Preventing Cancer

I recently read an article entitled “Cancer-Proof Your Body” in the Family Circle magazine that had some very good advice. It gave six tips that you can implement into your daily life to help fight off this disease before it strikes you. As a recap, this is what they had to say.

1. One of the most important things you can do to say cancer free is to remain lean throughout your life. The article said that except for pregnancy, any weight gain after age 18 is mostly fat! If you strive for your high school weight and were overweight at that time, you would want to get under that weight. Excess body fat produces unhealthy hormone levels and releases inflammatory proteins into the bloodstream that can influence cell growth, upping the risk of cancer in several bodily organs. It is particularly dangerous to gain weight after menopause. And for every 11 pounds added on, risk of breast cancer increases by about ten percent. To monitor your calories, pay close attention to those in what you drink. A major contributor to weight gain is sugary sodas and juice flavored drinks. The brain doesn’t monitor the full feeling with liquids like it does bulky foods, so it is easy to consume too many calories in drinks.

2. Try to get the whole family eating healthy foods. When filling your plate, 2/3 of it should be plant-based and 1/3 red meat, chicken or fish. Dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, bok choy and romaine lettuce are great choices. Other good suggestions are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, garlic, fresh fruits, and whole grains. You can eat more of these (and their cancer-fighting nutrients) without gaining weight because they are low in calorie density.

3. Drink more milk! The calcium and Vitamin D in this liquid not only helps ward off bone-thinning osteoporosis, but it helps reduce risk of all cancers by a whopping 60 percent. A daily 800IU dose of Vitamin D and 1200 mg of calcium is recommended for women age 19 to 50. That increases to 1,000IU of Vitamin D and 1,500 mg of calcium per day for women age 51 to 70. An 8 ounce glass of milk is typically fortified with 100IU of Vitamin D.

4. Cancer risks rise with the consumption of processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausage, bratwurst, pastrami, salami, hot dogs, and pepperoni. When meat is smoked, cured, salted, or when nitrates are added, carcinogens can form. Limit red meat like beef, pork, and lamb to 18 ounces per week. Better options are fish and chicken. It is best to roast, bake, or crock pot any type of meat. A chemical can form on the surface of the meat that may pose a cancer risk to that which is fried, grilled, barbequed, or broiled and cooked to 400 degrees or more, or over a direct flame.

5. Strengthen the immune system, lower body fat, and regulate hormone levels by staying active. Maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of several kinds of cancer with regular exercise. An increase in physical activity is needed around age 40 or you will inevitably gain weight. If an exercise program doesn’t appeal to you, at least take a daily walk.

6. Limit alcohol to one daily drink, or preferably don’t drink at all. A study found that women who drank one glass of wine every day increased their risk of breast cancer by 9 percent. Alcohol not only increases breast cancer risk, but also mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver and colon cancer. And the more you drink, the greater the risk. Alcohol has a negative influence on hormone levels. It acts as a solvent which enhances the penetration of carcinogens into cells, which might fuel the cancer process.

This article had some very useful information we should all try to apply to our lives to help ward off cancer since it is continually on the rise.

Author: Linda Dougherty