Here’s how to lower your risk with cancer-fighting foods

In my 26 years of practice, I have been invited for numerous Cancer Awareness Health Talks and the most common question I encounter is: What’s the link between cancer and diet?

What you eat—and don’t eat—can have a powerful effect on your health, including your risk for cancer. While research tends to point to associations between specific foods and cancer, rather than solid cause-and-effect relationships, there are certain dietary habits that can have a major influence on your risk. Some cancer risk factors, such as genetics and environment, are out of your control, but research suggests that about 70% of your lifetime risk of cancer is within your power to change, including your diet. Adopting a healthy diet can also play a vital role.

Here are some simple ways to build your cancer-prevention diet:

1. Lower your risk with antioxidants: Plant-based foods are rich in nutrients, known as antioxidants that boost your immune system and help protect against cancer cells.

• Diets high in fruit may lower the risk of stomach and lung cancer.
• Eat vegetables containing carotenoids, such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, and squash.
• Include non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and beans in your diet.
• Eat oranges, berries, peas, bell peppers, dark leafy greens and other foods high in vitamin C.
• Foods high in lycopene, such as tomatoes, guava, and watermelon, may lower the risk of prostate cancer.

2. Add more fiber in your diet: Fiber is found in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and plays a key role in keeping your digestive system clean and healthy. It helps keep cancer-causing compounds moving through your digestive tract before they can create harm. Eating a diet high in fiber may help prevent colorectal cancer and other common digestive system cancers, including stomach, mouth, and pharynx.

3. Choose healthy fats: Eating a diet high in fat increases your risk for many types of cancer. But healthy types of fat may actually protect against cancer.

• Avoid trans-fat or partially hydrogenated oil found in packaged and fried foods.
• Limit saturated fat from red meat and dairy to no more than 10 % of your daily calories.
• Add more unsaturated fats from fish, olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds can fight inflammation and support brain and heart health.

4. Cut down on sugar and refined carbs: Instead of sugary soft drinks, sweetened cereals, white bread, pasta and processed foods like pizza, opt for unrefined whole grains like whole-wheat or multigrain bread, brown rice, barley, quinoa, bran cereal, oatmeal, and non-starchy vegetables. It could lower your risk for colorectal and prostate cancer as well as help you reach a healthy weight.

5. Limit processed and red meat: Many different studies have established a link between the risk of cancer and eating processed meat such as bacon, sausages, hotdogs, pepperoni, and salami. To reduce cancer risk, it is recommended that you eat little. Also, limit proportions of cooked red meat per week – for example, you might have a 100 g serve 3−4 times per week. Add extra vegetables to your plate, or try fish, chicken, eggs or legumes (such as chickpeas or lentils) instead of red meat.

6. Prepare your food in healthy ways: Choosing healthy food is not the only important factor in preventing cancer. It also matters how you prepare, store, and cook your food.

• When cooking vegetables, steam only until tender. This preserves more of the vitamins.
• Flavour food with immune-boosting herbs and spices. Garlic, ginger, and curry powder not only add flavour, but they add a cancer-fighting punch of valuable nutrients. Other good choices include turmeric, basil, rosemary, and coriander.

It’s not just what you eat — it’s how much you eat!

Obesity is a significant risk factor for several types of cancer. While your diet is central to preventing cancer, other healthy habits can further lower your risk. Try to decrease portion sizes. Eat only about one-third of what your appetite tells you to eat. If you eat slowly, you'll fill up. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day. And, most importantly, limit alcoholic drinks.