The #13 Cancer-Healing Food: Tomatoes

Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that reduces risk of skin cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.[i] Men with prostate cancer who were surveyed reported eating less tomatoes than men who did not have prostate cancer.[ii] Most fruits with red flesh actually contain lycopene for example watermelon and pink grapefruit. Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C, which assists in boosting the immune system. They also have an impressive amount of vitamins A, K, and B6, thiamin, and folate.

In a study, tomato extracts were investigated for their ability to induce cell death in human cancer cells and normal cells. This is an important measure because cancer cells “forget” to die. The extracts strongly inhibited the perpetuation of human cancer cell lines that normally take up residence in the breast, colon, stomach, and liver.[iii]
 
Tomatoes are especially good for:
·      Leukemia
·      Prostate cancer[iv]
·      Breast cancer
·      Lung cancer
·      Colon cancer
·      Liver cancer
·      Skin cancer
 
Doctrine of Signatures: The tomato cut in half resembles an almost exact replica of the human heart chamber, therefore it is said to be good for heart health and for promoting the circulation of blood throughout the body. It may be helpful for treating blood-related cancers, like leukemia.

Suggested “dosage”:

• If you have cancer, 1 cup of tomatoes, 2 small whole tomatoes, or about 20 cherry tomatoes per day
• To prevent cancer, the same dose as above, but every 2–3 days

 
Caution: Tomatoes can sometimes irritate the mouth (particularly if you have canker sores or a wound) because of their acidity.
 
Cancer-Free with Food Recipes with Tomatoes

• Ketchup
• Raw Tomato Sauce
• Taco Salad
• Tabouli
• Immune Boosting Soup
• Raw Tomato Soup
• Tomato Basil and White Bean Soup
• Strawberry Salsa
• Walnut Meat Mixture
• Rainbow Vegetable Juice for Diabetics
• Mediterranean Jar Salad
• Mediterranean Omelet
• Zucchini Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Walnut “Meatballs”

 
Other Ways of Incorporating Tomatoes in Your Cancer-Healing Kitchen
Cooking tomatoes boosts their powerful medicinal properties. According to dietician Lindsay Wohlford, “Processing the tomato ups its health-boosting power. This releases the lycopene, so it can be more easily absorbed by the body.”[v]

• Eat tomatoes as they are, on their own, as a beautiful fruit
• Make homemade Raw Tomato Sauce to go with an organic and/or gluten-free pasta dishes. If the batch is doubled, you can freeze a few portions for future meals on days when you’re resting
• Add chopped or chunked tomatoes to guacamole
  
• Make vibrant veggie platters with tomatoes
  
• Juice some tomatoes for a fresh Tomato Juice to get a potent dose

Resources from Cancer-Free with Food book:

[i]     “Prostate Cancer, Nutrition, and Dietary Supplements (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version,” National Cancer Institute (accessed July 1, 2018), http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/prostate-supplements-pdq.

[ii]     V. Er, J.A. Lane, R.M. Martin, et al. “Adherence to Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations and Prostate Cancer Risk in the Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) Trial,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, vol. 23, no. 10 (October 2014), pp.  2066–77, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25017249.

[iii]    M. Friedman, C.E. Levin, H.J. Kim, et al. “Tomatine-containing Green Tomato Extracts Inhibit Growth of Human Breast, Colon, Liver, and Stomach Cancer Cells,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 57, no. 13 (July 2009), pp. 5727–33, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19514731.

[iv]    V. Er, J.A. Lane, R.M. Martin, et al.

[v]     “Five Foods That May Help Lower Your Cancer Risk” MD Anderson Cancer Center.