The low cancer rate in India may be due in part to the spices they use, but it may also stem from the types of foods they are putting those spices on. India is one of the world’s largest producers of fruits and vegetables, and only about 7 percent of the adult population eats meat on a daily basis. What most of the population does eat every day are dark-green, leafy vegetables and legumes,20 such as beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils, which are packed with another class of cancer-fighting compounds called phytates.
