8 Foods That May Support Your Body’s Natural Defenses Against Cancer

A healthy diet cannot guarantee protection from cancer, but eating a variety of fruits and vegetables can provide important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant compounds that support overall health. Some foods contain compounds that researchers are studying for their potential role in cancer prevention.

Here are eight nutritious foods worth including in a balanced diet.

1. Purple Sweet Potatoes

Purple sweet potatoes are rich in anthocyanins, the natural pigments responsible for their deep purple color. These compounds have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are being studied for their potential effects on cancer-related processes.

Laboratory research has found that extracts from purple sweet potatoes can affect the growth of certain cancer cells. However, results from cell or animal studies do not mean that eating purple sweet potatoes can treat or cure cancer in humans.

How to enjoy them: Bake, roast, steam, or mash purple sweet potatoes as a nutrient-rich side dish.

2. Eggplant

Eggplant is another colorful vegetable containing a variety of naturally occurring plant compounds.

Its purple skin contains anthocyanins, while the vegetable also provides fiber, potassium, and other nutrients. Researchers continue to investigate whether compounds found in eggplant may have beneficial effects on pathways associated with cancer.

Rather than viewing eggplant as a “natural cancer remedy,” it is more accurate to consider it part of a varied, plant-rich eating pattern.

Easy idea: Roast eggplant with olive oil, garlic, and herbs, or add it to vegetable stews and stir-fries.

3. Broccoli

Broccoli is particularly interesting because it contains sulforaphane, a compound produced when certain compounds in cruciferous vegetables are broken down.

Laboratory and early human research has investigated sulforaphane for its effects on cellular defense mechanisms and other processes relevant to cancer biology.

Broccoli also provides vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and fiber.

How to eat it: Add steamed broccoli to grain bowls, salads, stir-fries, soups, or roasted vegetable dishes.

4. Radishes

Radishes belong to the cruciferous vegetable family, which also includes broccoli, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower.

Their characteristic peppery flavor comes from naturally occurring compounds called glucosinolates and their breakdown products. These compounds are being studied for their potential biological effects.

Radishes are also low in calories and provide vitamin C and fiber.

Try this: Slice fresh radishes into salads, sandwiches, tacos, or grain bowls for a crisp, spicy flavor.

5. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the best-known dietary sources of lycopene, a carotenoid responsible for their red color.

Lycopene has antioxidant properties, and researchers have studied its possible relationship with several types of cancer, particularly prostate cancer.

Interestingly, cooking tomatoes can increase the amount of lycopene that the body can absorb. Pairing tomatoes with a small amount of healthy fat can also improve carotenoid absorption.

Best options: Tomato sauce, roasted tomatoes, tomato soup, or cooked tomatoes served with olive oil.