|
|
|
| From OncoLog,
January 2007, Vol. 52, No. 1 |
|
 Eat Well, Live Longer
 The food you eat can help reduce your risk of developing cancer. Experts estimate that between 30% and 40% of all cancers could be prevented if people ate the right foods, exercised enough, and maintained a healthy body weight.
Research studies have found that people who routinely eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables are half as likely to develop cancer as people who don’t. In fact, the latest American Cancer Society (ACS) Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Protection recommend that individuals eat a plant-based diet to reduce cancer risk and maintain a healthy weight.
Two major benefits of plant-based diets
The ACS guidelines are updated every five years to take into account the latest research. Each new version ranks health recommendations in order of importance, said Sally Scroggs, a registered dietician and senior health education specialist in M. D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Prevention Center. The first recommendation in the latest guidelines is “maintain a healthy weight throughout life.” Being overweight or obese is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer (in postmenopausal women) and cancers of the colon, uterus, esophagus, and kidney.
The foods within a plant-based diet, mostly fruits and vegetables, contain a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals—fiber and plant chemicals—that protect against cancer and other diseases. The ACS guidelines recommend getting these nutrients through foods rather than vitamins or artificial supplements.
Eating healthier one meal at a time
If what you’re eating right now is less than ideal, you may be thinking it would be too difficult to change to a healthier diet—which includes eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, according to the new guidelines. Good news: it’s simpler than it seems. Including fruits and vegetables at every meal and having them as snacks can help make it easier to reach your goal. “If you eat a salad consisting of one cup of raw leafy vegetables and one-half cup of chopped vegetables, that’s two servings of vegetables right there,” Ms. Scroggs said. “That’s two of the three servings of vegetables you should eat, at a minimum, each day, along with at least two servings of fruit.”
The latest evidence also supports eating an assortment of fruits and vegetables to maximize health benefits. For example, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and kale, contain chemicals thought to reduce colorectal cancer risk.
Simple substitutions for renovating your diet
Other dietary guidelines include choosing whole grains instead of processed grains and sugars, limiting the consumption of processed and red meats, and limiting alcohol intake to one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men:
- Eat whole grains. Fortunately for those interested in getting healthier, the whole-grain foods recommended by experts—which include whole-grain rice, bread, pasta, and cereals—are now common in supermarkets. Still, try to limit your consumption of refined carbohydrates, such as those in pastries, sweetened cereals, and other high-sugar foods.
- Limit consumption of processed and red meat. As much as possible, eat fish, poultry, or beans, instead of beef, pork, and lamb. When you do eat meat, choose lean cuts and smaller portions. Bake, broil, or poach meat instead of frying or charbroiling.
- Limit alcohol intake. Cut down on the alcohol you drink, or don’t drink at all. Research has documented that alcohol can cause cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast and may increase the risk of colon and rectal cancer.
Remember: what you eat and drink can either increase or decrease your risk of getting cancer. Making a few simple changes to your diet can do a great deal of good for your health.
For further information about what you can do to prevent cancer, visit www.mdanderson.org/prevention. The American Cancer Society’s Web site (www.cancer.org) outlines the latest nutrition and physical activity guidelines. The American Institute of Cancer Research’s Web site (www.aicr.org) provides tips on how to make these dietary changes.
-- Karen Stuyck
For
more information on this topic or for questions about M. D. Anderson’s treatments,
programs, or services, call askMDAnderson at (877) MDA-6789.
Other articles in OncoLog, January 2007 issue:
 TOP
Home/Current Issue | Previous Issues | Articles by Topic | Patient Education
About Oncolog | Contact OncoLog | Sign Up for E-mail Alerts
©2009 The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030
1-877-MDA-6789 (USA) / 1-713-792-3245
Patient Referral Legal Statements Privacy Policy
|
