Foods to Fight Cancer: Essential foods to help prevent cancer

by Richard Béliveau, Denis Gingras

Discover the facts behind reducing your risk of cancer with cancer-fighting foods in this informative and visual guide supported by the latest cancer research.

With more than 700,000 copies sold worldwide, Foods to Fight Cancer explores the link between diet and cancer with information backed by the scientific community. Written by internally recognized experts Richard Beliveau, Ph.D., and Dr. Denis Gingras, you will learn how to eat well to be well and reduce your risk. Updated and expanded to include the latest oncological research, this guide reveals how using simple dietary changes and preventative nutrition with everyday foods that are scientifically proven to contain anticancer properties work in your body to fight and prevent cancer.

With more than 100 charts, tables, and diagrams that clearly explain the facts and science behind nutrition and debunk popular myths surrounding certain foods, Foods to Fight Cancer is an essential book for anyone looking to improve their health, to have a healthy remission, to begin cancer prevention, or to support a loved one going through treatment.

Adhering to recommendations from the World Cancer Research fund, Foods to Fight Cancer is a vital read that details serious dietary and lifestyle changes for the good of your health.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Medicine, Nutrition, Science, Cookbooks

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Richard Béliveau (born 1953) is currently the director of the Molecular Medicine Laboratory and a researcher in the Department of Neurosurgery at Notre-Dame Hospital. Additionally, he holds the Claude-Bertrand Chair in Neurosurgery at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal.

Béliveau wrote several books on subjects closely related to health. His books were all written with the help of Denis Gingras, Ph.D., an oncology researcher at the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau located at the Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine in Montreal. Béliveau also published many scientific articles.

Reviews

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Halloween of 2011. My surgeon recommended this book. Since a nutritionist was not covered by my insurance, I opted to read this. It was easy to read, super informative, and got me on the right path to aid in healing myself in addition to my surgery and other treatments. I have recommended it to everyone who has asked me how to get on a clean eating program. It's the foundation for my life change. Great book.

[Jim]

I am presently reading this and will give it 5 stars.

Clearly written, scientifically presented with great graphics on important but not wellknown research.

I became interested in this after seeing this TED presentation on Angiogenesis.

Can we Eat to Starve Cancer?
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/wil...

article with some of the foods

http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/02/21/...

[Ming Wei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Interesting, eye opening, well written, well presented book

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by Dr. Richard Beliveau and Dr. Denis Gringras (cancer researchers). According to the authors, one of the risk factors for cancer is poor diet (up to 30%), that is, about one-third of all cancers may be linked to diet. They talk about what research exists that shows eating certain foods help fight cancer. The authors start with explaining two basic ideas of how cancer works:
1. Apoptosis. Cancer cells don't "commit suicide" when defective, nor respond to calls to do so by the community of cells surrounding it, which is what normal cells are programmed to do. Cancer cells continue to replicate.
2. Angiogenesis. Cancer cells encourage a blood supply to develop such that the tumour grows.
In the book the authors discuss how different foods help promote cancer cell death and/or help starve cancer cells of their blood supply as the cancer cells go through the stages of development into a tumour and then metastasis. The book is simple and well organised, and includes a summary at the end of each chapter about the discussion. There are numerous tables and references for detailed follow up.

The authors discuss the research that link certain foods that affect how cancer cells work, for example, there may be molecules present in some foods that act like an on/off switch that turns the switch "off" thereby blocking the disease from progressing. Research compares cancers by location (linking diet of those peoples to reduced rates of some cancers). They talk about phytochemicals - an anticancer component of fruits and vegetables and regular consumption is a strong weapon against the prevention of cancer.
They also use the term "neutraceuticals" , a generic term describing nutrition that is also pharmacolgical.

The list of fantastic foods that the book talks about are listed below, and they describe what and how the properties of these foods help with cancer prevention.

Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower)
Garlic and onion
Soy
Tumeric
Green Tea
Berries
Omega-3
Tomatoes
Wine
Chocolate

I found this to be very informative and eye-opening. It was refreshing to find one place to help link the foods to the actions that they support against cancer. I also wanted to raise the issue about whether or not soy is good. Many people wonder about whether they should use soy or not, and they weigh in on that too.

Definitely a good read for anyone wanting to be proactive about their cancer diet.

[Foodancer.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you afraid to fly? Among others the authors dedicate to you a table of "Great fear and reality ..."(source: Time Magazine). You will learn there that the real threat of death as a result of a plane crash is 1 in 3,000,000. Apparently this is nothing fulminant. After all, it's common knowledge that air travel is much safer than driving a car.. However, shocking is that the risk of death as a result of cancer is 1 through 3 A million times more often. So what should we fear more?

Prevention, something for those who will not read it ...

Food That Fight Cancer is a book which in the vast majority will go to people who already have the cancer, which is slightly late. Prevention against cancer only by diet, can bring significantly greater benefits than fighting against already developed tumor . While no one will prescribe chemotherapy as the prevention , diet can can be changed very freely . Since we are to decide what we'll eat today, why not to choose a proper food to prevent catastrophe? Unfortunately, such talk is waste of time . When we're healthy we give a shit on diet. My experience is, that even people from the vicinity of seriously ill person, despite of knowledge, do not change their diet. Too bad .. but there is nothing to stir about. Finally, some disease will force them to think, or they will be such a lucky to be in this one of three million of population ;P

Advantages...

The substantial value of this publication is a jump into the hyperspace in promoting cancer treatment with diet. Mainly because so far the subject has been treated as a "charlatan's nonsense, " meanwhile, confirmed that all the authors using the best scientific standards of research.

Beautiful edition on glossy paper. colorful illustrations and professional photos. Descriptions like for the typical American's "red neck" but not insulting anyone's intelligence - it's simply the world's championship in popular scientific literature;)

How is this possible? It's simply juicy CONTENT. The authors have a long-term results of laboratory tests on their hands. All supported by a clinical research. There is no place for lengthy sentences. With such a knowledge to transfer it, you need to summarize to fit in a reasonable volume ;)

First, we shares a pinch of general knowledge about cancer, then a main course: anticancer products described in detail: Cabbage - a ruthless butcher of cancer cells, garlic and onion as anticancer warriors. soy is a kind of anticancer prevention. turmeric as a queen of anticancer spices, green tea as a anticancer gummiberry juice, tomatoes, citrus fruits, good fats omega-3, a bit of vine and dark chocolate. All of it makes our treatment more powerfull! Beliveau of Gingras with a team of collaborators have done a piece of good research work, let's replace our menu filled with junkfood for something good! But before cooking, let's look to the book for some valuable suggestions. For example, cabbage should not be cooked too long. and we should not drink too much vine. Ted up recipies can be found as a separate book, "Anticancer Kitchen" by the same authors. Review coming soon.

and disadvantages...

None ;)

Summary

There is nothing to think about. Start the Uncle Google, type in the title and order it in any bookstore you'll find there. On the viewpoint of nutrition this book can be safely put over "Anticancer" of Dr. David Servan-Schreiber'a. It contains more knowledge, derived directly from the source, and more pleasant form for the eye.

Author: Paweł Olszewski vel. Foodancer"
more food/diet vs cancer books on my page foodancer.com

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, because the very last chapter quotes; "variety is the spice of life", and things like; "moderation", which I am such a believer in, especially when it comes to food.

I bought this book because in May 2010 my sister (who was 22 years old) was diagnosed with Leukaemia.

It turned our family upside down - let alone my sister's life - and I didn't know how to help.

I've always believed that diet is important in life, possibly with constant brain washing from my father who is very health conscious, that what goes in must come out (i.e. you can't feed kids crap/processed foods and then complain they have behavioural issues. You can't eat a packet of biscuits a day and not expect to put on weight), and wanted to see if food could help with her fight against cancer.

When I say diet, I don't mean 'dieting' to lose weight, I mean, what we eat day to day, every day, for the rest of our lives. Our diet. Like a cow's diet is grass, humans should have a balanced diet. I'm not a believer in 'dieting', in Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Atkins... (those are the ones that stick in my mind, but I'm sure there are more). I believe in everything in moderation - and exercise (which the book also endorses).

This book is not telling you to become a vegan, or vegetarian, it's emphasising the importance of a well balanced diet made up of whole foods, cooking recipes from scratch, not turning to "industrially prepared and processed foods" (that have lost all their goodness and contain too much fat, salt and sugar). The odd treat, to feed our craving for foods rich in fat and sugar is okay - occasionally! - but generally, to eat healthily and to include the foods they've researched (plus all other fruit and vegetables), proven to contain anti-cancer molecules, into your diet. Red wine and good-quality dark chocolate are included in this list!

The first chapter is shocking. Why are people afraid of flying when they are at greater risk of dying of cancer? (You have a 1 in 3 chance of dying from cancer, where as there is a 1 in 3,000,000 chance of dying in a plane crash).

The last section looks at supplements and how it's the actual food that helps prevent cancer. I particularly liked this;

"You cannot eat just anything and then get off the hook by taking a pill".

Good point! There is more to fruit and vegetables than their vitamins!

This book does have some 'science' speak to it (it's written by scientists), but it is perfectly understandable, as long as you don't have to try and read the 'big words' out loud. I found it fascinating, the history of some of the food and it's origins - brilliantly researched book.

If you are interested in diet and health generally, this is a book for you. If you are in remission from cancer (in any shape or form - it describes leukaemia as a liquid tumour) and want to increase "every possible chance to prevent the disease's recurrence", this is a book for you.

If you're currently fighting cancer, this is a book for you. It might just help? Surely, it's worth the try?

I think everybody should read this book, whether you're afraid of cancer or not - it's an eye-opener to the Western world and its very poor diet.

(n.b. Text in quote marks have been taken from the book).

[Scout Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foods that Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer through Diet takes an action-based position on preventing cancer - "Re-examining our misconceptions about the causes of cancer is important, since it motivates us to change our defeatist approach to the disease..." (Béliveau/Gingras, 20).

The book is designed reasonably well and presents mostly good information, first going over the basics of cancer and then going over the authors' recommendations of foods you should eat to prevent cancer.

However, I had a few issues with some of the information (like in other books). It's important to note both authors are PhDs, not medical doctors. Below I will go over the main issues, so if you read this book, most of it is good and helpful but you need to take the other parts with a grain of salt.

Good things
- Page at the end of each chapter summarizing main points
- Positive approach that you can take control of your own health and improve your circumstances

Bad things
- Misinformation
- Questionable assumptions

THE BIG ISSUES
Arguments bent over backwards to conform to what the authors wanted to say, even if it wasn't true.

Actual Western diet issues, of why we get cancer in the first place, were barely addressed. No mention of sugar, dairy or wheat being bad in any way. Meat was briefly mentioned at the end but fish was still recommended regardless of mercury and other risks. Sugary fruit juices, desserts, bread and pastas were recommended also.

Soy being promoted as an anti-cancer food.
Soy is usually genetically modified, doused in carcinogenic pesticides like glyphosate, and in Western society is rarely eaten fermented the way the book describes. It also has questionable effects to do with estrogen and it definitely should not be touted as a 100% safe wondrous health food.

"Even now, the consumption of soy and products derived from it are an integral part of the culinary traditions of Asian countries." (Béliveau/Gingras, 120).
>> First of all, you guys [authors] should know something about geography. ASIA is a whole continent! And soy doesn't play an "integral" role in food from Asian countries, SOME Asian countries eat soy and to others it is irrelevant.

"[W]hile for female Japanese immigrants to the United States the risk of getting breast cancer is about the same as for American born women, it has been clearly shown that this risk is much lower when these women emigrate later in life. In other words, the longer these women have been in contact with a kind of diet where soy plays a large role, the lower their risk of developing breast cancer will be later on..." (Béliveau/Gingras, 124).
>> Yes, because soy being in the diet is the ONLY, SINGLE REASON they would have a lower risk coming later in life. It's not because their native Japanese diet didn't include the processed-food-crap that we have in our Western diets, is it?

"Despite all of the contradictory data reported on this subject in recent years, results recently obtained clearly show that this controversy is baseless and that eating soy is completely safe." (Béliveau/Gingras, 124).
>> Yes, ignore any contradictory studies, because ONE, NEW study said it's safe!! Woo hoo! Just write off all those other studies, they're all wrong and BASELESS! Ha ha. No. This is an example of the authors being completely black and white, after they casually mention a disagreeing viewpoint they quickly destroy it with strong language that you're just supposed to believe.

"[T]here is no doubt that soy is not harmful to women's health, whether they are pre- or postmenopausal, as attested to by the low cancer rates in countries where this food is consumed." (Béliveau/Gingras, 127).
>> Right, because again, the only variable that could possibly make those countries have lower cancer rates is that they eat soy. Sounds reasonable! Aha. No.

Write-off of pesticides

Incorrect information
FISH | First, recommends eating "two or three servings of fatty fish into your weekly diet" (180). Then says, "It is obviously a shame that some fish contain tiny amounts of various toxic substances, but remember that in such small quantities the benefits fish provides are far greater than the negative effects of these substances." (Béliveau/Gingras, 180).
>> ?? Eating fish three times a week isn't "such small quantities". Also, most fish, not some, contain toxic substances like mercury and PCBs. Yes, Omega-3 is really important. But don't minimize the bad effects of the toxins, or how they're farmed and how polluted the water is, and all the other problems with fish farming.

The bad, the inconsistent and the annoying
Bad advice: "Blueberries and other berries can be frozen and eaten year-round, added to yogurt, ice cream or desserts." (Béliveau/Gingras, 169).
>> Sugary dairy, sugary dairy and sugary desserts. Sounds like a great thing to eat to be healthy. Why not just suggest eating them raw, or in a fruit salad, or something ACTUALLY healthy like that?! Ugh.

Inconsistent:“Obviously, these statistics do not prove that the differences are connected to the role played by tomatoes in the diet (Asians do not eat tomatoes and are not especially affected by this disease)…” (Béliveau/Gingras, 186-187).
>> Why do they suddenly realize that eating one food doesn’t determine if that’s the reason why a population has low cancer rates? But other times they use the exact type of statistics but claim that the reason the cancer rates are lower is because of the one food?

Annoying: Authors talk about in the conclusion Middle Eastern people using legumes, Asian cooking offering “many possible ways to use soy in every form” (248), Mediterranean and Japanese cuisines using fish, Italians and Spanish using tomatoes, and then… “or Indian cooking for various curries.” (248).
>> Are you serious? Indian cooking is a POWERHOUSE of nutrients and health right there, and all that’s mentioned is “various curries”?! This book talked about how amazing turmeric is (which it really is), but that’s not mentioned. There are some of the cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower used, spices mentioned, garlic, onions, green tea, etc. This book focused on “Asian” being Japanese, Mediterranean and European cooking mostly, when it should have included cuisines like Indian.

Negative myths associated with fruits and vegetables
While the goal here is to convince you to eat more fruits & veggies (which is admirable of course), the authors go way overboard and start spouting L I E S.
“Myth 1. Fruits and vegetables contain pesticides that cause cancer. False. Pesticides remaining on fruits and vegetables are only found in trace amounts, and no study has been able to establish a link between these residues and cancer.” (Béliveau/Gingras, 240).
>> Truth 1. Fruits and vegetables have pesticides sprayed on them that can cause cancer. This doesn’t mean you should avoid them! It just means you should be aware. Buying organic means less pesticide residue, and to be 100% sure there are no pesticides, grow whatever you can on your own. California lists glyphosate, a common pesticide sprayed on crops (GMOs especially), as a carcinogen. Obviously the authors’ statement was not at all well researched considering there are studies linking pesticides to cancer.

“Myth 2. Fruits and vegetables are the product of genetic engineering, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are harmful to health. False… As for the portion of foods that really are GMOs, no study has yet established any link to cancer whatsoever… The problem with GMOs is above all environmental,… and we share the concern of those who oppose them.”
>> Truth 2. Yes, only certain foods are GE. However, GMOs cannot be ruled out as being 100% safe and not harmful to health. First of all, there is a study linking GMOs to cancer, that was done on mice, but it was later retracted due to Big Agri politics and probably something to do with Monsanto’s unremitting protection of themselves and their products. Secondly, there are NO STUDIES AT ALL documenting long term effect of GMOs on humans because, guess what… there aren’t many humans wanting to participate in those studies! And the big corporations like Monsanto don’t WANT those studies, because if something they don’t like comes up, it’s going to hurt their profits. I am glad they recognize there are issues with GMOs (THANKS!) but it’s not limited to environmental, it’s an ethical, nutritional, agricultural, juridical, consumer rights issue.

I would recommend to...
As long as it is acknowledged that there are incidences of bad information in this book but the rest is good, I would recommend to people (especially people who don't know too much) who are interested in eating healthier, preventing cancer and learning more about it. This book is a reasonably short read and if you skip the history of each food (they mention the history of each one of course) you can get it done quickly.

[lese_momente · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich fand das Buch sehr interessant, aber leider konnte es mich nicht zu Hundertprozent überzeugen. Ich habe ein bisschen mehr naturwissenschaftliche Argumentation vermisst. Fast alle Informationen die genannt werden stammen aus prospektiven Studien und da bin ich der Meinung, dass Ergebnisse natürlich Anhaltspunkte für wissenschaftliche Hypothesen darstellen, aber keine konkreten Beweise, da man in solchen Studien nicht alles kontrollieren kann und manches vielleicht auch indirekte oder zufällige Auswirkungen hat.
Zudem hätte das Buch deutlich kürzer sein können. Es wurden ständig Sachen wiederholt, teilweise Dinge die erst zwei Sätze vorher schon genannt wurden. Das fand ich ein bisschen schade, weil ich fand dadurch hat sich das Buch gezogen. Natürlich ist mir auch klar, dass die wenigsten so ein Buch von vorne bis hinten durchlesen und dann fällt einem sowas wahrscheinlich nicht so deutlich auf.
Nichtsdestotrotz konnte man einige interessante Informationen, wenn auch meist für mich nichts Neues, aus dem Buch mitnehmen!
Also alle die sich für die Krankheit „Krebs“ interessieren und befürchten, dass dieses Buch schwer zu verstehen ist, kann ich beruhigen. Dieses Buch kann jeder lesen und bestimmt auch das meiste verstehen, es wird kaum was im wissenschaftlichem Detail erklärt 😉

[Ulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch behandelt ein schweres Thema so, dass man es auch als medizinischer Laie gut lesen kann.

Ich werde meine Ernährung von den Tipps beeinflussen lassen, auch wenn ich keinen Krebs habe. Wie gut, dass es Lebensmittel gibt, die die medizinischen Therapien unterstützen können! Ein gutes Buch für Interessierte, aber auch für Betroffene und ihre Angehörigen!

[Ardella Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The picture here is of the hardcover version; it is available in paperback. A great book, recommended by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber in his anti-cancer book, about the best things to eat for protection against cancer. I have learned a lot from this book that doesn't make it into the popular press--such as that it's the phytochemicals that matter in fighting cancer more than "anti-oxidants." Fortunately, most of the recommended foods are fun to eat anyway (like the dark chocolate--mmmm!), so this book helps you not feel guilty for spending money on good food.

[Eric Paradis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellente référence (nouvelle édition). Ça confirme pleines de bonnes habitudes: saumon, légumineuses, choux de bruxelles, petits fruits, cacao, vin rouge, thé vert. Ça rappelle aussi des faits intéressants: le bienfait des nectarines/pêches, les variétés japonaises de thé vert, la toxicité des charcuteries et l'effet combiné de plusieurs facteurs.

[Jarmo Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dette er en stort sett inspirerende bok om mat og næringsmidler som direkte eller indirekte er med på å beskytte, forebygge og delvis kunne være med på en reverseringsprosess av kreft. Vi vet at kreft er en sykdom som alle ønsker å unngå i livet, men som altfor mange får selv om det finnes nok informasjon og fagstoff der ute som viser hvordan man kan forebygge, men også behandle kreft (utenom de konvensjonelle medisinske metodene). Denne boken er et godt steg på veien og er således inspirerende lesing, men samtidig har den sine mangler og direkte vitenskapelige feiluttalelser, som for eksempel at man skal unngå mettet fett og rødt kjøtt. Dette er påstander som boken gjentar innimellom uten klar forskningsmessig grunn. Boken behandler heller ikke noe av det viktigste for å sulte kreftcellene, nemlig kraftig karbohydratrestriksjon i kostholdet. Dette blandet med mange av de kreftbekjempende matvarene ville gjort susen enda mer effektiv.

Boken påpeker på en interessant måte hvordan molekylene som virker skrekkende på kreftcellene ofte må handle sammen for å få forsterket effekt. For eksempel så vil det å blande gurkemeie med pepper gjøre effekten 1000 ganger sterkere. Forfatteren av boken har ikke så mye til overs for tilskudd i denne sammenhengen pga. manglende forståelse rundt molekylenes samlede virkning på kreften. Dette er greit å ha i bakhodet når man inntar mat som bekjemper kreft.

Boken nevner flere matvarer bl.a. hvitløk, mørk sjokolade, omega 3, grønn te og tomater. I senere tid har tomatenes lektininnhold satt spørsmålstegn på om tomater virkelig er den sunne planten for mange som man skal ha det til, så de som viser seg å reagere på tomater bør kanskje holde seg unna, selv som kreftforebyggende matvare, men da er det bare å pøse på med andre matvarer som man tåler, for boken har nok å velge i. Noen matvarer som soya blir tatt fram som et undermiddel, men boken er så vidt innom de negative sidene ved det, men samtidig fremmer boken de gode og kanskje ikke tar nok fram rundt det negative.

Selv om all forskning boken viser til ikke er helt 100% vanntett så er det mye bra å hente her, selv om jeg som sagt ikke kan stå inne for alt, spesielt den konvensjonelle tankegangen rundt fett og kjøtt og hvordan forfatteren sier at istedenfor å bytte ut margarin med smør, så bør man ty til olivenolje, som om smør er den store skurken her.

[Mary Karpel-Jergic · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book; comprehensive, well researched, beautiful pictures and a technical content that supports the suggestions for eating with a purpose, without losing the reader in the process.

One huge takeaway.... drink three cups of Japanese green tea every day!

What I find difficult to believe is that the book I've just read was published in 2006; eleven years ago. How come I didn't know about the possibility of diet as a preventative measure for cancer? In the UK the message is just 5 a day - so simplistic. I knew about vitamins and antioxidants but hey, the stuff that fights cancer is called by other names, e.g. phytochemicals.

I guess the majority of people who are interested in this are either cancer patients themselves or have someone they care about with cancer. It needs to be read by the healthy at the moment. I can't recommend this book enough. I bought it second hand and the poor binding means many pages are loose. I would buy a new updated edition.

Interestingly, I came about this book from David Servan-Schreiber's brilliant book 'Anti-Cancer'. In it he mentions a man who survived for 5 years after being given three months and this is attributed by the man's wife cooking him food following a diet by Richard Beliveau. He had been successful with mice and attempted to devise a diet that would be adapted to the human weight. This was no quack offering false hope - this was a doubting scientist (he did not say his diet would work for a human) and a desperate man prepared to give anything a try.

I wish there was more known, universally about this type of work.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, I was skeptical of this book while looking at the cover. I was arrogant and assumed it would spew out healthy eating advise I already know. But it came highly recommended, and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. I learned so much from this book! We all know we need to eat our vegetables, but this book is all about the science and chemistry behind the healthy food. For example, did you know Japanese green tea contains far higher amounts of EGCG (an anticancer catechin) than Chinese green tea? If I’m going to slug down green tea, you can bet I will make with worth my while by drinking from the region that has more cancer fighting compounds. And don’t even get me started on how underrated the poor white button mushroom is. It’s a cancer fighting super hero and deserves far more recognition than it gets. Who knew?!? This book is full of valuable little informational nuggets. I found it highly motivating.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I did not finish this book, (I got caught up in other books), I did enjoy it. The book is not too heavy in medical verbiage to not be understandable by the typical person. The references in the book allow you to further your research in this subject. I liked all the graphs that really helped to drive home the points made. Eating healthy, and eating in a way that helps diminish the chances of disease is a subject I am really interested in. I recommend this book to others just for the simple fact that the book helps you look at food differently. It helps you to reevaluate the way you eat and helps you figure out ways you can add more nutrient dense foods into your diet to promote health. It's not just for people with cancer diagnosis to read, but anyone with risk factors in their life to take into consideration.

[Anne Vollerthum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Not just for people learning to deal with cancer but, as I believe, for everyone who wants to understand a little bit more about the miraculous workings of our body and the healing properties of nutritious-dense food. This is not my first book on health, but it’s been the most understandable and interesting one so far. Dr. Béliveau explains what cancer is, how cancer cells build and keep growing. He does so using clear language - for the first five chapter I could not put the book down. And the best news is: I love most of the foods presented and linked to cancer “prevention” and remission in the main part of the book. Thanks for putting in the work and presenting ways of again taking over the steering wheel when health crisis strikes.

[Roberto Bovina · Rating 4 out of 5]

cellules cancéreuses; developpement du cancer; angiogenése; inflamation chronique
"la prevention du cancer - aliments anticancéreux - inhibition de la croissance de cellules de tumeurs par des extrait de légumes (apoptose) - composés
phytochimiques des fruits et des légumes (Polyphénols, Terpènes, Composés soufrés, Saponines) - Antioxydantes - Les effets anticancéreux des légumes crucifères (sulforaphane) - propriétés anticancéreuses de l’ail.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bright, beautiful book with an abundance of charts and graphs illustrating the text. The food photographs alone inspire you to eat these whole foods, but the science behind it is what really matters. This approachable, easy to read book should be required reading for everyone in their 30s and 40s. So much of what hits us in our 50s and 60s could be prevented with better dietary habits.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro que lo he ido leyendo poco a poco, en los desayunos, y que me parece imprescindible. Lo que más me ha gustado es que lo explica todo súper fácil pero con bioquímica de por medio. Escrito por dos doctores y con un equipo grande de investigación detrás, me parece de lo mejor que he leído en temas de alimentación y salud.

[A.K. White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! From the simple layout to the information, it's all fabulous. I borrowed it from the library, but have now ordered a copy of my own. Such a good reference/reminder guide about eating well and why we need to!

[Scott MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and well illustrated. A must read for anyone concerned about their health.

[KFK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about how the body and cancer work. Liked the idea that we are not just talking about genetics but also habits and food. Worth the read.

[David Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a major update of the original 2007 first edition that moves the emphasis from cancer fighting complementary therapy dietary advice, to major risk reduction dietary advice, based upon studies completed in the last decade. This will be a positive review because the science behind the advice is explained both highly in-depth and broken down into easy to understand summaries, a book for all reading levels. The dietary advice is handled in a similar way.

The authors propose that two-thirds of all cancers can be avoided by simple changes to our lifestyles, including dietary habits. The statistics provided do indeed appear to support this proposal, and the advice given is solid enough to help you achieve this.

Part one of the book is where the big science lives. Very in-depth discussions of cancer risks; a fully up-to-date description of cancer, its causes, evolution, and its preferred environment; a discussion regarding food choices and the role of anti-inflammatory properties; and finishes with the ‘breakthrough’ role of phytochemical compounds, those compounds that have our scientifically measured cancer risk reduction properties.

Part two is where the advice lives, and is the place to dip into for quick guides. Ten large sections that each discuss a recommended food both scientifically in-depth and summarised helpfully. This is where we find that cancer cells loathe cabbage and that tomato ketchup is better for you than raw tomatoes! This section ends with some useful anti-cancer biodiversity advice, moving away from the phytochemicals and into the more general goodness that exists in the likes of coffee and chocolate!

Part three concludes the book with recommended common sense lifestyle changes, and summarises the dietary advice.

This is a book I can thoroughly recommend to all interested in the subject, and to those looking for general good dietary advice. I have been impressed by the discussion of our carrying immature tumors inside us throughout our lives and the target of preventing their progression beyond the normal human life-span. The range of recommended foods is large and practical, something that helps a ‘knows what he likes to eat’ chap like me. Every chapter ends with a very useful small summary box that brings all the information into simple bullet points, perfect for all reading levels. Are there negatives? Some might like to see recipes in a recommended foods book, but I found there was enough useful ‘how to eat this food’ information that you could easily implement. If you were a scientist reading this then a lack of in-page references might be off-putting, but this isn’t for academic reading, you’ve been given a 10 page reference bibliography at the back though if that’s your thing. I will return to this book again.

I reviewed this book for the Penny Brohn UK Cancer Care charity's library.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit science-y in places, but overall an excellent, interesting read about the relationship between food and cancer. The authors really break down each section, explaining how cancer develops and in turn how the different cancer-fighting properties of the foods affect it.

An easy read--I read through the whole book in a little less than two hours, including most of the science-y parts and have come away feeling like I can actually incorporate the knowledge into my daily lifestyle.

[Kim Veach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book detailing the science behind which foods help prevent cancer (and can sometimes reverse it). No surprise - they were fruits and vegetables (with a little red wine and chocolate:) and the take-away message was that you need to eat a variety. No one food - no matter how good it is - works best alone. And the nutrients in the foods are never as good in supplements as they are whole.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this after I was first diagnosed. Even though I am a biologist, this book can get a bit technical, but in general, it is a super I formative, evidence-based read to help use food as part of your wellness plan. Note: the binding is terrible. I went to a print shop and had it coil bound.

[Linda Lanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great information in this book, including a ton of scientific studies and info to explain why/how the foods impact your body. It's easy to understand, so don't let that deter you from reading the book. I'm planning to make adjustments to what I eat -- food is isn't just fuel for your body, but medicine as well.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une vulgarisation intéressante du cancer et des effets de l'alimentation sur les chances de développer celui-ci.
An approachable and interesting presentation of cancer and how what we eat can affect it. A good everyman approach to it.

[Ghostsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lays out ten recommended food groups. We try to include these in our meals every day and in our weekly plan. Great for fighting Cancer but also good Heart Health and around healthy eating. Easy to read and well illustrated. A chapter on each food group with practical summary.

[Dr Tarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nutrition is such an important part in the fight against cancer, so books like this are so valuable.

I can also recommend a free book called Food To Fight Cancer, which you can read on www.foodtofightcancer.com