Starting a healthy new lifestyle to protect yourself against colon cancer can begin with gradual modifications in your diet, activity patterns and habits. Although you can't transform your entire life today, you can take crucial steps toward reducing your risk of colon cancer and improving your overall health. With regular screening and other lifestyle modifications, colon cancer might be prevented.
Step 1
Schedule a colon cancer screening. Colon cancer often begins as small benign polyps that produce few or no symptoms until the later stages of the disease. Polyps can be detected in their early stages during a colonoscopy, a flexible sigmoidoscopy or other form of screening. With early detection, colon cancer is highly curable.
Step 2
If you smoke, make a commitment to quit. Tobacco use increases your risk of colon cancer. Identify smoking-cessation resources in your community and set a quit date today.
Step 3
Omit processed meats from your diet. Bacon, sausage, ham and other smoked or highly salted meats might increase your risk for colon cancer, according to a study published in the 2008 issue of "Nutrition and Cancer."
Step 4
Increase your intake of whole grains and fresh produce and limit dietary fats. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day to reduce your risk of cancer. Substitute whole-grain breads, pasta or cereals for foods made with refined flour and sugar. Replace solid, animal-based fats and trans fats with the unsaturated fats in olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.
Step 5
Drink more fluids. Unless you have a health condition that restricts your fluid intake, drinking more water and other noncaffeinated beverages will help you process the extra fiber in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Step 6
Begin an exercise and weight-loss plan. If you're overweight, losing weight might help you avoid colon cancer. Although you should consult your doctor before you start an exercise program, you can get some form of physical activity today, such as 10 to 20 minutes of walking at a comfortable pace.
Step 7
Limit your alcohol consumption. Eliminating alcohol or drinking in moderation -- two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women -- might reduce your risk of colon cancer, according to MayoClinic.com.
Step 8
Spend time today engaging in a relaxing activity. Take a break from work to do something that relieves stress and provides emotional and moral support, such as enjoying a healthy meal with your family or taking a walk with a friend.
Things You'll Need
- Fruits and vegetables
- Whole-grain foods
- Water and other non-caffeinated beverages
- Smoking cessation resources
References
- American Cancer Society: Can Colorectal Cancer Be Prevented?
- "Nutrition and Cancer"; "Processed Meat and Colorectal Cancer: A Review of Epidemiologic and Experimental Evidence"; Raphaelle Santarelli et al; 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Colon Cancer Prevention
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Colorectal Cancer
