Ask Dr Miriam

Q I have cancer in the family so please can you suggest any foods I could eat to protect myself against getting cancer. A First of all, I’d suggest you add parsley to salads as it can help fight cancer. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kale contain sulforaphane that helps the body flush out cancer-causing chemicals.

Tomatoes are good whether raw, cooked or in ketchup. They contain lycopene which can cut the risk of prostate cancer in men and endometrial cancer in women. The Indian spice, turmeric is also one to include in your diet. It contains antioxidant curcumin which slows down the development of the human papilloma virus (HPV) which causes oral and cervical cancers. Curcumin also suppresses the spread of cells in head and neck cancer. There are many more foods including garlic, plums, kidney beans, watermelon, apples and coffee.