More and more people are coming to understand the important role
diet has to play in the prevention of many forms of cancer, and
many recent studies have indicated that it is possible to help
prevent breast cancer by eating healthier.
Nutritional experts often recommend eating a diet that is low
in fat and high in fiber and other important nutrients. Not only
does such a diet show promise in the prevention of breast cancer,
but it has a great many other benefits as well. A low fat, high
fiber diet, for instance, will help most people lose weight and
improve fitness, and it can help lower the incidence of such serious
diseases as diabetes and obesity, as well as breast cancer.
The importance of cutting fat
One great way to help prevent breast cancer by eating healthier
is to eat a diet that contains less fat, especially fat from
meats and dairy foods. Eating lower fat meats, such as chicken,
turkey and other poultry, as well as adding fish to the diet,
is a great way to get the protein your body needs without the
fat. Beans, lentils and legumes are also excellent meat substitutes,
and some studies have indicated that a diet rich in soybeans
may help protect against breast cancer.
It is also important to reduce the fat in the dairy foods you
eat in order to help prevent breast cancer by eating healthier.
While low fat and nonfat dairy products were once difficult to
find, these days there are low fat and nonfat varieties of almost
all dairy foods, including milk, yogurt and even ice cream.
Healthy cooking for a healthy life
How those meats and dairy products are prepared can be just
as important as which varieties are frozen. In order to help
prevent breast cancer by eating healthier, it is better to grill
or stew meats rather than fry them. Deep frying and pan frying
can both add significant amounts of fat and calories to the foods
you eat.
Whenever possible, it is a good idea to replace saturated and
animal based fats in the diet with healthier polyunsaturated fats
whenever possible. Examples of polyunsaturated fats include many
vegetable oils, notably soybean oil and olive oil. These healthy
oils are important to help prevent breast cancer by eating healthier.
Watch the processing
Avoiding highly processed foods, sugary foods and fatty snacks
is another important element to help prevent breast cancer by
eating healthier. Replacing such sweet and highly processed foods
with healthier starchy foods, such as rice, potatoes and pastas,
is a good strategy.
And of course eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has
a great many benefits in addition to its ability to help prevent
breast cancer by eating healthier. Health experts recommend that
everyone eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every
day, and increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables you eat
is a great way to enjoy a healthier lifestyle while helping to
prevent breast cancer and other serious diseases. There are many
reasons to enjoy a healthier diet, and cancer prevention is but
one of many benefits of such a diet.
The top ten cancer preventing foods
More and more people today are realizing the importance of a healthy
diet in the prevention and treatment of many common health conditions,
and the role of diet in the prevention of cancer is becoming increasingly
clear. Where once scientists in the west were reluctant to attribute
diet to a cancer free lifestyle, today many studies have borne
out the importance of diet in the prevention of this serious disease.
The top ten cancer preventing foods are thought to include:
1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes
have long been known to provide many health benefits, and they
are thought to
play a role in the prevention
of many forms of cancers. One of the most significant benefits
of the tomato is thought to lie in the fact that it contains
strong antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are thought
to interfere with
the cell damage that can be caused by free radicals. Free
radicals are a natural part of the aging process, and they
have been implicated
in a number of different types of cancer.
2. Blueberries
Blueberries are another fruit rich
in all important antioxidants, and for this reason they are thought
to play an important role in the prevention of many kinds
of cancers.
Blue and purple fruits, including blueberries are thought
to lower
the risk of some cancers, and they also are thought to improve
memory function, promote a healthy urinary tract and even
mitigate the effects of aging. Blueberries contain many healthy
phytochemicals
and phenolics, which are currently being studied for their
anticancer and antiaging benefits.
3. Red Cabbage
All varieties of cabbages and related plants,
including such popular choices as broccoli, cauliflower,
kale, Brussels sprouts and bok choy, are very rich sources of calcium.
However, red cabbage is one of the best sources of not only
calcium,
but flavonoids. These flavonoids are responsible for the
rich purple color of red cabbage, and they are thought to have
strong antioxidant
properties. Red cabbage is perhaps the richest source of
flavonoids in the vegetable world.
4. Red Beets
As with red cabbage, it is the flavonoids
abundant in the food that give red beets their distinctive
color. Red beets are a rich source of many important nutrients,
including
the antioxidant vitamins which are thought to play an important
role in preventing many types of cancer.
5. Spinach
Spinach is one of those valuable dark
green leafy vegetables that nutrition experts recommend. Spinach
is one of the most nutrient dense foods available anywhere,
and
it is
a rich source of both vitamin C and beta carotene. Both vitamin
C and beta carotene are known to be powerful antioxidants,
and studies have shown these antioxidants to play a role
in cancer prevention. In addition, spinach is a rich source of
folic
acid,
a vital nutrient for women of child bearing age. Studies
have shown that those who eat two or more servings of spinach
per week have
considerably lower levels of breast and lung cancer.
6. Garlic
Studies focused on the health benefits
of garlic have shown time after time that garlic really does live
up
to its strong reputation for being a food that promotes overall
good health
and wellness. It is thought that the same sulfur containing
compounds that give garlic its pungent aroma and its strong
flavor also are
able to protect people from cancer by neutralizing common
cancer causing compounds in the environment. In addition,
the compounds in garlic are thought to be capable of slowing the
growth
of tumors.
7. Whole Wheat
In a recent study of the health
effects of whole wheat products, scientists have found that those
women who eat a lot of whole wheat in their diet have a significantly
lower risk of both breast cancer and heart disease, two major
killers
of women. The wide variety of whole wheat products on the
market, including pastas, cereals and breads, mean that it
is quite
easy
to fit these healthy foods into any diet.
8. Oranges
Oranges are among the most delicious,
and most nutritious of all fruits. Oranges have long been loved
for
their great taste and their high vitamin C content, but oranges
have
shown significant benefits in preventing some forms of cancer
as well. In addition to vitamin C, oranges are rich in many
other anticancer compounds, including over 170 phytochemicals.
In addition,
oranges are rich in compounds known as limonoids. These limonoids
are what give oranges and other citrus fruits there tangy
and slightly bitter taste, and they are thought to be highly
effective anticancer
compounds.
9. Strawberries
Strawberries are thought to be
among the strongest of all anticancer foods, and a recent study
found
that those who consumed the most strawberries in their diet
were up
to 70% less likely to develop many types of cancer. Many
other deep colored varieties of berries, such as blueberries,
raspberries, cranberries and blackberries, may share the anticancer
properties
of strawberries.
10. Beans
Many recent studies, and much anecdotal
evidence as well, points to the anticancer and overall health
benefits of all kinds of beans. Beans are packed full of
many important compounds,
including protease inhibitors. Protease inhibitors are known
to make it more difficult for cancer cells to gain a foothold
in
the
body. In particular, fava beans are thought to have the power
to block cancer causing compounds in the digestive tract,
while soybeans
are a rich source of isoflavones, which are thought to play
a role in reducing the risk of breast cancer.
Help prevent prostate cancer by eating healthier
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and it is a
growing and very serious problem. Fortunately, diet can play an
important role in preventing this serious health problem.
Symptoms of prostate cancer can include frequent urination, difficulty
starting urination, pain during urination, blood in the urine and
lower back pain. While these symptoms do not necessarily mean you
have prostate cancer, it is important for all men over 50 to have
a thorough prostate exam each year.
The importance of nutrition
It is also important to help prevent prostate cancer by eating
healthier. When it comes to using diet to prevent prostate cancer,
the biggest culprit seems to be saturated fat and lack of fiber.
Cases of prostate cancer tend to be at their highest levels in
modern countries where levels of saturated fat in the diet are
at their highest. As further proof of this theory, the incidence
of prostate cancer has been seen to rise as more traditional
cultures adopt a more western diet with higher levels of saturated
fat.
When it comes time to help prevent prostate cancer by eating healthier,
it is important for men to know that red meat, meats like lamb,
beef and pork, are thought to increase the risk of cancer of the
prostate. That is probably because these meets contain large levels
of saturated fat. In addition, dairy products also have high levels
of saturated fat, and they have been implicated in higher risk
of prostate cancer as well.
Cut the fat for a healthier lifestyle
Since cutting back on saturated fat on the diet is such an
effective way to help prevent prostate cancer by eating healthier,
many doctors and nutritionists recommend making this simple change.
These dietary changes are important for all men, but they are
particularly vital to those men who are at increased risk for
prostate cancer. Those at highest risk include those with a family
history of the disease, and those who have experienced prostate
or urinary tract problems in the past.
Theses dietary changes can do much more than help prevent prostate
cancer by eating healthier. These same changes in diet, like avoiding
saturated fat and increasing fiber in the diet, can also have other
important health benefits, such as reduced risk of diabetes and
obesity.
Eating a higher number of fruits and vegetables is another great
way to help prevent prostate cancer by eating healthier. We have
all heard the new recommendations by the government that everyone
eat more fruits and vegetables, and that is certainly good advice,
whether you are trying to avoid cancer or just trying to increase
your level of fitness while decreasing your weight. Fruits and
vegetable are rich in nutrients, low in fat, and delicious, so
they should be a major part of any healthy diet.
Of course it goes without saying that any major dietary change,
including a diet to help prevent prostate cancer, should be discussed
with your doctor before being implemented. Your doctor or other
health care professional can help you make the most out of your
dietary changes, and can help guide you and monitor your progress.
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