Due to the increasing rate in cancer deaths, more awareness has been given due attention on its prevention. Considered as a lifestyle disease, one’s risk factors for acquiring the disease may be attributed to the food that we eat. Nutritionists and dietitians, in collaboration with oncologists have advocated a cancer prevention diet which will provide people with what healthy eating is all about.
Although getting into a cancer prevention diet does not mean a person will not acquire the disease, it can guarantee a significant decrease in the risk of getting cancer.
What then constitutes a cancer prevention diet? Below are vital information that will guide you in making your first step in winning your battle against this deadly disease.
- The more fiber, the better. A cancer prevention diet is rich in fiber. These may be sourced out from whole grains, beans, lentils, cabbages, prunes and other certain kinds of fruits and vegetables. Fiber aids good digestion. Thus, cancer of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts may be avoided by following this fiber-enriched cancer prevention diet.
- Eat green and stay clean. Salad greens and fruits are main ingredients of a cancer prevention diet. Green leafy vegetables help fight off cancer cells in the body. Carrots have rich beta-carotene content that is a known cancer-fighting element. Oranges, grapes and other fruits rich in vitamin C boost the immune system. It is advised therefore to eat at least three to five types of fruits and vegetables daily. Soya-based products are also found to reduce the growth of cancer cells in the body.
- Low-fat is hot. In one related study, poorer countries in Africa and Asia have low cancer deaths compared to highly industrialized nations like the United States. It is because a poor man’s meal is mainly comprised of fruits, vegetables and root crops. A cancer prevention diet should be just like that, low in fat, high in nutrients. Colon cancer is believed to have developed because of high intake of red meats. Trans fats and saturated fats, which are mostly found in potato chips, fried donuts, French fries and crackers must be avoided too.
Having this cancer prevention diet in mind, a vegetarian’s risk of acquiring cancer is lesser than 50% of most individuals whose diets involve a combination of meat, fruits and vegetables.
Getting into this type of cancer prevention diet may be more effective if coupled by an active lifestyle. Get involved into physical activity at least thirty minutes each day. Exercise is proven to balance one’s caloric intake. In so doing, it prevents obesity, which is also considered a risk factor in breast and colorectal cancer.
More importantly, avoid drinking and smoking. Time and again, these vices have been associated with almost all kinds of cancer especially the colon, lungs, liver, kidney and esophagus.
No cure for cancer has been developed even up to this day. Doctors can only lessen the pain and arrest the growth of cancer cells through surgery and chemotherapy. Cancer treatment cost is also very expensive. Given all these realities, our prevention of the disease is the one and only way we can get rid of it. Get into a cancer prevention diet now and extend your life.
