Foods to Fight Radiation Damage

The following foods not only help protect the body against radiation damage. They are across-the-board winners for achieving optimal health:

Seaweed/Sea Vegetables

Seaweeds are rich in iodine, vitamins, and other protective substances. Iodine not only protects the thyroid from radioactive carcinogens, it supports the adrenal glands, helps with digestion, and improves immunity. Common edible seaweeds include nori, wakame, dombhu, arame, dulse, hijiki, kelp, and agar agar.

Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., a health guru and award-winning author of 30 books on health and nutrition, notes that after an atomic bomb hit Nagasaki, Japan in World War II, hospital staff and patients were fed many of these sea veggies as well as miso soup. Miso soup, a Sinatra favorite for good health, is generally made with fermented soy miso and seaweed.

While brown sea veggies are full of sodium alginate, a chemical compound which helps chelate radioactive toxins from the body (which will otherwise just accumulate), red seaweeds contain chlorophyll and beta carotene.

Veggies With Chlorophyll

A pigment in plants that allows them to absorb sunlight and make energy, chlorophyll can help decrease radiation toxicity and detoxify the body of heavy metals. In addition to sea vegetables, leafy green veggies, green beans, asparagus and Brussels sprouts are great sources of protective chlorophyll.

Beta Carotene-Rich Vegetables and Fruits

Like some seaweeds, green leafy veggies like kale and spinach, and yellow, orange, and red fruits and veggies such as carrots, pumpkin, winter squash, beets, sweet potatoes, melons, and apricots contain beta carotene. Beta carotene boosts the immune system to help protect against the reddening of tissues and extreme drying of mucus membranes caused by radiation exposure.

Mineral-Rich Foods

Foods full of minerals like potassium and calcium help support thyroid gland function, which is affected by any type of radiation exposure. Bananas, raisins, figs, potatoes, nuts, seeds, fish, and poultry are great selections, and coconut water is an ideal source of drinkable potassium.

Veggie favorites include beets, tomatoes, lima beans, squash and avocados; beets have also been shown to rebuild hemoglobin in the blood after radiation exposure and avocados are great sources of glutathione, which provides the body with incredible antioxidant defenses.

Foods With High Nucleotide Content

Eating foods with nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA and RNA, helps protect DNA integrity. In addition to organ meats, whole fish like sardines and anchovies are great nucleotides sources, as well as brewers yeast.

Fermented Foods and Probiotics

These foods support digestive system health, and thus immune system health; 75 percent of immune receptor sites are located in the intestines.

Healthy Oils

Omega-3 essential fatty acids found in oils from fish and in olive oil are also good to prevent radiation damage.

Homeopathic Cell Salts

Gittleman say homeopathic cell salts such as Cadmium Sulph and Kali Phos are well recognized radiation antidotes.

Adaptogens

Plants such as astragalus, aloe, Siberian and Panax ginseng, and shiitake and maitake mushrooms contain phytonutrient chemicals which help protect the body from stress.

Garlic

As if being so beneficial to the heart and cardiovascular system, wasn't enough, garlic is full of sulfur-containing amino acids which help support antioxidant systems in the body and protect red blood cells from radiation-induced damage.