According to the American Cancer Society, a mostly plant-based diet combined with daily exercise and weight control decreases a person's cancer risk by 30 percent to 40 percent. No single food is a magic pill, but an enormous variety of edibles provide terrific anticancer benefits. The recipes featured here contain praiseworthy cancer-fighting foods, so incorporating them into your cooking repertoire is a delicious and proactive health strategy.

Arame Salad with Seared Tofu and Red Peppers

Serves 4-6 / Seaweeds' fatty acids and antioxidants have been linked to lower risks of breast and skin cancers. Ingredient tips: Look for arame, a threadlike dried seaweed, in bulk bins or prepackaged in Asian-food sections. If you have them, use bulk green-tea leaves; or simply tear open a tea bag and use the contents.

View our Arame Salad recipe

Salmon Provençal

Serves 4 / Fatty fish rich in omega-3s may help lower incidences of colorectal and kidney cancers. Garlic, part of the lily family, may offer protection against stomach and colon cancers. And lycopene, the red-food antioxidant that's more potent in cooked (rather than raw) tomatoes, may be helpful against prostate cancer. Prep tip: Pricey, unique saffron lends an earthy, aromatic flavor and lovely orange hue to the sauce but can be omitted.

View our Salmon Provençal recipe

Buckwheat-Flaxseed Blueberry Pancakes

Serves 6 (makes twelve 5-inch pancakes) / Ingredient tip: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, high-fiber flaxseeds offer good-fat benefits only when ground (whole flaxseeds pass right through), so opt for the most finely ground flaxseeds you can find, or grind your own in a coffee grinder.

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Indian Spicy-Sour Chickpeas with Cauliflower

Serves 8 / Used extensively in Indian cooking, anti-inflammatory turmeric and ginger enhance cruciferous cauliflower, vitamin-rich tomatoes, and high-fiber chickpeas, packing this dish with cancer-fighting potential. Prep tip: Use more or less jalapeño depending on your heat preference.

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Broccoli with Lemon Zest and Parsley

Serves 4-6 / A member of the cruciferous vegetable family, broccoli is loaded with phytochemicals found to prevent cancer — also true for limonene, a compound in citrus peel. Prep tip: Make fresh breadcrumbs by processing a slice of whole-wheat bread (the heel works great) in a food processor.

View our Broccoli recipe

Professional cook Laurie Gauguin creates dishes for private clients and writes about food in the San Francisco area. Read Laurie's kitchen chronicles on her blog, ladleandwhisk.wordpress.com.