Let Food Be Thy Medicine: 5 Cancer-Fighting Foods That Heal the Body & Starve Disease
Integrative Oncology: Using Food and Lifestyle to Fight Cancer with Mayo Clinic Expert
Discover the evidence-based foods that actively starve cancer and heal your body, directly from a Stage 4 cancer survivor and Mayo Clinic physician.
Short Summary
- Food is cited as the leading cause of death in the U.S., driven largely by ultra-processed items.
- Consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables daily reduces cancer mortality risk by 10%.
- Specific plant compounds, like anthocyanins in purple sweet potatoes, can genetically turn off cancer-promoting genes.
- Cruciferous vegetables, eaten raw or with mustard seed, act as powerful, natural detoxification agents.
- Even in old age (80s), dietary changes significantly extend healthy life expectancy by years.
This conversation offers practical guidance on harnessing food as medicine, countering common dietary myths, and applying personalized lifestyle interventions derived from cutting-edge research and personal medical experience. Readers will gain actionable steps to improve vitality, manage chronic disease risk, and support treatment outcomes.
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Top Comments (10)
I exercise every day, eat all the right foods and don’t have a major health disease. I am 75 years old and have been preparing to die soon. I just didn’t know why I was still here and really felt lost. After hearing Dr. Mussallem, I feel really alive and now have a positive look on my life. I am going to live to be 100! Wow, that ought to scare my kids!
This is my doctor at Mayo!!! She is so encouraging!!! She also had to have a heart transplant(coded on the table) and ran a marathon 1yr later! Every Doctor should listen to this!!!
I'm a stage 3 advanced nonhopskins lymphoma. Dr wanted me to quit work, i didn't! my job is not physical. By keep working i didn't deal with thoughts 24/7. Also, ate extra plant based foods, and lots of sleep. The body heals during sleep. Chemotherapy worked. This was 6 yrs ago. Cancer free! ❤
Making healthy choices: 1. Exercise - move your body 2. Healthy fibre, whole food - Phytonutrients (anthocyanine) from Berries and Purple sweet potato, cruciferous veges: raw arugula, steamed cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage; black beans, lentils, edamame (soy reduces cancer), kiwi 3. Avoid ultra processed food, food colouring, artificial sweeteners, processed meat. 4. Sleep @ brain bath 5. Acceptance instead of resistance
I've never heard an oncologist say I have the best job in the world. She's very special. Excellent podcast
She is my doctor at Mayo. She is amazing words can't describe. ❤
I survived stage two invasive breast cancer that went to stage four months later to my liver. There were so many lesions that were too many to count. They pulled a tissue sample and I was her two new positive. It was a very aggressive cancer, and I went weekly for chemotherapy. I’ve had gammon radiation chemo, and later it went to my brain. I’ve had three brain surgeries after the second one I had a massive brain infection that said in and I was leaking brain serum. They went in. They cleaned that up. I’m in remission and I will tell you all one thing eat healthy but the most important thing is don’t make this illness your life treat it like getting your hair or your nails done. Look forward to the next day. Don’t slow down. I was given six months to live with no chemo in a year, possibly with it that was 20 years ago.
WOW!! My heart is just so full! I am a retired Oncology Certified nurse, 32 years. I so agree with Dr. Mussallem when she talked about how wonderful it is to love on and take care of cancer patients. I love her spirit and when I worked it was such a gift, I loved every minute of my 32 years. I gained so much from being with my patients, we laughed together, and sometimes we cried together too. God gave me a very wonderful anointing. Thank you for this video!!!
I just received my diagnosis on last Thursday. This video is a game changer for me…my thoughts have been all over the place but now I have hope. Thank you.
Growing up poor somewhere else outside the US, the only foods that my family could afford to consume were: green beans, long beans, pumpkin, eggplants for meals and tofu for protein. All kind of fruits for snacks. Often family grocery budget low: beans, yellow, and purple potatoes were replaced for rice. Once in a blue Moon or at New Year, a (1) pound of red meat or poultry was shared for a dozen of family members. Now after many decades living in the US, I still eat the same way like when I was brought up with vegetables and fruits, water and coffee are beverages of my choice, say no to smoke and alcohol, freshly meals cooked from scratch at home and I don’t have any illness nor never been hospitalized, no need supplements, snacking fruits all day long is what I do. Today listening to the show, the excitement of Doctor Mussallem and show host Mel about healthy foods made me smile and think “Being poor was a BLESSING for me”.
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Top Comments (10)
I exercise every day, eat all the right foods and don’t have a major health disease. I am 75 years old and have been preparing to die soon. I just didn’t know why I was still here and really felt lost. After hearing Dr. Mussallem, I feel really alive and now have a positive look on my life. I am going to live to be 100! Wow, that ought to scare my kids!
This is my doctor at Mayo!!! She is so encouraging!!! She also had to have a heart transplant(coded on the table) and ran a marathon 1yr later! Every Doctor should listen to this!!!
I'm a stage 3 advanced nonhopskins lymphoma. Dr wanted me to quit work, i didn't! my job is not physical. By keep working i didn't deal with thoughts 24/7. Also, ate extra plant based foods, and lots of sleep. The body heals during sleep. Chemotherapy worked. This was 6 yrs ago. Cancer free! ❤
Making healthy choices: 1. Exercise - move your body 2. Healthy fibre, whole food - Phytonutrients (anthocyanine) from Berries and Purple sweet potato, cruciferous veges: raw arugula, steamed cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage; black beans, lentils, edamame (soy reduces cancer), kiwi 3. Avoid ultra processed food, food colouring, artificial sweeteners, processed meat. 4. Sleep @ brain bath 5. Acceptance instead of resistance
I've never heard an oncologist say I have the best job in the world. She's very special. Excellent podcast
She is my doctor at Mayo. She is amazing words can't describe. ❤
I survived stage two invasive breast cancer that went to stage four months later to my liver. There were so many lesions that were too many to count. They pulled a tissue sample and I was her two new positive. It was a very aggressive cancer, and I went weekly for chemotherapy. I’ve had gammon radiation chemo, and later it went to my brain. I’ve had three brain surgeries after the second one I had a massive brain infection that said in and I was leaking brain serum. They went in. They cleaned that up. I’m in remission and I will tell you all one thing eat healthy but the most important thing is don’t make this illness your life treat it like getting your hair or your nails done. Look forward to the next day. Don’t slow down. I was given six months to live with no chemo in a year, possibly with it that was 20 years ago.
WOW!! My heart is just so full! I am a retired Oncology Certified nurse, 32 years. I so agree with Dr. Mussallem when she talked about how wonderful it is to love on and take care of cancer patients. I love her spirit and when I worked it was such a gift, I loved every minute of my 32 years. I gained so much from being with my patients, we laughed together, and sometimes we cried together too. God gave me a very wonderful anointing. Thank you for this video!!!
I just received my diagnosis on last Thursday. This video is a game changer for me…my thoughts have been all over the place but now I have hope. Thank you.
Growing up poor somewhere else outside the US, the only foods that my family could afford to consume were: green beans, long beans, pumpkin, eggplants for meals and tofu for protein. All kind of fruits for snacks. Often family grocery budget low: beans, yellow, and purple potatoes were replaced for rice. Once in a blue Moon or at New Year, a (1) pound of red meat or poultry was shared for a dozen of family members. Now after many decades living in the US, I still eat the same way like when I was brought up with vegetables and fruits, water and coffee are beverages of my choice, say no to smoke and alcohol, freshly meals cooked from scratch at home and I don’t have any illness nor never been hospitalized, no need supplements, snacking fruits all day long is what I do. Today listening to the show, the excitement of Doctor Mussallem and show host Mel about healthy foods made me smile and think “Being poor was a BLESSING for me”.