Nutrition and Cancer Prevention

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Nutrition and Cancer Prevention

Nutrition refers to the human food intake. The types and amounts of food we take determine our health standards. Most of the chronic diseases are because of poor nutrition habits, which can be improved. Cancer has become a worldwide chronic disease claiming the lives of thousands in different countries. However, cancer can be prevented by altering the intake of specific foods or nutrients in the diet. This conclusion has been derived from the analytical studies of the relationship between human dietary intake and cancer rates. Some complex foods or micronutrients have also been found to act as cancer preventive agents. Many dietary factors have been shown to prevent cancer although some have been associated with its development.

Some dietary habits that help prevent cancer include, avoiding cigarettes, limiting alcohol and regular body exercises. Cigarettes cause lung cancer. Most smokers have suffered lung cancer, which is caused by the component of cigarettes known as tar. Thus, it is a necessary nutrition measure to avoid being a smoker or even becoming a passive smoker. Alcohol, on the other hand, is associated with liver cirrhosis. This form of cancer affects the liver. One can create a daily diet that can be useful in combating cancer using different varieties of food. One cancer prevention tip is focusing on plant-based foods, which include whole grains vegetables and fruits. Plants-based foods such as nuts, have fats, vegetables have fiber, and fruits have more cancer fighting nutrients which work together to support the immune system. These elements hence help the body to fight off cancer. This nutrition practice helps one to avoid processed foods hence reducing the risk of cancer attack.

According to this diet tip, one should ensure that the plant-based foods take two thirds of the composition of a meal and the one third to contain beef products, dairy products or even fish products. This clearly indicates that one does not have to bear the whole burden of becoming a total vegetarian. One can use fresh fruits and vegetables such as carrots for snacks, include a fruit and cereals to your breakfast instead of processed foods such as bacon or cookies. Cereals are treated using inorganic pesticides. These pesticides contain chemicals that have carcinogens, which increase cancer attacks. To avoid this risk, it is advisable to buy organic or local produce, which have not been treated using the chemicals.

Another cancer preventive diet tip is cutting down on meat consumption. The only way to cut on meat level intake is to increase the amount of fiber intake. Most alcoholics use meat as a compliment to their alcohol intake and are thus at very high risks of suffering from both liver cirrhosis and gastric cancer. Fats found in red meat (saturated fats) increase the cancer risks. For this reason, we should eat portions of white meat, which contains unsaturated fats. Dairy products contain saturated fats and thus should be avoided.

Cancer fighting nutrition habits also include drinking plenty of water and preparing foods in healthy ways. Water is essential in most body processes such as removing toxins and waste products from the body. Drinking enough amounts of water helps to boost the bodies’ immune system and helps transport nutrients as required in different body organs. In our ways of preparing food, we should take precaution in both storage and cooking to avoid hurting the cancer fighting nutrients. These precautions include washing all fruits and vegetables before eating, steaming vegetables to avoid overcooking the cancer fighting agents, and at least eat some raw fruits and vegetables. This will increase vitamins level in our bodies, which act as antioxidants to protect us against cancer. This practice will also involve choosing the right spices and other cancer fighting agents during preparation. For example, garlic, ginger and curry powder are immune boosting spices. Others include coriander, rosemary and turmeric.

The cancer causing substances found in food known as carcinogens, could also form during food preservation. Foods such as oils should be stored in airtight containers. We should also avoid eating foods that smell moldy, and which have been preserved for a very long time. Such foods may contain carcinogens, which expose us to the risk of cancer attacks. Practices such as cooking oils on high heat can also awaken the carcinogens. We should avoid deep fried foods and opt for other cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, baking, or even broiling. Diet check is considered as a major tool that can be used to fight cancer. It is essential for us to observe proper nutrition habits to avoid being at the risk of cancer attacks. From studies, 80% of cancer deaths are because of poor feeding habits. We should also be physically active and maintain a healthy weight throughout our lives.