Healthy Food Choices for Cancer

Adjust your diet to prevent cancer. Learn how to adjust your diet to fit your specific health and nutrition needs in this video on grocery shopping.

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Eat half a plate of fruits and vegetables
Include omega-3 foods
Reduce saturated and trans fat
Exercise and don't smoke

About this Author

Mary Hondros graduated from University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. She currently works as a nutritionist for New Hanover County Schools in North Carolina. Her main focus is to teach children to improve nutritional habits.

MARY HONDROS: Okay, I'm going to talk a little bit about cancer and the role of diet in cancer development. If you don't already know somebody that's been affected with cancer then you probably know that it's the second leading cause of death in the United States. This means that about a third of the population, at some point in their lives, will have cancer. The key to preventing or lowering your risk for developing cancer is to consume a lot of fruits and vegetables, about 5 to 9 servings a day, which are high in antioxidants and phytochemicals that act to protect your body against cancer. Some of the best sources of antioxidants come from fruits and vegetables, especially things like strawberries, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, and things in that general family. Vegetables such as broccoli, leafy greens, spinach, kelp and things like that also help protect you against cancer because of their anti-carcinogenic effects. So in general, if you're trying to eat to prevent cancer, which is possible if you eat healthy that you can reduce your risk for developing cancer by almost 30%, just by diet alone. So if you're watching what you eat, some things to remember are that you can use--number 1, the plate method, to determine how much fruit and vegetable you eat. That means if you take a whole plate, you divide it in half, about half that plate should be full of fruits and vegetables. That way, you can ensure that you're getting your 5 to 9 servings. Secondly, remember to include omega 3 rich foods in your diet like salmon, about twice or 3 times per week. Thirdly, remember to reduce the amount of saturated fat and transfat that you're eating because those foods are also high in cholesterol. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the lowest in any kind of fat and they have absolutely no trans or saturated fat or cholesterol in them. And lastly, remember to exercise and don't smoke. Those are 4 tips on reducing your cancer risk through a healthy diet.

Healthy Food Choices for Cancer Video

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