Your risk of cancer is affected by the types of food you eat, how your food is prepared, fat content in your meals, alcohol intake and smoking. To lower your risk of cancer, try to maintain a healthy weight, eat more natural foods, avoid highly processed foods, learn to read food labels, be physically active on most days, limit alcohol consumption and do not smoke.
Some foods and nutrients that help fight cancer include garlic, fruits, vegetables fibre, calcium, vitamins C & E and Folate.
Follow a diet:
- Low in saturated fat, found in animal foods like meat and whole milk and Trans-fat found in many highly processed foods like some margarines, packaged snacks and smoked meats.
- Get sufficient fiber by eating vegetables and fruits
- Limit sweets, soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Get sufficient lean protein from skinless chicken-visible fat removed, fish, low fat dairy and legumes
- Enjoy foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids like sardines, salmon, tuna, mackerel, kidney beans and soybeans.
Eat a wide range ofbrightly coloured raw fruits and vegetables, eat foods containing calcium, eat less meat and choose your fats wisely. Prepare your food in healthy ways; fry less, trim excess fat from meat, use less salt and sugar when preparing meals and drinks, do not cook oils on high heat and eat less barbecue.
Other ways to lower your risk of cancer include:
- Lose weight if you are overweight or maintain a healthy weight with BMI 18.5 and 24.9 with less body fat around the waist.
- Keep physically active daily at least 5 times a week (30 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week).
- Limit alcoholic beverages to no more than 1-2 drinks per day no more than twice a week.
Modifying your diet and lifestyle can minimize your risk of cancer. Certain foods can increase your risk of cancer, while some foods contain nutrients that can lower your risk.
