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Cancer is frightening—there’s no getting around it.
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So it may help to know that some simple
choices may help you significantly lower your cancer risk. There are no guarantees, of course—
you can take every precaution possible and still get cancer. But by some estimates, about
one-third of the most common cancers in the U.S. could be prevented with everyday healthy
habits—and even more could be prevented if no one smoked. Here are some key habits to know.
KNOW WHAT TO EAT
A healthy diet is one of your best
defenses against cancer. But what’s
healthy? Try choices like these:
Make produce a priority.
In
fact, try to fill half your plate with
it. You might even go meatless at
least one day a week. Fruits and
vegetables are loaded with natural
chemicals that help protect your
cells from damage that could cause
cancer. And eating plenty of pro-
duce reduces the risk of several can-
cers, including those of the throat,
esophagus, colon and stomach.
Make half your grains whole.
Fiber-rich whole grains help protect
against colon cancer, the second
leading cause of cancer deaths na-
tionwide. To meet your mark for
grains, choose 100 percent whole-
wheat bread, pasta and tortillas, and
swap in brown rice for white.
Be fussy about meat.
Cut
back on eating red meat and pro-
cessed meat, such as deli meat. Nu-
merous studies show a link between
colon cancer and these kinds of
meat.
Watch those calories.
Being
as lean as possible—without being
underweight—helps protect against
cancer. So keep calorie-packed,
nutrient-poor foods, like candy and
chips, in an inconvenient place in
your pantry—where they’re less
tempting to grab on a regular basis.
Better yet: Leave them in the store.
KNOW HOW TO MOVE
Need a little push to be more ac-
tive? Consider this: Regular exercise
cuts the risk of a dozen different
cancers. So how much do you need?
The American Cancer Society
recommends:
● ●
At least 150 minutes of moderate-
intensity exercise (such as walking
briskly) every week.
● ●
Or at least 75 minutes of vigorous
exercises (such as running) every
week.
If you’re time-squeezed—and
really, who isn’t?—either goal might
seem out of reach. But they’re actu-
ally doable. For starters, you don’t
have to head to the gym. Any activ-
ity that gets you moving counts,
from mopping your floor to walking
to your mailbox.
To fit in more exercise, you can:
Sneak in activity.
See those
stairs? They’re calling you—take
them whenever you can. Pick a far-
away spot to park at the mall. Ride
a bus? Get off a few blocks early,
and walk the rest of the way.
Rise and shine.
Set your alarm
early, and exercise before your day
gets away from you.
Split it up.
Instead of doing
a 30-minute workout, try three
10-minute workouts scattered
throughout your day.
Keep it up.
Finally, make your
exercise stick by doing what you
enjoy.There’s a whole world of
exercise possibilities out there. Try
something new—maybe paddle
boarding, a spin class or water aero-
bics. You could even ask a buddy to
join you.That’s another way to stay
motivated.
KNOW WHAT TO AVOID
When you’re trying to stay cancer-
free, the don’ts often matter as much
as the do’s. Here are three crucial
ones:
Don’t light up.
Smoking causes
lung cancer, one of the hardest can-
cers to treat. But it also raises the
risk of many other cancers—and it’s
to blame for 30 percent of all cancer
deaths nationwide. If you already
smoke, it’s time to be a quitter.
Don’t expose yourself to
secondhand smoke.
Try to avoid
it as much as you can. Nonsmokers
who breathe in other people’s smoke
inhale many of the same cancer-
causing poisons as smokers. So if you
live with a smoker, encourage the
person to quit. Or at least, ask him or
her to smoke outside your home.
Don’t get too much sun.
To help protect yourself from skin
cancer, try to stay in the shade when
outside, especially between 10 a.m.
and 4 p.m. And when you are in
sunlight, cover up as much as pos-
sible and generously apply sunscreen
with an SPF of 30 or higher.
Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; American
Academy of Family Physicians; American Institute
for Cancer Research; Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
What you
need to
know to help
prevent the
disease
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Cut
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Cancer prevention
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HEALTH BEAT