8 Lifestyle Tips for Cancer Prevention
Diet, Activity Recommendations May Reduce the Risk of Cancer, Experts Say
By Miranda Hitti
Oct. 28, 2008 -- Looking for ways to cut your risk of developing cancer? Here's a list of 10 diet and activity recommendations highlighted this week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
1.Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
2.Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
3.Avoid sugary drinks, and limit consumption of high-calorie foods, especially those low in fiber and rich in fat or added sugar.
4.Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes (such as beans).
5.Limit consumption of red meats (including beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
6.If you drink alcohol, limit your daily intake to two drinks for men and one drink for women.
7.Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt (sodium).
8.Don't use supplements to try to protect against cancer.
After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.
How to Follow the Recommendations
Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, is the nutritional advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research. She reviewed the recommendations before they were issued last year, and she joined Willett in talking to ADA members.
Collins provides these tips for each of the recommendations
Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight: Don't just look at the scale; check your waist measurement as a crude measurement of your abdominal fat, Collins says. She recommends that men's waists be no larger than 37 inches and women's waists be 31.5 inches or less.
Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day: You can break that into 10- to 15-minute blocks, and even more activity may be better, notes Collins.
Avoid sugary drinks and limit consumption of energy-dense foods: It's not that those foods directly cause cancer, but they could blow your calorie budget if you often overindulge, notes Collins, who suggests filling up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes such as beans: Go for a variety of colors (like deep greens of spinach, deep blues of blueberries, whites of onions and garlic, and so on). Most Americans, says Collins, are stuck in a rut of eating the same three vegetables over and over.
If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women per day: Watch your portion size; drinks are often poured liberally, notes Collins. Willett adds that the pros and cons of moderate drinking is something that women may particularly need to consider, weighing the heart benefits and increased breast cancer risk from drinking.
Limit red meats (beef, pork, lamb) and avoid processed meats: Limit red meats to 18 ounces per week, says Collins, who suggests using chicken, seafood, or legumes in place of red meat. Collins isn't saying to never eat red meat, just do so in moderation.
Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with sodium: Don't go over 2,400 milligrams per day, and use herbs and spices instead, says Collins. She adds that processed foods account for most sodium intake nowadays -- not salt you add when cooking or eating.
Don't use supplements to protect against cancer: It's not that supplements are bad -- they may be "valuable" apart from cancer prevention, but there isn't evidence that they protect against cancer, except for vitamin D, says Collins.
It's best for mothers to breastfeed babies exclusively for up to six months and then add other foods and liquids: Hospitals could encourage this more, Collins says.
After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention. Survivors include people undergoing cancer treatment, as well as people who have finished their cancer treatment.
Top 5 Cleaners for Good Health and Cancer Prevention
Research has shown that household cleaning products may contribute to cancer, particularly breast cancer, because most of them contain endocrine disrupting chemicals, other toxic chemicals, and mammary gland carcinogens. Women have a higher risk as they use these household cleaners on a regular basis and therefore, are often exposed to toxins.
1.To reduce your cancer risk, here are top 5 cleaning alternatives:
2.E-Cloth – The best. No chemical at all, with water only for power cleaning!
3.Baking Soda and/or Washing Soda – many uses including cleaning, deodorizing, water softening.
4.Lemon – effective and anti-bacteria.
5.White vinegar – removing grease, mildew, some stains and wax build-up.
6.Soap – but limit those with petroleum based or mixed.
Top 10 Warning Signs of Cancer You Should Never Ignore
To get early diagnosis and treatment to effectively fight cancer, see your doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms.
1. A lump in the breast or any part of the body
2. A sore or pain that doesn’t heal
3. A cough that doesn’t go away
4. A new mole or change(s) in a mole
5. Changes in your bowel or bladder habits
6. Unusual discharge or bleeding
7. Unexplained weight loss or gain
8. Difficulty in swallowing
9. Discomfort after eating
10. Frequently tired or weak
Top 8 advantages of walking for cancer
1.It improves cardiovascular function and reduces risk of heart attack.
2.It helps control blood pressure.
3.It helps weight management by stimulating body metabolism and burning calories.
4.It strengthens the leg muscles.
5.It can be done by anyone in any shape and has low impact.
6.It can be done anytime, no schedule limitation.
7.It doesn’t require any equipment.
