Healthy eating for cancer prevention
Daffodil Day, which is organised by the Irish Cancer Society and takes place this Friday March 20, is the most popular charity event in Ireland. It is a chance for everyone in Ireland to make the biggest difference to the lives of everyone affected by cancer. And with more people than ever being diagnosed with cancer, supporting Daffodil Day is more important than ever.
In terms of cancer prevention, diet has been shown to play a key role. Recent research has found that 30-40 per cent of all cancers have a link with diet. The World Cancer Research Fund has drafted guidelines to reduce people’s risk of developing cancer through improved diet and exercise.
Simple steps to reduce your cancer risk
1. Maintain a healthy weight - maintaining a healthy weight throughout life may be one of the most important ways to protect against cancer.
2. Quit smoking - Smoking also increases risk of cancer. Dropping the habit, becoming more active, and eating a varied, balanced diet is how to become fighting fit against cancer! If you have trouble kicking the habit call the National Smoker’s Quitline @ 1850 201 203.
3. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. All forms of physical activity protect against cancer as well as against weight gain.
4. Avoid sugary foods and drinks. Limit your intake of foods and drinks that are high in sugar and high in fat. These foods provide us with large amounts of energy, few vitamins and minerals, and may cause weight gain.
5. Eat more fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses. These foods are high in nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants and dietary fibre which have been shown to reduce risk of cancer. These include wholegrain breads, brown rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables and pulses. These foods contain fibre which appears to protect against cancer of the mouth, stomach and bowel. An extra benefit of fruit and vegetables is their high level of antioxidants and phytochemicals which helps the body fight against cancer-causing agents. Choose a colourful mixture of fruit and vegetables every day! Avoid eating ‘mouldy’ bread or pulses. These contain aflaxtoxins which may promote cancer.
6. Limit the amount of red meat in your diet. Lean red meat is a great source of protein, iron, zinc, and B-12 which are necessary nutrients for a healthy body. Red meat has been labelled as a cancer causing food. But in fact it’s the processed meats (luncheon meats, sausages, puddings ) and overcooked, burned meats which are the main offenders. As well as being high in fat and salt, overcooked processed meats contain cancer-causing chemicals! The advice is to include 3-4 oz lean meat in your diet 2-3 times week and also to include fish and oily fish 2-3 times week.
7. Limit alcohol to two drinks per day for men and one drink for women. Evidence suggests that risk of cancer increases even with small amounts of alcohol.
8. Try to avoid salty foods and foods processed with salt. Research has shown that countries that have a high salt intake also have a higher rate of some cancers.
