Soup Recipes with Cancer-Fighting Ingredients
Eager to learn how to rustle up tasty soups that also fulfil the dietary requirements of people who want to proactively reduce their risk of developing cancer? This section of our Guide to Fighting Cancer is filled with recipes that use ingredients that boast hefty doses of cancer-fighting nutrients. Bon appetit!
However, before you unleash the culinary prodigy in you and try the recipes below, make sure you have visited the section on the best diet tips for cancer prevention as well as the section that provides an overview of the best foods for fighting cancer.
Apple and Onion Soup
Here's an anti-cancer soup recipe starring onions and apples, two of nature's best sources of quercetin, a bioflavonoid that has strong anti-cancer properties. Studies have associated the consumption of both apples and onions with a reduced risk of many cancers.
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Tangy Tomato Soup with Basil
Not only do garlic, shallots, and basil lend their flavors to create this tasty soup, but they also offer a number of health benefits, especially for people who want to reduce their risk of cancer. Allicin, which gives garlic its distinctive odor and flavor, has been shown to slow down and prevent certain types of cancer, when consumed regularly. Population studies have also found that cultures with a high consumption of garlic (e.g. China, Japan, France) have a reduced the risk of stomach, colon, pancreatic, esophageal, and breast cancer. Shallots, on the other hand, are loaded with quercetin, a bioflavonoid that has anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties while basil is rich in flavonoids which provide antioxidant protection. See the RecipeWholesome Winter Pea and Watercress Soup
This easy-to-make soup with a smooth creamy texture draws on the health benefits of watercress, a super food that has been used to treat a wide range of ailments for centuries. Recent research suggests that eating fresh watercress daily can significantly reduce blood cell DNA damage. DNA damage in blood cells is an indicator of a person's overall cancer risk. Watercress contains a special mustard oil that is known to have significant anti-cancer properties. But the anti-cancer properties of watercress may also be attributable to the high levels of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lutein contained in these little peppery leaves. One study found that consumption of watercress increased test subjects' blood levels of lutein and beta-carotene by 100% and 33%, respectively. Also the onion featured in this soup has anti-cancer properties. See the Recipe
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables and an excellent ingredient for anti-cancer dishes. The pink, orange, and yellow varieties are one of the most concentrated food sources of beta-carotene (the more intense the color, the more beta-carotene). In addition, sweet potatoes contain vitamin C as well as unique root proteins which, according to preliminary studies, may have significant antioxidant properties. Also garlic, onions, and curry powder contain substances that are known to possess strong anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties. See the Recipe
Grandma's Chicken Soup
A laboratory test has now confirmed what grandmas have known for years: chicken soup is good for you. The researchers found that chicken soup and its main ingredients help inhibit the migration of neutrophils — white blood cells that swallow up bacteria and viruses responsible for infectious diseases. Your neutrophil count lies somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 neutrophils per milliliter of blood, but chemotherapy and some radiotherapy treatments can lower your neutrophil count, making you more prone to getting infections. See the RecipeChicken Soup with Rice and Broccoli
This scrumptious chicken soup features broccoli, a great anti-cancer vegetable that helps eliminate carcinogenic toxins, reduce DNA damage, trigger apoptosis in cancerous cells, prevent the development of benign tumors into malignant tumors. But the anti-cancer properties of this soup do not end there: also the organic celery in this soup adds to its cancer-thwarting properties. Celery is known to contain at least eight families of cancer-combating compounds. See the Recipe
Beet and Carrot Soup
This recipe pairs carrots with beets to create a flavorsome soup that is also rich in nutrients that help prevent cancer. Several studies have found betacyanin, a phytochemical responsible for the deep red color of beets, to be highly effective at preventing cancer while carrots contain falcarinol, a compound that has been shown to inhibit the development of cancer. See the RecipeNourishing Nettle Soup
Nettle—the star of this wonderful soup—is rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium, zinc, and flavonoids. Many of these antioxidants are known to have a synergistic effect and to protect each other from oxidation, thereby enhancing the overall antioxidant prowess of this healthy soup. See the RecipeBarley Soup with Beans and Basil
Diets rich in beans have been associated with a reduced risk of several types of cancer, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer. The barley, basil, and tomatoes this recipe calls for also add to the cancer-fighting properties of this scrumptious soup as they are all rich in antioxidant compounds. See the RecipeBroccoli and Barley Soup
Broccoli may be one of the best foods you can eat if you want to turbo-charge your anti-cancer diet. Broccoli contains some extraordinary compounds that have been shown to trigger apoptosis in cancerous cells, eliminate carcinogenic toxins, help prevent the development of benign tumors into malignant tumors,reduce DNA damage, and help prevent the spread of cancer from one organ to another. Also barley is an excellent weapon in your anti-cancer arsenal as it is loaded with selenium, with a mere cup of cooked barley containing more than 50% of the daily value for this trace mineral. See the RecipeFor more recipes that may help lower your odds of developing cancer, visit the main recipe directory of this Nutrition Guide to Fighting Cancer.
