THE FIGHT

How can we prevent ourselves from having cancer?

Many cancers can be prevented by not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, not drinking too much alcohol, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, vaccination against certain infectious diseases, not eating too much processed and red meat, and avoiding too much sunlight exposure. Early detection through screening is useful for cervical and colorectal cancer. The benefits of screening in breast cancer are controversial. Cancer is often treated with some combination of radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Pain and symptom management are an important part of care.Palliative care is particularly important in people with advanced disease. The chance of survival depends on the type of cancer and extent of disease at the start of treatment. In children under 15 at diagnosis the five-year survival rate in the developed world is on average 80%. For cancer in the United States the average five-year survival rate is 66%.

Fight against Cancer through

Healthy Eating Habits

Whether you have a history of cancer in your family, or are currently battling the disease, lifestyle factors, including your diet, can make a huge difference in helping you fight off cancer. Some foods actually increase your risk of cancer, while others support your body and strengthen your immune system. By making smart food choices, you can protect your health, feel better, and boost your ability fight off cancer and other diseases.

Not all health problems are avoidable, but you have more control over your health than you may think. Research shows that a large percentage of cancer-related deaths are directly linked to lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, a lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet. Avoiding cigarettes, limiting alcohol, reaching a healthy weight, and getting regular exercise are a great start to preventing cancer. But to best support your health, you also need to look at your eating habits.

What you eat—and don’t eat—has a powerful effect on your health, including your risk of cancer. Without knowing it, you may be eating many foods that fuel cancer, while neglecting the powerful foods and nutrients that can protect you. For example, a daily serving of processed meat increases your risk of colorectal cancer, whereas eating soy foods such as tofu or edamame can help reduce your risk of breast cancer and eating more fruits and vegetables can lower your risk for a variety of common cancers. By making small changes to your diet and behaviors, you can lower your risk of disease. If you’ve already been diagnosed, eating a healthy diet can help boost your mood and outlook as well as support your medical treatment at this challenging time.

While there’s no single food you can eat to prevent or fight cancer on its own, a balanced plant-based diet filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, soy, nuts, whole grains, and beans can help lower your risk for many types of cancer. Eating a colorful variety gives you the best protection. Plant-based foods are rich in nutrients that boost your immune system and help protect against cancer cells. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium. These powerful vitamins can protect against cancer and help the cells in your body function optimally.

There is also evidence that plant-based foods may be effective at preventing specific cancers. For example:

Diets high in fruit may lower the risk of stomach and lung cancer.
Eating vegetables containing carotenoids, such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, and squash, may reduce the risk of lung, mouth, pharynx, and larynx cancers.
Diets high in non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and beans, may help protect against stomach and esophageal cancer.
Eating oranges, berries, peas, bell peppers, dark leafy greens and other foods high in vitamin C may also protect against esophageal cancer.
Foods high in lycopene, such as tomatoes, guava, and watermelon, may lower the risk of prostate cancer.

The less processed these plant-based foods are—the less they’ve been cooked, peeled, mixed with other ingredients, stripped of their nutrients, or otherwise altered from the way they came out of the ground—the better.

Focus on cancer-fighting fruits and vegetables

Cut down on some red and processed meat.

Why does there appear to be a link between some types of meat and cancer risk? First, meat lacks fiber and other nutrients that have been shown to have cancer-protective properties. Secondly, industrially-raised meat in some countries, such as the U.S., often contains antibiotics and hormones and the animals may have been raised on feed containing GMOs, markers for an increased cancer risk.

Most red meat also contains saturated fat, although the health consequences of that are debated in the nutrition world. While many health organizations maintain that eating saturated fat from any type of meat can compromise your health, other experts suggest that saturated fat from organic, grass-fed meat doesn’t pose the same health risks as meat from industrially-raised animals.

Nutrition experts tend to agree that processed meats such bacon, sausages, hotdogs, pepperoni, and salami contain the highest cancer risk, likely due to the nitrate preservatives or other substances used in the processing of the meat.

Choose your fats wisely.

Eating a diet high in fat increases your risk for many types of cancer. But cutting out fat entirely isn’t the answer, either. In fact, some types of fat may actually protect against cancer. The trick is to choose your fats wisely and eat them in moderation.

Fats that increase cancer risk – The most damaging type of fat is trans fat. Also called partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid and less likely to spoil—which is very good for food manufacturers, and very bad for you. While some saturated fats—such as from whole milk dairy and eggs—may have health benefits, unhealthy saturated fats from fast and fried foods can increase cancer risk.

Fats that decrease cancer risk – The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from sources such as olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Also focus on omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation and support brain and heart health. Good sources include salmon, tuna, and flax seeds.

Prepare your food in healthy ways.

Choosing healthy food is not the only important factor. It also matters how you prepare and store your food. The way you cook your food can either help or hurt your anti-cancer efforts.

Here are a few tips that will help you get the most benefits from eating all those great cancer-fighting foods, such as fruit and vegetables:

Eat at least some raw fruits and vegetables. These have the highest amounts of vitamins and minerals, although cooking some vegetables can make the vitamins more available for our body to use.
When cooking vegetables, steam until just tender using a small amount of water. This preserves more of the vitamins. Overcooking vegetables removes many of the vitamins and minerals. If you do boil vegetables, use the cooking water in a soup or another dish to ensure you’re getting all the vitamins.
Wash all fruits and vegetables. Use a vegetable brush for washing. Washing does not eliminate all pesticide residue, but will reduce it. Choose organic produce if possible, grown without the use of pesticides or GMOs.
Flavor food with immune-boosting herbs and spices. Garlic, ginger, and curry powder not only add flavor, but they add a cancer-fighting punch of valuable nutrients. Other good choices include turmeric, basil, rosemary, and coriander. Use them in soups, salads, casseroles, or any other dish.