GOMBS DIET: GREENS, ONIONS, MUSHROOMS, BERRIES, BEANS AND SEEDS
Dr. Fuhrman explains that a solution for preventing cancer is right in our grocery stores and kitchens in the form of the Superfoods he calls…GBOMBS!
Dr. Fuhrman feels these super foods are the most power GBOMBS.
- Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.
- Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.
- Mushrooms – A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.
- Beans and Berries – Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.
- Seeds – Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them.
He says studies on mushrooms, onions, berries, and green vegetables showed dramatic protection against cancer and this is recorded in medical literature like The International Journal of Cancer and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Mushrooms and onions also contain angiogenesis inhibitors which are compounds that prevent nutrients feeding into tumors and cancers.
These foods prevent those abnormal cancer cells being fueled (starving the cancer cells).
In simple mushrooms there is a compound called aromatase inhibitors. It works on body hormones. These aromatase inhibitors lower toxic levels of estrogen hormone that promotes breast cancers and they lower the hormones that promote prostate cancer. These foods have multiple effects that get at cancer in lots of different angles to protect the body.
Dr. Fuhrman explains that this high nutrient eating style has been shown and published in The Medical Journal of Metabolism to lower cholesterol more than cholesterol drugs. When you lower your cholesterol with superior nutrition you simultaneously lower your blood pressure, lose weight, and reduce inflammation.
In the world there are thousands of different food products which comprise at least some of the nutrients needed by your body.
These nutrient-rich foods is the basis for a healthy diet. If you choose the right combination of products, you are guaranteed to get the necessary nutrients in which your body needs to maintain strength and health.
You just need to know which foods contain more nutrients. GOMBS diet will acquaint you with such products.
The Healthiest, Anti-Cancer Foods: G-BOMBS
”G-BOMBS” is an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer, health-promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods that you should eat every day, making up a significant proportion of your diet. They are extremely effective at preventing chronic disease, including cancer and promoting health and longevity.
G – Greens
Raw leafy greens contain only about 100 calories per pound, and are packed with nutrients. Leafy greens contain substances that protect blood vessels, and are associated with reduced risk of diabetes 1-3
Greens are an excellent tool for weight loss as they can be consumed in virtually unlimited quantities.
Leafy greens are also the most nutrient-dense of all foods, but, unfortunately. are only consumed in minuscule amounts in a typical American diet. We should follow the example of our closest living relatives—chimpanzees and gorillas—who consume tens of pounds of green leaves every day.
The majority of calories in green vegetables, including leafy greens, come from protein, and this plant protein is packaged with beneficial phytochemicals. Green vegetables are also rich in folate (the natural form of folic acid), calcium, and contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
Leafy greens are also rich in antioxidant pigments called carotenoids, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin, which are the carotenoids known to promote healthy vision.4 Also, several leafy greens (such as kale) and other green vegetables (such as bok choy, broccoli, and brussel sprouts) belong to the cruciferous family of vegetables.
All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition—they contain glucosinolates, and when their cell walls are broken by blending, chopping or chewing, a chemical reaction converts glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (ITCs)—compounds with a variety of potent anti-cancer effects.
Because different ITCs can work in different locations in the cell and on different molecules, they can have combined additive effects, working synergistically to remove carcinogens, reduce inflammation, neutralize oxidative stress, inhibit angiogenesis (the process by which tumors acquire a blood supply), and kill cancer cells.5
B – Beans
Beans (and other legumes as well) are a powerhouse of superior nutrition, and the most nutrient-dense carbohydrate source.
Beans act as an anti-diabetes and weight-loss food because they are digested slowly, having a stabilizing effect on blood sugar, which promotes satiety and helps to prevent food cravings. Plus they contain soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol levels.6
Beans are unique foods because of their very high levels of fiber and resistant starch, carbohydrates that are not broken down by digestive enzymes. Fiber and resistant starch not only reduce the total number of calories absorbed from beans, but are also fermented by intestinal bacteria into fatty acids that help to prevent colon cancer.7
Eating beans, peas or lentils at least twice a week has been found to decrease colon cancer risk by 50%.8 Legume intake also provides significant protection against oral, larynx, pharynx, stomach, and kidney cancers.9
O– Onions
Onions, along with leeks, garlic, chives, shallots, and scallions, make up the Allium family of vegetables, which have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular and immune systems, as well as anti-diabetic and anti-cancer effects.
Allium vegetables are known for their characteristic organosulfur compounds, similar to the ITCs in cruciferous vegetables, organosulfur compounds are released when onions are chopped, crushed or chewed.
Epidemiological studies have found that increased consumption of Allium vegetables is associated with lower risk of gastric and prostate cancers. These compounds prevent the development of cancers by detoxifying carcinogens, halting cancer cell growth, and blocking angiogenesis.10
Onions also contain high concentrations of health-promoting flavonoid antioxidants, predominantly quercetin, and red onions also contain at least 25 different anthocyanins.11-12 Quercetin slows tumor development, suppresses growth and proliferation and induces cell death in colon cancer cells.13-15 Flavonoids also have anti-inflammatory effects that may contribute to cancer prevention.16
M – Mushrooms
Consuming mushrooms regularly is associated with decreased risk of breast, stomach, and colorectal cancers.
In one recent Chinese study, women who ate at least 10 grams of fresh mushrooms each day (about one mushroom per day) had a 64% decreased risk of breast cancer. Even more dramatic protection was gained by women who ate 10 grams of mushrooms and drank green tea daily—an 89% decrease in risk for premenopausal women, and 82% for postmenopausal women, respectively.17-20
White, cremini, Portobello, oyster, shiitake, maitake, and reishi mushrooms all have anti-cancer properties—some are anti-inflammatory, stimulate the immune system, prevent DNA damage, slow cancer cell growth, cause programmed cancer cell death, and inhibit angiogenesis.
In addition to these properties, mushrooms are unique in that they contain aromatase inhibitors—compounds that can block the production of estrogen. These compounds are thought to be largely responsible for the preventive effects of mushrooms against breast cancer. In fact, there are aromatase-inhibiting drugs on the market that are used to treat breast cancer.
Regular consumption of dietary aromatase inhibitors is an excellent strategy for prevention, and it turns out that even the most commonly eaten mushrooms (white, cremini, and Portobello) have a high anti-aromatase activity.21 Keep in mind that mushrooms should only be eaten cooked: several raw culinary mushrooms contain a potentially carcinogenic substance called agaritine, and cooking mushrooms significantly reduces their agaritine content.22-23
B – Berries
Blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries are true super foods.
Naturally sweet and juicy, berries are low in sugar and high in nutrients – they are among the best foods you can eat. Their vibrant colors mean that they are full of antioxidants, including flavonoids and antioxidant vitamins—berries are some of the highest antioxidant foods in existence.
Berries’ plentiful antioxidant content confers both cardio-protective and anti-cancer effects, such as reducing blood pressure, reducing inflammation, preventing DNA damage, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, and stimulating of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes. Berry consumption has been linked to reduced risk of diabetes, cancers and cognitive decline.24-29
Berries are an excellent food for the brain—berry consumption improves both motor coordination and memory.30-31
S – Seeds
Seeds and nuts contain healthy fats and are rich in a spectrum of micronutrients, including phytosterols, minerals, and antioxidants.
Countless studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular benefits of nuts. In addition, nuts in the diet aids in weight maintenance and diabetes prevention.32-35 The nutritional profiles of seeds are similar to nuts when it comes to healthy fats, minerals, and antioxidants, but seeds are also abundant in trace minerals, higher in protein than nuts, and each kind of seed is nutritionally unique.
Flax, chia, and hemp seeds are extremely rich sources of omega-3 fats. In addition to the omega-3s, flaxseeds are rich in fiber and lignans.
Flaxseed consumption protects against heart disease by a number of different mechanisms, and lignans, which are present in both flaxseeds and sesame seeds, have anti-cancer effects.36-38
Sunflower seeds are especially rich in protein and minerals. Pumpkin seeds are rich in iron and calcium and are a good source of zinc.
Sesame seeds have the greatest amount of calcium of any food in the world, and provide abundant amounts of vitamin E. Also, black sesame seeds are extremely rich in antioxidants.39
The healthy fats in seeds and nuts also aid in the absorption of nutrients when eaten with vegetables.
You can learn more about the health benefits of G-BOMBS in my New York Times best-selling book Super Immunity, which discusses how to naturally strengthen the immune system against everything from the common cold to cancer.