Research backed foods that fight cancer, it turns out you’re cooler than you think, and most of your worries never happen.

If you are reading this, it’s highly likely that you have cancer. 

As I write this, I know, it’s highly likely that somewhere, inside my body, I have cancer. 

Now, the cancer I am referring to is most likely microscopic, and harmless, at the moment. 

Chances are it will remain microscopic, and thus, harmless. 

Let’s get a little more clear on what I mean by this. 

It all begins with cellular senescence.

A senescent cell, also known as a “zombie cell”, is a cell that has stopped multiplying, but doesn’t die off when it should, and has stopped serving its purpose in the body. 

Over time, these senescent cells, with no purpose to serve, can become autoimmune, or metabolically inefficient, meaning, potentially cancerous. 

If the aging process has begun in your body, you deal with cellular senescence. The older you get, the more cell senescence happens. 

This is why I say, it’s highly likely that if you are reading this, that you likely have cancer in your body, and most likely, as it currently stands, it is harmless. 

So when we think of someone being diagnosed with cancer, it’s not the actual presence of a cancerous tumor, as many of us have microscopic cancerous tumors in our body that are harmless. 

Rather, when someone is diagnosed with cancer, what that really means is that what once was a seemingly harmless, microscopic mass of cancerous cells, has now become a problem. 

And now it’s a potentially life threatening problem. 

This can be a bit of a sobering reality, knowing that it’s likely we have cancer in our bodies, but also empowering, knowing this, and knowing there are proactive measures we can take to ensure those harmless, microscopic tumors remain so, or are killed off by the body through a process known as “apoptosis”. 

Apoptosis is a programmed cellular death that kills off these rogue, purposeless senescent cells. We want to go through apoptosis as much as possible. 

So how does cancer go from harmless and microscopic, to larger, and problematic?

Through a process in the body known as angiogenesis. 

Angiogenesis, simply put, is the development of new blood vessels.

Typically, angiogenesis is the giver of life in the body, and is beneficial. 

However, in the presence of a cancerous, microscopic tumor, the last thing we want to do is give it “life”. 

Therefore, in the presence of a cancerous, microscopic tumor, we don’t want angiogenesis to take place. 

When new blood vessels form around the tumor, the tumor can now be fed, it has blood flow. 

Therefore, to stop cancer from gaining a life force, from growing, and thus, becoming a potentially deadly problem, you want the opposite of angiogenesis to take place. You want the cancer to essentially starve itself out. 

Meet Dr. William Li

Dr. William Li is a Harvard educated physician, who has authored over 100 peer reviewed papers, serves on multiple boards, and is the Chief Executive Officer, President, and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded to reconceptualize health and fighting disease through angiogenesis.

Dr. Li knew that we used pharmaceutical drugs to “starve out” cancer cells, and he had a simple hypothesis, which was that through research, we could discover foods that yielded the same, if not better results for starving out cancer, or having an “anti-angiogenic” effect. 

This hypothesis was what the Angiogenesis Foundation was built on. 

It turns out that this hypothesis was correct. 

The Angiogenesis Foundation has discovered over 100 foods that have an anti-angiogenic effect. Essentially foods that you can eat, and will help you keep those harmless, microscopic tumors harmless, and potentially, even help support your body in killing those potentially cancerous clusters of “zombie cells” off.

Of those 100+ foods, Dr. Li has located some as his “top cancer fighting foods”, and I think you’re really going to be happy to see some of them. 

Foods to Eat to Beat Cancer

Coffee. Coffee beans contain specific polyphenols that epigenetically turn on your body’s tumor suppressor gene RARB2. This has been documented by scientists at the University of South Carolina. These polyphenol compounds that have this tumor suppressing effect on our genes are susceptible to oxidation, so we recommend grinding your beans fresh when possible as this provides you with a cup of coffee highest in active polyphenols. This is why, at NONA, we always grind your beans fresh, and French press every cup of coffee we brew for you. At minimum, try to choose high quality coffee, preferably organic. 

Red Wine. Like coffee, red wine contains polyphenol compounds that have antiangiogenic effects. This is one of the reasons a glass or two of red wine per day has been shown to have therapeutic, anti-aging effects. Also, like coffee, there are ways to ensure you’re getting the healthiest glass of wine. To learn more about how to choose the healthiest wine CLICK HERE. I also recently wrote a segment on some really solid research that shows regular, low to moderate red wine consumption has a profound effect on reducing risk of cognitive decline. 

Beer. Well, hops. The rub is, beer is really the only food/drink we consume that contains hops, and it does contain a high concentration depending on the beer you select. Hops contain xanthohumeral, which is a known antiangiogenic bio active. The U.S. National Cancer Institute conducted an analysis of almost 108,000 people, and found that those who consumed approximately 5 beers per week, had a 33% reduced risk of kidney cancer. Choosing a craft brewed IPA will yield the highest concentration of hops, and therefore, cancer fighting xanthohumeral. There is also a great, non-alcoholic way to consume cancer fighting hops in a drink called HOP WTR. It’s a carbonated, hoppy drink, with adaptogens, that will help you relax and wind down. 

Note: When consuming alcohol and considering the potential health benefits, extreme moderation is the key. Excessive alcohol consumption has very well documented deleterious effects, and those deleterious effects will outweigh the health benefits when over consumed. However, in moderation, 1-2 servings in a day, based on weight, or 4-5 servings per week has been shown to have potentially positive effects on cardiovascular health, and stress relief. Combine that with some other researched anti-aging and disease preventive benefits, and it looks like you can in fact, drink to your health. 

To read more, check out Dr. Li’s full article, 6 Foods to Eat to Beat Cancer.

I came across an article titled, 9 Mental Dispositions that are Sabotaging your Social Life, which on the surface, felt like kind of a negative title. However, I’m glad I read it, because upon reading it, I found the findings of the research to be some of the most positive, uplifting research I’ve come across, and I’m stoked to share it with you, 

Have you ever had a conversation with someone, say, at a party or event, and afterwards, became self conscious of yourself, or things you said? 

 Maybe you felt you got too personal, or discussed things that after the fact, seemed a bit too intimate?

Or maybe you helped someone out, or did something to brighten their day, only to think it didn’t really matter? 

Well, it turns out, it does matter, more than you think. 

And on top of that, it also turns out, people like you a lot more than you may think, and they also tend to appreciate deeper, more intimate conversations more than you might think. 

This article is definitely worth the read, but I’ll share some of my favorites with you, and hope that it leaves you feeling more uplifted by how much more positive and impactful our social interactions are than we may realize. 

You underestimate how much you will enjoy talking to a stranger.

We typically shy away from starting conversations with strangers, whether it’s out of fear that it won’t be welcomed, or several other possible reasons. Turns out, research shows that if you do strike up a conversation with a stranger, or a stranger with you, that it will be more enjoyable than you think, and leave you both in a better mood.

You underestimate how much new acquaintances like you.

Turns out, people like you more than you may think when they first meet you, and that’s pretty cool to know. I find myself thinking back to when I first met people, thinking maybe I talked too much, or was a bit too intense (as I feel I have a tendency to be). It’s probably somewhat natural to go back and second guess those interactions, however, rest easy, because it appears that often, you make a better first impression than you think. 

You underestimate how much people will care about intimate disclosures.

TMI. Something I think many of us are cognizant of in ourselves in conversations. In fact, so cognizant, that oftentimes we’ll preface a statement, or a detail we share by first alerting “TMI”. Divulging too much, or going too deep in a conversation, for fear of turning the other person off with all your deep, intimate details. Once again, it turns out those thoughts, or even fears, probably aren’t warranted. It’s not 100% the case of course, but it seems most people truly appreciate conversations that go past small talk, past the surface layers, to be deeper, and thus, more meaningful.

You underestimate the positive impact of giving a compliment.

Turns out, we have a tendency to shy away from giving compliments to others for fear that it will be viewed as awkward, and this is an overestimation on our end in how it will be received. In fact, it appears that not only do you overestimate how awkward you may seem in giving a compliment, but you also underestimate how much of an impact that compliment will make on the recipient. So don’t shy away from complimenting others, even, or especially complete strangers, as you probably don’t realize just how positively that small gesture can impact them, and their day.

You underestimate how much someone will appreciate you checking in on them. 

A quick call or text to check in on a friend or acquaintance can go a long way. The longer it’s been without talking to them, the seemingly more impactful it may actually be. If you’ve ever drafted a text to someone you haven’t seen or communicated with in a while, to check in on them, only to delete it before sending for fear that it might seem weird; don’t. It will be well received, and even the smallest gesture, like a quick text to check in and say “hey”, can go a long way. 

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

-Mark Twain

The future is hypothetical. 

It isn’t real. 

Most of the things that stress us out or cause us worry in our life, are a result of our own perception of hypothetical future scenarios or circumstances. 

Think back to some of the recent things that caused you worry, or stressed you out to the extent that they are noteworthy enough that you can recall them…

Now, with the gift of hindsight, how many of these things were worth worrying about?

How many things actually caused you stress in real time, on top of the stress we brought upon ourselves by worrying about them in the future, when they were hypothetical?

This falls into the “simple not easy” category. 

The solution to this is simple…live in the moment, do what you can now to relieve any future stress, worry, or discomfort

But it’s not easy. 

Rather, it’s very easy to think about what will and could go wrong. 

And don’t get me wrong, it’s important to plan and think ahead, no doubt. 

However, there is a difference between planning, and thinking ahead, and stressing out. 

When you are stressing out about future hypotheticals, you are not doing the work in the “here and now” that can help alleviate that stress. 

I am continually trying to check myself and my personal accountability in this department. 

As we look to grow our young company into a much larger company, serving the health, nutrition, and wellness needs of millions, and doing so in relatively short order, it’s very easy for me to get caught up in all the things that could go wrong. 

And believe me, as an entrepreneur, especially as a co-founder of a young growth company, what can go wrong, will go wrong. 

Which makes it very easy to worry and stress, if I let myself get caught up in it. 

However, I work daily to think about and focus explicitly on what I can do today and today only to better prepare myself, and our company, so that these worries and stressors become obsolete. 

And the funny thing is, the more I focus on what I can do today, the better I feel about the future, and the less I stress without even trying. 

It’s amazing how showing up and simply doing the work can proactively fix everything. 

Most of my worries still never happen, but I also worry less and less the more I focus only on what I can do today to improve my situation and condition.