is superoxide dismutase. This enzyme helps in destroying the free radicals and hence protect us against cervical cancer. Zinc also helps in boosting the immune system so that it could eliminate abnormal cells before they multiply and become cancerous. Other foods that can be included: tomatoes, grapes, garlic, whole white bread, coffee, lettuce, beans, carrot and green tea.

Over to you:-
These were few dietary and prevention tips to fight against cervical cancer that might be helpful for you. Stay healthy and follow the tips mentioned above to live a healthy lifestyle.