March 15, 2004
Eat Smart to Stay Healthy
from the Medical Nutrition Therapy Department
Eating Smart can help you prevent cancer. Things you eat or drink can help prevent or promote cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research Recommendations are:
- Choose a diet rich in a variety of plant-based foods. This will help you increase your fiber and antioxidant intake. To do this: try making a stir fry, try a new food once or twice a week, such as a new vegetable or bean, keep canned beans in your pantry, try making a meatless meal, buy a vegetarian cookbook.
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Cancer rates would drop 20 percent if people at 5 or more servings each day. To help you get your 5 a Day: try a fruit smoothie at breakfast, have a salad at lunch, have nutritious snacks on hand, try fruit for dessert.
- Maintain a healthy weight and be physically active. Eating more calories than your body burns off causes you to gain weight. Overweight and Obesity increase your risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, adult-onset diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and cancers of the colon, breast, pancreas, kidney, prostate, and endometrium. To help you maintain a healthy weight: try snacking on vegetables and fruit, order the small size, eat for a reason and pay attention to your eating habits, work exercise into your day, and find activities you enjoy. Any amount of regular physical activity is better than none!
- Limit your Alcohol intake or do not drink at all. Drinking alcohol increases your risk for cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, and probably colon, rectum, breast, as well. To cut down on alcohol: try starting the evening or party with a non-alcoholic drink or water down the drink.
- Select Foods Low in Fat and Salt. Fat may increase risk for cancers of the lung, colon, rectum, breast, endometrium, and prostate. Salt increases your risk of stomach cancer. To keep an eye on fat and salt: read the "Nutrition Facts" label on food products, try low-fat foods, experiment with healthy cooking techniques, choose homemade over prepared frozen foods, and experiment with new seasonings.
- Prepare and store food safely. Cooking meat, poultry, fish at high temperatures, especially over an open flame, causes cancer-promoting substances called HCAs to form on the meat. Also, fat that drips into the fire leaves behind cancer causing substances called PAHs. These substances increase your risk of stomach, colon, and rectal cancers. To grill safely: grill vegetables or other non- meat foods, cut the fat off before grilling, marinating in lemon juice or vinegar decreases cancer causing substances by 90 percent, precook the meat then finish up on the grill for flavor, avoid "flare-ups" by using aluminum foil to keep juices and fat from dripping down into flame.
And Always Remember: Do not use tobacco in any form. Chew, cigarettes, cigars, they all cause cancers. Cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, pancreas, cervix, and bladder are contributed to by tobacco.