Plant-Forward Foods to Eat this Spring
Eating a balanced and plant-forward diet has a variety of benefits including enhancing immune function, reducing inflammation, increasing energy, helping your body respond to treatment better, and coping with treatment side effects. Discover nourishing foods you can eat during cancer treatment.
Plant-Based Proteins:
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Beans
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Legumes such as cannellini beans, black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, and cashews
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Nuts like walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts
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Seeds like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds
Oils and foods high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats:
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Olive oil
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Avocados
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Nut and seed butter
Vegetables:
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Dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss, chard, and bok choy)
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Broccoli
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Sweet Potatoes
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Carrots
Fruits:
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Antioxidant-packed berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
Fiber-rich whole grains:
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Quinoa
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Brown or wild rice
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Oatmeal
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Whole grain bread or pasta
Nonfat and low-fat dairy foods:
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Milk
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Cheese
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Yogurt
Protein-rich foods:
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Eggs
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Oily fish high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, mackerel, and sardines
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Lean meats, including 95% lean ground beef, skinless chicken, or turkey
Sources:
American Cancer Society: Eating Well During Treatment
NIH: Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet