Let Food Be Thy Medicine: 5 Cancer-Fighting Foods That Heal the Body & Starve Disease
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this groundbreaking episode, Mel Robbins sits down with Dr. Dawn Mussallem, a double board-certified Mayo Clinic physician and the first cancer doctor ever featured on the podcast. Known as "the Magic Bullet" at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Mussallem is both an integrative oncology pioneer and stage 4 cancer survivor who combines traditional medicine with lifestyle interventions to achieve incredible results. This conversation transforms how you think about food, exercise, sleep, stress, and disease by revealing how simple dietary changes can heal your body and prevent cancer. (30:00)
- Main Theme: Food is medicine - specific cancer-fighting foods can activate your body's natural intelligence to prevent disease and heal existing conditions while supporting traditional medical treatments.
Speakers
Dr. Dawn Mussallem
Dr. Dawn Mussallem is a double board-certified physician who has been treating cancer patients for over two decades at Mayo Clinic, the number one hospital system in the world. She's the founder of Mayo's integrative medicine and breast health program and trains doctors in lifestyle medicine. Her colleagues call her "the Magic Bullet" because of her incredible results combining traditional medicine with lifestyle interventions. She's also a stage 4 cancer survivor and heart transplant recipient who was diagnosed with cancer at age 26 during medical school.
Mel Robbins
Mel Robbins is the host of The Mel Robbins Podcast and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She's known for her practical advice and research-backed strategies to help people improve their lives and reach their potential.
Key Takeaways
Exercise During Cancer Treatment Improves Outcomes by 50%
Dr. Mussallem reveals that exercise can improve breast cancer outcomes by almost 50% - a "magical number" that rivals many medical interventions. (17:00) Even during chemotherapy, she recommends patients walk for 5-10 minutes after each meal, emphasizing that movement uses up stress hormones like adrenaline and helps patients sleep better. The research shows exercise augments treatment response and helps cure cancers when combined with traditional therapies. For someone going through treatment, this means gentle movement like walking around your kitchen or dancing with your spouse can literally save your life.
Two Servings of Berries Per Week Reduce Breast Cancer Risk by 25%
The Nurses' Health Study showed that consuming just two servings of berries per week can reduce breast cancer risk and, for survivors, decrease the risk of dying from breast cancer by 25%. (24:00) Frozen wild berries are just as effective as fresh and don't need to be organic since they're naturally grown. The anthocyanins in berries are powerful phytonutrients that can turn off tumor-promoting genes and turn on tumor suppressor genes. This simple dietary addition - less than a cup of berries twice weekly - provides extraordinary protection through natural compounds that act as genetic switches in your body.
90% of Americans Aren't Getting Enough Vegetables and Fruits
Dr. Mussallem's research at Mayo Clinic found that 95% of cancer patients aren't getting recommended vegetable and fruit servings, mirroring the 90% of all Americans who fall short. (28:00) People consuming five servings daily versus two or less showed a 10% reduction in dying from cancer and 12% reduction in dying from heart disease. This isn't about food insecurity - it's about busy lifestyles and not understanding food's healing power. The practical application is simple: add more colorful vegetables and fruits to every meal, focusing on variety and consistency rather than perfection.
Edamame Reduces Hot Flashes by 88% and Prevents Breast Cancer
Contrary to decades-old myths, soy products like edamame are powerfully protective against cancer. Research by Neil Barnard showed that half a cup of edamame daily, combined with a healthy plant-based diet, reduced moderate to severe hot flashes by 88%. (44:00) For breast cancer survivors, the American Cancer Society's 2022 data shows a 25% reduction in cancer recurrence, especially for the most aggressive types. Soy binds to estrogen receptor beta in breast tissue, turning off cancer-promoting proliferation while allowing the body's natural estrogen to function normally. This means women can safely enjoy edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy milk for both symptom relief and cancer prevention.
Accept Your Diagnosis Instead of Fighting It
The biggest mistake cancer patients make is fighting their diagnosis rather than accepting it, according to Dr. Mussallem. (83:38) Acceptance doesn't mean giving up - it means redirecting energy toward what you can control: healthy living, medical treatment, and showing up for yourself. She emphasizes reframing the experience to find meaning, asking "what can I learn from this to elevate humanity?" This mindset shift from resistance to acceptance, combined with focusing on love, movement, and nutrition, allows patients to attain vitality even during treatment and dramatically improves outcomes.
Statistics & Facts
- Food is the leading cause of death in the United States according to the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2022, with 60% of American diets consisting of ultra-processed foods and 67% of children's diets being ultra-processed. (21:03)
- 95% of men and 91% of women in America are fiber deficient, despite research showing that fiber can reduce cancer risk by 22% according to class one evidence from a study of 17 million person-years. (36:07)
- People who refuse traditional cancer treatment and choose only alternative approaches have a two and a half fold increased risk of dying, with the range being 30% to 470% increased risk depending on the cancer type. (80:09)
