Eating to Prevent Cancer

Everyone knows the C word, it’s in our face, it’s everywhere and chances are you’ve been personally affected by it.  I’m talking about Cancer of course.  Cancer is extremely scary and difficult to deal with, I know from personal experience, which is why I’m in this line of work.  

For many people nutrition is about weight loss and healthy eating, but in reality it’s so much more.  Nutrition isn’t just about aesthetics, culture, religion, the ability to perform, energy, immunity or whatever, Nutrition is also about preventing disease.  This week we’re going to explore the steps you and your family and loved ones can take to do your best to prevent cancer.  

Lifelong healthy eating can play a large role in cancer prevention.  Follow these guidelines to reduce your risk of cancer:

1.     Achieve and maintain a healthy weight 

2.     Be sure to eat the minimum fruit and vegetable servings per day as recommended by Canada’s Food Guide for your age group 

3.      Enjoy a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables throughout the day (Different colours of vegetables and fruits have different concentrations of vitamins and minerals) 

4.     eat less than 500g of red meat per week

5.     avoid processed meats such as deli meats, bacon or hot dogs

6.     Limit foods and beverages that are high in calories, fat and sugar to help maintain a healthy weight

7.     Control your alcohol intake

a.     10 standard drinks/ week for women (no more than 2 drinks in one day) 

b.     15 drinks a week for men (no more than 3 drinks in one day)

8.     Include physical activity everyday for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking

9.     Avoid high doses of vitamin or mineral supplements as they may increase your risk of developing cancer, aim to meet nutritional requirements through food.  

Take care, and as always if you have any questions related to food and nutrition I’m just an email away! Please feel free to forward this email to your friends and family, don’t keep me or my nutrition tips a secret, spread the word and let’s all create a happier and healthier tomorrow!