The Cancer diet plan in Ayurveda draws a comparison between the process of digestion, and cooking over a flame. Digestive “fires", collectively called agni, “cook” food so that nutrients can be optimally utilized. When the agni is strong our body fully assimilates nutrients, and eliminates what it does not need.

Ultimately, a fully functional digestive system uses the food we eat to produce a biochemical called ojas - a fluid substance that nourishes the body, and maintains the balance of all bodily systems.

If the digestive fire is weak, the incompletely digested portion of the meal forms a sticky, toxic substance called ama. The opposite of ojas, ama blocks the flow of the body’s inner intelligence. It settles in areas of the body that are out of balance, taking many forms such as calcium deposits in the joints, plaque in the arteries, and cysts and tumors. A coated tongue, bad breath, dullness of the senses, depression, and unclear thinking can indicate the presence of ama.

Cancer diet plan in Ayurveda helps to prevent the formation of ama. It postulates that one should regularly, and periodically, drink water, and also avoid eating at odd hours. Eating freshly prepared meals, and cooking with seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables is essential. The agni can be strengthened by “kindling” it with warming food and spices, such as ginger and black pepper.

According to the cancer diet plan in Ayurveda, every food has its own taste (rasa), a heating or cooling energy (virya), and a post digestive effect (vipaka). Some also possess prabhava- an unexplained effect. So, while it is true that an individual’s agni largely determines how well, or poorly, the food is digested, food combinations are also of great importance. Poor combinations can produce indigestion, fermentation, putrefaction, and gas formation. If prolonged, it can lead to toxemia and disease.

Cancer diet plan in Ayurveda recommends strict dietary principles for the maintenance of a healthy life. For example, Satvika ahara (fresh food composed of milk, fruits, and vegetables consumed in a congenial environment), as recommended in Gita, is considered wholesome, as compared to rajas food (spicy, hot, fast food, acidic food) and tamas food and habits (stale food, alcohol, smoking, nonvegetarian food). We can deduce that rajas and tamas foods may have a greater affinity for developing malignancy as compared to satvik foods.