3 Best Smoothies that Help Prevent Cancer

Cancer Sucks. Let's Try To Prevent It.

Do you know of a single person who has never been affected by cancer in some way? I don’t. Most of us have lost someone we care about to the horrible disease. The World Health Organization reported almost 10 million cancer related deaths in 2020. I don’t like it. Let’s try to get that number down.

Society is mega-focused on a cure, which is great. However, it is equally as important to focus on science backed ways to prevent cancer. If you have ever heard the phrase “food is medicine,” you are about to learn why!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and this article is not meant to be taken as direct medical advice to you. This article is for informational purposes. Sources are provided at the end of the article. Cancer prevention is not the same as a cure. If you have been diagnosed with cancer or suspect you may have cancer, please use your own judgement and resources to get the medical help you need.

How Can A Smoothie Prevent Cancer?!

Obviously, there are many factors that can contribute to your risk of getting cancer, so smoothies can’t do all of the work, but they can be a huge help in cancer prevention! According to the World Health Organization “one-third of deaths from cancer are due to tobacco use, high body mass index, alcohol consumption, low fruit and vegetable intake, and lack of physical activity.”

There are so many foods that can help you prevent cancer, and smoothies are a great way to cram a lot of foods into one super nutritious drink! The advantage of the smoothie for cancer prevention lies in its’ efficiency, cloaking abilities, and smooth(ie) texture that makes it easy to digest.

Smoothies Are Time Saving

Do you really have time to make a super elaborate fruit salad and veggie salad every single day? If so, I salute you! However, most of us don’t have that kind of time or energy on our hands. I’m able to make a pretty great salad daily, but even my most diverse salads don’t have all the nutrient rich ingredients that I can cram into a smoothie.

Smoothies are one of the best ways to make sure you can get a huge variety of ingredients all from one source. And, while you have the blender out, why not make extra smoothies in bulk and freeze some? That way, you can have smoothies ready to go for a whole month or so! I like to freeze mine in old plastic juice bottles. (Too bad glass tends to break in the freezer. I learned that the hard way!)

Smoothies Are Delicious And Mask Unwanted Flavors

Maybe you like all the fruits and veggies. Or maybe you hate avocado. No judgement here! (cough… freak!! cough..) With smoothies, even a freak like you can mask flavors you don’t like by adding more fruits and veggies you do like! That means you can get the nutrients you need and still enjoy what you are drinking! Yay!

Smoothies Are Easy To Digest

If you live a busy life, you may not have time to chew each bite of your salad 32 times or whatever the magic number is on a 30 minute lunch break. When you blend up your ingredients, you are getting the most nutritional value possible out of your food. Barbara Bolen, PhD of verywellhealth.com, says, “Plant fiber is pulverized when blended and therefore may be easier for your digestive system to handle.”

If you’re proud of your obnoxious and inappropriate farts like me, maybe you don’t care about easy to digest foods. But, if you prefer to have friends, (I type as I cry into my pillow), then a smoothie will give you much less ass gas than a salad probably will.

Cancer Prevention Through Nutrition

If you want a good shot at cancer prevention, it’s important to understand that variety is key! There are so many nutrients and vitamins that will protect your body in their own unique ways. Some major ones are:

Antioxidants
Vitamin A
B Vitamins
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
And so so so much more!

Smoothie #1

Ingredients

Strawberries – 1 Cup
Red Bell Pepper – 1 Cup
Spinach – 1 Cup
Pineapple – 1 Cup
Banana – 1 Banana
Chia Seeds – 1/2 Cup
Juice of Choice – Add enough to make the smoothie to your desired texture. Berry juice with no added sugars is best. Orange Juice is not recommended unless you like the acidic flavor.

How This Smoothie Helps Prevent Cancer

Strawberries

Strawberries aren’t playing around. They offer Vitamin C, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, stilbenes, and more. Maybe you’ve never heard of some of this nutritional lingo, and maybe I haven’t either, but the American Institute for Cancer Research says that phenolic acids found in strawberries, “increase cells’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defenses against damage that could lead to cancer in cell and animal studies.” AICR goes on to say that these phenolic acids also help gut bacteria create an environment that is not favorable for cancerous growth.

The Institute has also found that women who eat more strawberries had a lower risk of certain types of breast cancers.

Hell yeah, strawberries. You support dem boobies better than a sports bra.

Red Bell Pepper

According to the Stanford Medicine Center, 1 red bell pepper contains 226 mg of Vitamin C, whereas an orange only has 69 mg! That’s great news to someone like me who has to limit how much acidic food I eat to prevent cold sore outbreaks and tummy aches.

Bell peppers are also high in Vitamin A, an anti-inflammatory, which reduces the risk of cancer by reducing free radical activity in your body.

According to Kavita Devgan at DailyO, research shows that women who eat bell peppers daily reduce their risk of breast cancer.

Spinach

Uh oh…. Cancer you better run! We got a heavy weight here! Spinach (sometimes called spiznatch by myself), is a great source of Niacin, Zinc, Vitamin A, C, E, K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Iron, Calcium, Folate, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese, Phosphorous, and more!

Studies show that carotenoids, a form of Vitamin A found in spinach, decrease free radical damage to DNA that can cause cancer, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. The Center has also found that flavonols in spinach destroy abnormal cells that can cause cancer.

Research conducted at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center indicate that eating spinach could help prevent colon cancer. Roderick Dashwood, director of the Center for Epigenetics and Disease Prevention at Texas A&M says, “Hereditary forms of colon cancer only account for about 10 to 15 percent of cases. The majority of colon cancers are sporadic, meaning they are not driven by a genetic predisposition inherited through a family.”

Hell yeah, spiznatch. Protect dem booty holes.

Pineapple

Pineapple contains bromelain which is a group of enzymes that are said to be helpful for preventing cancer, digestive problems, muscle soreness and many other things. More research is needed to confirm that bromelain helps prevent cancer, but, hey, it ads a great flavor to this smoothie recipe, so I say throw it in!

Pro tip! If you have a good nose, try to pick out the perfectly ripe pineapple by sniffing the bottom of it. If it smells sweet, it’s probably a keeper. If it smells a little moldy, and you notice tiny white spots, do not take it home. These signs indicate that the pineapple has gone bad. Canned pineapple is fine.

Banana

Aren’t you glad bananas made the list? They are affordable and highly available year round! Hooray!

Expert scientists at Leeds and Newcastle University conducted studies that revealed that the starches found in bananas actually reduced existing cancers by more than half!!! This effect was noted mostly in certain types of cancers including oesophageal, pancreatic, gastric, duodenal, and biliary tract cancers.

The scientists clarified that the starch exists in bananas only when it is not overly ripe. So, the best way to get those cancer preventing starches from banana is to blend it up in your smoothie while the peel still has some slight green lines on the edges. I’m sure this won’t be a problem for most of you, since people always look at me strangely for eating my overly ripe, bananas with a brown peel. They’re still good on the inside!

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are a great source of lignans which are good at preventing cell growth in breast cancer tumors due to their anti-estrogenic effect. The alpha-linolenic acid found in chia seeds is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that reduces the growth of cancer cells found in the breast and cervical area.

Juice of Choice

Don’t forget to add you juice of choice! I recommend a sweet tasting mixed berry juice of some kind, no sugar added of course! I do not recommend orange juice for most smoothies, just because it has such an acidic flavor, and it can throw off the entire vibe.