Wednesday 11 November 2015

CANCER PREVENTION DIET TIPS

By Sam Maondu

The current trend of lifestyle diseases to include cancer can be undone by a slight shift of lifestyle which also include checking what we eat or we don't eat. What we eat or we don't eat has an enormous impact on how our bodies are prepared to fight off disease processes.
Eating junk foods, sedentary lifestyle, drinking alcohol, smoking, stress, lack of adequate sleep are some of the aspects that perpetuate onset of diseases.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients that function as antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene, lycopene, selenium and others which have an anti-cancer fighting properties. It is recommended to have at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day but because of low economic status, daily busy schedule, lack of ready accessibility to fruits and vegetables makes us fall short of these daily requirements.

Vegetarian have a 50% added advantage protection against development of cancer vis-a-vis non-vegetarians but this doesn't mean to avoid meat because the body needs variety of nutrients to protect itself some of which may not be available in a vegetarian diet.

DIETARY FIBER.

Dietary fiber helps in digestion ensuring smooth peristalsis along the gastrointestinal tract. Whole grains like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole wheat bread provide good source of dietary fiber in the body. Fruits and vegetables also play a vital role as a source of dietary fiber besides being rich in phytonutrients.

When there is smooth flow of food along the gastrointestinal tract, food doesn't take longer time in the body and cancer causing compounds doesn't get time to cause harm to the body. Dietary fiber helps in prevention of cancer of mouth, pharynx, stomach and colon.

LIMIT MEAT INTAKE.

Helpguide.org denotes that eating meat should be occassional, recomments removing the visible fat before cooking and meat should be used as a flavouring agent not a main meal in order to reduce the amount consumed.

People who eat meat have a triple risk of developing cancer as compared to those who rarely eat meat. Helpguide.org further denotes that red meat increases risks of colon cancer and daily serving of red meat increases the risk by 21%.

Meat contains cancer causing substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines. Meat from whatever source already contains these cancer causing compounds and when it is cooked at higher temperature and even for longer time, more of these compounds are formed and increase risk of developing cancer.

Meat has also been associated with development of cancers which are hormone-sensitive like prostate and breast cancer. Eating meat causes the body to produce more oestrogen in women and testosterone hormones in men. Oestrogen and testosterone hormones enhance growth of cancerous cells in the breast in female and prostate in male respectively.
Meat increases risk of other cancers on the grounds that it lacks dietary fiber, contains bad fat (saturated fat) which promotes transformation of normal cells to cancerous cells.

DIETARY FAT.

Fat is the most energy dense micronutrient. High fat diet increases risk of development of certain cancers in the body.

There is also a point of reducing consumption of bad fats like saturated fatty acids and trans fats which increase cancer risks. On the other hand, good fats like unsaturated fatty acids may have cancer protective role in our bodies. The idea is to choose good fats to use in cooking and avoid or limit unhealthy fats.

It is good to note that solid fats are high is saturated and may contain trans fats. They have longer rancidity period hence mostly used by food manufacturing industries and fast food outlets. It is advisable to trim off visible fats in meat to reduce the amount of bad fat in it.
Unsaturated fatty acids are good oils and may confer some cellular protection and halt development of cancer cells.

AVOID SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE.

With changes and advancement in technology sedentary lifestyle has been propagated in various ways. It may include activities like sitting, reading, watching television, computer games and t the end there is little or no vigorous physical activity done. It is a major contributor to preventable diseases.

Overweight and obesity is a risk factor for development of esophageal, pancreatic, colon, rectum, kidney, gallbladder and reproductive health system cancers.


References.
Meat consumption and cancer risks- physicians committee. Address: http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/facts/meat-consumption-and-cancer-risk.
Sedentary lifestyle- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Address: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedentary_lifestyle. last edit: 9th November 2015.
Plant-based foods- Cancer.net. Address: http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/prevention-and-healthy-living/diet-and-nutrition/plant-based-foods