Add These Cancer-Fighting Foods to Your Diet to Reduce Your Risk

Everyday superfoods like whole grains and leafy greens can play a role in a cancer‑prevention diet

Kimberly Goad,

Updated March 20, 2026

AARP

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Published January 10, 2022

/ Updated March 20, 2026

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Key takeaways

Healthy eating patterns that support immunity, weight, gut health and reduced inflammation can help lower overall cancer risk.
Research links several plant‑based foods — including pulses, cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, whole grains, berries and tomatoes — with cancer‑protective benefits.
Experts emphasize long-term dietary habits over any single “miracle” food when it comes to reducing cancer risk.

Regularly filling your plate with foods that protect your immune system, support a healthy weight, reduce inflammation and promote gut health can help reduce your risk for cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Not doing so comes at a price. A healthy diet may offer protective benefits, according to a Feb. 27 report in the British Journal of Cancer, which is the largest ever report on vegetarian diets and cancer risk. It shows that the those who avoided eating meat had lower chances of pancreatic, breast, prostate and kidney cancers and multiple myeloma (though their risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus was higher). Some eating patterns involving fish and poultry had lower risks for cancers, too, so veggies aren’t the only option for a cancer-prevention diet.

For reducing cancer risk, the American Cancer Society recommends eating a variety of vegetables in a rainbow of colors — dark green, red and orange — as well as fiber-rich legumes and fruits, especially whole fruits. They suggest limiting or avoiding red meat, sugary beverages and highly processed foods. “There are not specific foods that have been shown to prevent cancer, but there are eating habits over a long period of time that have been shown to help reduce the risk of developing cancer,” says Stacy Kennedy, a registered dietitian and board certified specialist in oncology nutrition in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

She compares the impact of healthy eating habits to regular exercise. “We know that physical activity can help support a healthy weight and help reduce the risk for cancer, but we don’t generally call out one specific form of exercise as being advantageous over another. There are a lot of forms of exercise that would be helpful because they all fall under that umbrella of physical activity.” Same goes with the superfoods that land under the umbrella of healthy eating habits. “It’s that healthy pattern that helps [reduce the risk for cancer] more than specific foods,” Kennedy says.

With that in mind, here are eight stand-out superfoods that should be a part of any cancer-preventing eating plan.

1. Pulses

You know a food has true superpowers when it appears on virtually every nutritionist’s must-eat list. In a report published in 2020 in The Journal of Nutrition, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommend following a diet that provides at least 30 grams of fiber per day; five or more servings a day of plant foods; and whole grains, nonstarchy vegetables, fruit and pulses at most meals.

Beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils — collectively known as pulses, or legumes — check all those boxes. “This food group holds its status as a superfood for more than just one reason,” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic. “Legumes are low in fat and high in protein. They’re also high in insoluble fiber, which aids in digestion and an overall healthy gut.” Research also suggests that eating plant-based foods rich in fiber can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

2. Broccoli

Broccoli and its cruciferous cousins — cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale and collard greens — have long been associated with a reduced risk of cancer thanks to a molecule in each of these veggies that inactivates a gene that plays a role in a variety of cancers, according to the AICR.

Broccoli — the most commonly consumed cruciferous vegetable in the U.S. — tends to get star billing if only because it’s the richest source of that cancer-thwarting molecule, sulforaphane. A 2019 study in Science also suggests that broccoli and brussels sprouts have tumor-suppressing capabilities. And let’s not overlook the fact that this family of vegetables is packed with other health-boosting nutrients.

3. Mushrooms

When researchers at Pennsylvania State University reviewed 17 cancer studies published between 1966 and 2020, they found that people who included mushrooms in their daily diets had a lower risk of cancer. The secret ingredient? Ergothioneine, a unique and potent antioxidant that protects cells. Turns out mushrooms — especially shiitake, oyster, maitake and king oyster mushrooms — have more ergothioneine than any other food.

The study, published in 2021 in Advances in Nutrition, analyzed the data of more than 19,000 cancer patients and found that those who ate about a quarter cup of mushrooms every day had a 45 percent lower risk of cancer than those who didn’t eat mushrooms. “Mushrooms have properties that may help some of our immune cells do their job in an optimal way,” Kennedy explains. “Our immune system is what helps protect us against cancer.”

4. Walnuts

Walnuts have long interested cancer researchers, and it’s easy to see why. Animal studies suggest that walnuts slow the growth of breast, prostate, colon and renal cancers, thanks to a number of compounds that are believed to ward off the disease.

But that’s not to say walnuts are the only nuts that play a role in a cancer-preventing eating plan. A review of nine studies found that people who ate an ounce of nuts daily — that’s around 18 walnut halves, 15 pecan halves or 24 almonds — have a 15 percent lower overall cancer risk than those who didn’t eat nuts, according to AICR research.

“All nuts have fiber, protein and healthy fat,” Kennedy notes. But each one offers additional nutrients, so there are benefits to mixing things up. For instance, “almonds have vitamin E, walnuts have omega-3s, pistachios have calcium, Brazil nuts have selenium, which is an important antioxidant. You could go on and on.” Important to note, however: Nuts are high in calories, so keep an eye on portion sizes.

5. Oatmeal

That humble bowl of steel-cut oatmeal may help bolster protection against cancer, including colorectal cancer, studies show. Whole grains like oats are loaded with fiber, antioxidants and phytoestrogens (plant-based compounds that have a slew of health benefits, including a lowered risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and breast cancer), all of which help protect against cancer.

Not a fan of oatmeal? Bulgur, brown rice, barley, corn, quinoa and whole wheat couscous have the same cancer-fighting properties.

6. Berries

Berries earn their cancer-fighting bona fides in a couple of ways. For starters, all berries — strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries — are packed with cancer-fighting plant compounds known as phytochemicals. When you eat them, these phytochemicals interact with one another, other nutrients and your gut bacteria to help fend off chronic diseases like cancer, says Jill Weisenberger, a Virginia-based registered dietitian nutritionist and author of The Overworked Person’s Guide to Better Nutrition.

They’re also low in calories, so they play an equally big role in maintaining a healthy weight. Excess body weight is thought to be responsible for about 7 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the ACS. “Eat a variety of berries because each one has a different array of protective compounds,” Weisenberger suggests.

Don’t forget pomegranate seeds, as the fruit is also considered a berry. Fresh pomegranate seeds contain anthocyanins, a type of red-pigmented antioxidant polyphenols that fight inflammation, reduce cell damage and inhibit cancer cell growth, says Jenna Volpe, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Austin, Texas. Pomegranate can potentially prevent and treat different cancers, including prostate, bladder, breast, skin, lung, and colon cancer, according to a 2025 report in Food Science & Nutrition.

7. Tomatoes

There’s no wrong way to eat any fruit or vegetable, but tomatoes kick into overachiever mode when cooked. Why? The amount of lycopene — the cancer-fighting carotenoid responsible for making tomatoes red — is often much higher in processed foods like tomato juice and pizza and pasta sauce than in fresh foods.

“Lycopene is a fat-soluble nutrient, and so cooking helps to release more of it,” Kennedy explains. “When consuming cooked tomatoes, have a healthy fat with it — whether it’s avocado, nuts, olive oil — to boost absorption by the body.”

8. Green tea

A 2025 meta-analysis in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine concluded that green tea prevented several types of cancer including gallbladder, prostate and blood cancers to a certain extent (compared to controls) thanks to the antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). You have to drink it regularly to see results, she notes. “For those who don’t mind the bitter taste, a hot cup of green tea can make a great alternative to coffee in the morning or a nice mid-afternoon pick-me-up,” says Volpe, who recommends adding fresh lemon juice or raw honey to your cup. Drink it a few hours apart from dairy products, as dairy milk proteins have been shown to inhibit the antioxidant polyphenols in green tea, she explains.

Not up for a cuppa green tea? Matcha lattes, made with unsweetened plant milk and matcha (a powdered green tea), can be tasty, too, Volpe adds.

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The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Kimberly Goad is a New York-based journalist who has covered health for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Prevention, Health and Reader's Digest.