TYLER TOLMAN BLOG
Broccoli | Cancer-Fighting Whole Food, Research Shows
Broccoli | Cancer-Fighting Whole Food, Research Shows
When it comes to looking at a treatment for cancer there are so many whole food options, but here I want to focus on broccoli.
I love eating broccoli – it looks like the bronchioles of the lungs (remember The Doctrine of Signatures). Research shows it can actually prevent cancer of the lungs and potentially even target cancer cells putting cancer into remission.
There is a page in my dad, Don Tolman’s book, the Farmacist Desk Reference (FDR) which specifies a 28 day Health Recovery program focusing on eating large quantities of raw and steamed broccoli, and then incorporating a period of fasting before coming back to eating broccoli again.
This protocol has improved the health of so many people, including many people who had cancer.
This is proof enough for me that broccoli has anti-cancer properties… and now there is so much science coming out on both broccoli and fasting for cancer. It’s getting harder and harder, even for the skeptics, to ignore the evidence. The American Cancer Society website is in support of these food-based treatments and have a ton of research on their website backing diet and lifestyle changes in the treatment and prevention of cancer.
Scientific Research on Broccoli for Fighting Against Cancer
I spent a little time on the research database, PubMed, to look up broccoli and cancer and I found so much amazing research.
There was one great study in particular that looked at the results of using broccoli in combination with Caloric Restriction (CR) and Cyclic Fasting (CF) in the reduction of tumors and cancers.
This study looked at an aggressive form of cancer (glioblastoma multiforme) where chemotherapy and other radiation treatments were not working. What did work was a calorie restricted diet with cyclic fasting (aka “intermittent fasting”) that didn’t feed the cancer cells.
In addition to caloric restriction, the other approach that induced anticancer metabolic change was using foods high in the compounds Sulforaphane (a sulfur containing molecules), antioxidants and Resveratrol.
Broccoli contains the highest amount of Sulforaphane out of any food (brussel sprouts and cabbage are also good). In one study, broccoli was found to kill up to 77% of breast cancer cells in vitro by disrupting the cancer cell’s nucleus.
The study found benefits through doses as low as one serving per week of raw broccoli also reduced the risk of certain cancers, such as premenopausal breast cancer risk by 40% and pancreatic cancer risk by 30% (dose: >3 servings weekly), and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma risk in women by 40% (dose: >1 serving weekly).
Cooked broccoli only has about 20% of the cancer fighting properties that raw broccoli does.
The Farmacists Desk Reference Health Recovery Plan
My dad’s protocol says to eat one large head of broccoli raw and one large head of broccoli steamed every day with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper.
He also recommends in this protocol to eat two or more pounds of grapes each day. Grapes are super high in Resveratrol which also has powerful anticancer properties. So the protocol has high amounts of Sulforaphane, antioxidants and Resveratrol which is exactly what the research above recommended.
Another cool thing about broccoli is how alkalising it is. Broccoli can create an even more alkaline environment than pure lemon juice and since cancer thrives in an acidic environment keeping the body alkaline is really important.
Of course broccoli also contains a ton of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Despite all the mounting knowledge in favour of natural remedies, plus the experience of the damage that conventional treatments such as chemo, radiation and even surgery cause, there is still some hesitation.
I guess the proof will come from the many that continue to choose to heal themselves through whole foods and fasting rather than cut, burn or poison their body.
Please share this information to those who can benefit.
Thanks for reading!
