What you eat can have a profound effect on your immune system, cholesterol level and blood pressure, and can even affect your heart.  If you are just trying to boost your immune system and prevent or fight cancer, you want to eat foods high in vitamins A, C, E, B, calcium, zinc and selenium.  Some holistic people would recommend a macrobiotic diet for a minimum of three to six at the first sign of cancer because macrobiotic diets are:

• Low-fat foods
• Non-mucous-forming
• Alkalizing
• High in potassium, iodine, and other minerals

Best anti-cancer foods are:

		Apricots	Blueberries
		Broccoli	Brussels sprouts
		Cabbage	Carrots
		Cauliflower	Eggplant
		Fish	Flax seed
		Garlic	Ginger
		Grapefruit	Grapes
		Green beans	Kale
		Lemons	Mangoes
		Oranges	Papayas
		Peaches	Persimmons
		Red onions	Radishes
		Strawberries	Unprocessed soy foods
		Soybeans	Sweet potatoes
		Tangerines	Whole grains – millet, wheat, oat bran
		Almonds	Walnuts

Calcium-rich foods are also good for fighting cancer:

		Broccoli	Perch
		Turnip greens	Tofu
		Cheese – but only low-fat cheeses	Salmon
		Dairy products – only low-fat	Almonds
		Barley	Bran
		Brazil nuts	Brown rice
		Brussel sprouts	Cabbage
		Carrots	Cauliflower
		Coconut	Corn meal
		Egg yolks ( no more than 1-2 only per week)	Figs
		Hazelnuts (filberts)	Leafy greens
		Kelp	Lentils
		Millet	Oats
		Prunes	Rye seeds
		Sesame seeds	soy milk
		Watercress	Whole wheat

Selenium-rich foods are good for fighting cancer:

		Asparagus	Garlic
		Mushrooms
		Seafood – some fish

Usually, people with cancer have other health issues.  Here are some food strategies to improve:

Immune system and reduce your blood pressure

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted research called “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)”, which tested the effects of nutrients in food and how they relate to blood pressure.  This diet included fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts, as well as reduced amounts of fats, red meats and refined foods.  DASH is a popular diet with many nutritional experts.
 
According to the American Heart Association, a healthy diet includes:

• Eating a variety of whole vegetables and fruits
• Eating colorful fruits and vegetables
• Choosing whole fruits over juices
• At least half your grain intake from whole foods
• Reducing your intake of any beverages and foods with added sugars

Avoid the following foods:

• Red meat
• High-fat dairy
• Any foods with salt, soda, sodium or MSG
• Refined or processed foods
• Toothpaste containing saccharin or baking soda
• Sodas
• Sugar and sugar substitutes
• Fast food
• Peanuts

If you are just trying to boost your immune system:

 Eat the following zinc-rich foods:

		Lentils	Oatmeal
		Yogurt (low-fat to no-fat only)	Whole wheat bread
		Lima beans	Turkey
		Baked potato	Low-fat milk
		Crab	Pork (rarely)
		Salmon (often)	Clams
		Lobster	Peas
		Beef (rarely)	Lamb (rarely)
		Brown rice	Cremini mushrooms

Eat the following potassium-rich foods:

		Honeydew, cantaloupe, or watermelon	Apricots
		Prunes	Banana
		Lean veal	Pumpkin
		Lima Beans	Spinach
		Sardines	Cod – not processed
		Milk – low-fat	Stewed tomatoes
		Peas	Orange juice
		Sweet potatoes	Flounder
		Peaches	Green beans
		Squash – winter is best	Potatoes
		Yogurt – low-fat

Eat the following magnesium-rich foods:

		Beans and legumes	Okra
		Broccoli	Oysters
		Spinach	Chard
		Tofu	Croaker
		Scallops	Whole grains
		Mackerel	Nuts & Seeds

Eat the following vitamin A-rich foods:

		Apricots	Broccoli
		Collard greens	Chard
		Mustard greens	Beet greens
		Kale	Bok Choy
		Cantaloupe	Mango
		Peaches	Spinach
		Carrots	Sweet potato
		Red bell pepper	Brussels sprouts
		Peas	Tomato
		Romaine lettuce	Parsley
		Watermelon	Acorn squash
		Papaya	Some cold cereals

Eat the following vitamin B-rich foods:

Cremini mushrooms

Red bell peppers

Eat the following vitamin C-rich foods:

		Cabbage	Broccoli
		Collard greens	Cantaloupe
		Mustard greens	Beet greens
		Turnip Greens	Bok choy
		Grapefruit	Mango
		Peaches	Spinach
		Carrots	Sweet potato
		Green beans	Brussels sprouts
		Peas	Tomato
		Romaine lettuce	Parsley
		Pineapple	Strawberries
		Raspberries	Blackberries
		Blueberries	Orange
		Tangerine	Sour cherries
		Rhubarb	Kale
		Red,yellow & green peppers	Beets

Eat the following vitamin E-rich foods:

		Broccoli	Kiwi
		Turnip greens	Spinach
		Mango	Avocado
		Wheat germ	Whole grain bread

Other good foods to help lower your blood pressure:

		Asparagus	Celery
		Currants	Chocolate
		Dandelion	Garlic
		Onion	Kiwi
		Mangos

If you have diabetes or any diabetic symptoms and you want to improve your immune system, add chromium-rich foods to your diet:

		Romaine lettuce	Onions
		Tomatoes	Potatoes
		Oysters	Liver

Eat fruits and vegetables that help balance sugar:

		Apples	Pumpkin
		Onions	Leeks
		Garlic	Berries
		Cabbages	Dandelions
		Artichokes	Carrots

Eat low-glycemic fruits and vegetables (partial list):

		Apples	Artichokes
		Asparagus	Avocado
		Broccoli	Cauliflower
		Celery	Cucumber
		Eggplant	Lettuce
		Summer squash	Zucchini
		Tomatoes	Cherries
		Grapefruit	Peach
		Peanuts	Peppers
		Pear	Spinach

Life is about making choices.  Even though meat might be good for its vitamin or mineral content, you probably don’t want to eat red meat more than once every two weeks if you really want to maintain or improve your immune system.  Poultry, fish, vegetable or soy protein is probably better for you in most cases.

If you have heart problems, bad cholesterol, or high blood pressure, the best way to improve your health is to change your lifestyle, lose weight, increase your physical activity and eat healthier.  A great way to do this is by avoiding fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, refined and processed foods, salt and sugar. Also, you must make sure to eat more fruits and vegetables grains and whole foods.

If you are trying to avoid meats, you can find soy-based meats for almost any kind of meat including hotdogs, ribs, burgers, chicken wings, turkey and even duck.  Some of them taste pretty good, especially if you prepare them like you would a regular meat product, but always check the sodium content.  For an entire day, you never want to consume more than 2,400 mg of sodium.

If you are trying to avoid refined and processed snacks, there are dozens of products that are made with whole grains and taste like the original product without the extra fat, sugar and salt.  Many of them even come organic.

If you are trying to avoid traditional dairy products, try products made from almonds, grains, or soy.  Whole Foods, Trader Joes and most health food stores have a wide variety of products, ranging from vegetarian milks to cheese, to choose from.

If you are trying to avoid eggs, whether they are for eating or baking, you’ve got many choices.  They include:

• Applesauce for baking (3 tablespoons applesauce = 1 egg)
• Bananas for baking (1/2 banana blended or well mashed = 1 egg)
• Egg substitutes such as Orgran’s ‘Egg substitute mix’
• Ener-G Egg Replacer - by Ener-G Foods; free of gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, egg, yeast, soy, nuts and rice,  is an excellent choice for baking
• Tofu (1/4 cup blended soft or silken tofu = 1 egg).  You can also scramble tofu, which has its own unique flavor and texture (depending upon spices and preparation) that might even exceed your expectations.

Here are some of my favorite food alternatives:

• Milk:  Try rice or soy milk (SILK brand is delicious!)
• Butter:  Try Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
• Ice Cream:  Try Rice Divine rice ice cream
• Cheese:  Try FYH Mozzarella (non-dairy)
• Yogurt:  Try Non-fat Greek plain yogurt or plain soy yogurt
• Meat:  Try baked tofu or seitan
• Oils: Replace saturated and trans-fats with olive, canola and other natural oils
• Eggs: Try egg substitutes or egg whites for eating and “Egg Replacer” for baking
• Sugar: Try Stevia for coffee and for baking replace conventional white sugar with maple sugar or a  natural sugar brand such as SUCUNAT.
• Mayonnaise: Try FYH Vegenaise.  You won’t know the difference!