Studies have shown that a large majority of the cancer-related deaths is due to wrong lifestyle choices such as unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, drinking and smoking. Staying away from cigarettes and alcohol, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight is good to prevent cancer.
The first thing, however, is to pay heed to is the foods you consume on an everyday basis. The food you eat and do not eat, has a powerful impact on your health. Without being aware of it, you may be consuming foods that fuel cancer and avoiding foods that help protect you against the deadly disease. By making small changes in your everyday diet, you can considerably reduce the risk of diseases.
Here are some smart food choices that you can make to save your health and enhance your ability to fight off cancer and several other ailments.
Consume fruits and vegetables – A balanced plant-based diet filled with a variety of vegetables, soy, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and beans can help reduce the risk of developing many types of cancer. These foods to fight cancer comprise plenty of nutrients that enhance your immune system and offer protection from cancer cells. Vegetables and fruits are some of the best sources of antioxidants including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and selenium. The vitamins offer protection against cancer and enable the cells in the body to perform to its optimum ability.
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Research shows that certain foods are effective at fighting off certain specific cancers. For example:
• Fruits can help keep at bay lung and stomach cancer
• Vegetables including squash, brussels sprouts and carrots decrease the risk of mouth, lung, larynx and pharynx cancers
• Non-starchy vegetables including beans, spinach and broccoli offer protection against oesophageal and stomach cancer
• Foods such as watermelon, guava and tomato can help fight prostate cancer
Eat more fibre – This is an important part of the diet for cancer prevention. Consuming plant-based foods enhances your intake of fibre. Fibre is essential to ensure that the digestive system is healthy and clean. It helps throw out cancer creating compounds from the body. A diet high in fibre can help avoid colorectal cancer and stomach, mouth, and pharynx cancers. Fibre is abundant in unprocessed and natural foods including whole grains, bananas, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, mango, dried fruits, citrus fruits, legumes and vegetables such as dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, and spinach. Foods such as dairy, meat or white bread, pastries do not contain any fibre.
Reduce intake of red and processed meat – Meat does not contain fibre or any nutrients that have cancer protective properties. Also, industrially raised meat often contains hormones and antibiotics that work to increase the risk of cancer. Red meat also comprises saturated fat which is not good for the health. As per health experts, processed meats such as salami, bacon, hotdogs, sausages, and pepperoni contain very high risk of cancer and are best avoided.
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Consume only healthy fats – Eating a diet that contains a lot of fat increases your chances of developing many different types of cancer. However, it is not advisable to cut out fat totally from your diet. In fact, there are some fats that actually help prevent cancer. The best way is to eat fats in moderation. Trans fats can be very dangerous and it is created when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils. Saturated fats from whole milk dairy may be good for the health but unhealthy saturated fats found in fried and fast foods can increase the risk of cancer. Unsaturated fats are the best. They are derived from sources such as nuts, olive oil and avocados.
Healthy preparation of food – It is important how you cook your food. The way you prepare it can help keep at bay several ailments including cancer. While cooking, ensure that you do not overcook the foods as doing so removes several minerals and vitamins. While boiling vegetables, do not throw away the water. Use it for soup or in any other dish. Make sure to wash all vegetables before cooking. It will get rid of any pesticide residue.
Lifestyle factors, including the diet for cancer prevention that you can take can make a big difference in helping avoid cancer. Following these food habits can strengthen the immunity system and help keep the deadly disease at bay.
