A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is promoted for cancer prevention and care. Many resources are available to those wishing to invest in good health.
What is Cancer?
While cancer is the general name for more than 100 diseases that result from the rapid and uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, generalizations don’t come easy. One generalization, however, is on target: eating right contributes an ounce of prevention and a pound of cure.
Cancer and a Healthy Diet
Recent studies have shown that a balanced diet that is low in fat and high in plant-based nutritional sources can decrease your chance of developing cancer. In addition, good eating habits can help the cancer patient cope with treatments while feeling better and staying strong.
The World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF) managed an exhaustive study, Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective, published in 1997, which concluded that eating right could cut cancer risks by 30 to 40 percent. An 2007 update of this report includes physical activity as a preventative. The WCRF claims that the 2007 report is the most authoritative global report ever published on the subject of food, nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of cancer and that, “It will form the basis of the agenda for science for years to come.”
Vegetable and Fruit-Focused Diet is Best Prevention
A diet high in vegetables and fruits is the number one admonition of the report, which warns against the consumption of processed and starchy foods. Colorful fruits and vegetables are particularly potent since they contain essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and photochemicals that help anyone feel better, especially those with disease. A healthy diet includes plenty of foods like carrots, tomatoes, oranges, strawberries, leafy greens, apricots, whole-grain bread and cereal, and more. The much-maligned broccoli and spinach are tops on the list. Five or more portions of vegetables and fruits are prescribed and seven or more portions of whole grains, legumes (such as beans and peas), and tubers (such as sweet potatoes) are recommended.
Further down the list of promoted foods are low-fat dairy products, lean and skinless meat, and seafood. Give soy or vegetable-based meat alternatives a try. To lower risk or to feel better while coping with cancer, limit or exclude red meat, fatty foods, salt, charred foods, foods with many additives, alcohol, and tobacco.
Eating Right when You have Cancer
As those with cancer know, some side effects of cancer and its treatment make eating a chore. Eating too little protein and calories, though, can make it difficult for the patient to heal, fight infection, and have energy enough to keep going. Conditions like anorexia or the loss of appetite and cachexia, a wasting syndrome, can develop as a result of malnutrition. Eating well has been linked to better prognoses.
The Phillip West Memorial Cancer Resource Center provides a wealth of information to Internet researchers seeking more information. Links of interest include the National Cancer Institute’s Web page Eating Hints for Cancer Patients. A registered dietician is often the best resource for personalized recommendations for eating to cope with treatments and to avoid dangers.
The UVA Cancer Prevention Recipe Box is a colorful and user-friendly Web site with lots of delicious suggestions. A recipe for cancer patients from the National Cancer Institute Web site follows:
Recipe for Cancer Patients: Lactose-Free Double Chocolate Pudding
2 squares baking chocolate (1 oz each)
1 cup nondairy creamer, soy formula or lactose-free milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt chocolate in small pan or on foil. Measure cornstarch and sugar into saucepan. Add part of the liquid and stir until cornstarch dissolves. Add the remainder of the liquid. Cook over medium heat until warm. Stir in chocolate until mixture is thick and comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Blend in vanilla and cool.
