Do you ever wonder what it’s like to use food as medicine? Or what to eat to support your immune system when there’s gunk going around? Here’s a peek at one of my favorite nourishing meals – a superfood anticancer oatmeal!
What is a superfood?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines superfood as, “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being”.
Organic Superfood Anticancer Oatmeal
This OATMEAL is full of PREBIOTICS, ANTIOXIDANTS, BETAGLUCANS, and OMEGA-3!
Prebiotics are food for probiotics that tend to the garden in your gut microbiome. With 70-90% of your immune system based in your gut, you want to treat it well and keep the friendly microorganisms in proper proportion to their foes that our bodies have to deal with everyday.
Antioxidants aim to protect our cells against free radicals that can damage our bodies and lead to cancer and other diseases. Berries have anthocyanins which act as powerful antioxidants. Anthocyanins create the blue, purple and red color of many fruits and reduce oxidative stress.
Betaglucans are a soluble fiber found in things such as oats. They contribute to glucose control and have immunomodulating properties like activating Natural Killer cell (NK cells), inhibiting tumor growth and spread, and protecting against genotoxic carcinogens.
Omega-3s are found in foods such as walnuts and chia seeds which I include in my superfood oatmeal. Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce cellular inflammation that promotes disease. Studies have even shown Omega-3s reduce the risk of colon, prostrate, and breast cancers. Plus, for those of us with hormone driven cancers, omega-3s promote estrogen metabolism and help get the used/excess hormone out of circulation.
Is Organic Really Worth It?
Oats, almonds, and some berries are highly sprayed crops, so make sure to get ORGANIC as to avoid all the pesticides that add to your body’s toxic burden. Also look for gluten free oats to help keep inflammation and leaky gut at bay.
For each meal, I’m constantly internally processing through each ingredient. What gives my body the most medicine and what could potentially harm me? As someone healing from cancer, that’s the type of stuff I think about multiple times a day, every single day…unless it’s a recipe like this oatmeal that I’ve already worked through that critique and can quickly whip up and enjoy!
Need more Anticancer Meals? Want to ditch the overwhelm of what to do in the kitchen? Check out my Cancer Thriver Meals resource!
-Jenny
REFERENCES
Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). https://www.oed.com/
