Do all fruits and vegetables, from avocados to zucchini, contain cancer-fighters?
Almost everything in the produce section has a place in a cancer-prevention diet. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include two of America’s favorite vegetables: French-fried potatoes and iceberg lettuce. (White potatoes are mostly starch, and iceberg lettuce is mostly water.) In contrast, cruciferous vegetables—including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, bok choy, cabbage, and brussels sprouts—are powerhouses of cancer protection. They’re loaded with substances called isothiocyanates and sulforaphane, which have been shown to boost the body’s own cancer-fighting enzymes. Also high on the list are allium vegetables, including onions and garlic. They contain organosulfates that are believed to block cancer in a variety of ways, including inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. And berries like strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries get their color from anthocyanins, potent antioxidants that are believed to protect cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Then there’s the lycopen
