You can reduce the risk of cancer by consuming nutritious foods and changing your lifestyle.
Eighty percent of all Cancers occur after age 65. Eventually, one third of us will be faced with a diagnosis of Cancer.
However, Cancer doesn’t develop overnight. It is a slow process that builds on the toxins, exposures, genetic mutations, and dietary indiscretions that occur over 20, 30, 50, or even 60 years.
Everyone has some risk for Cancer. In the United States, cancer is likely to affect 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women at least once in their lifetime. The amount of risk you have depends on a number of factors. These factors include tobacco use, lifestyle choices (such as diet and exercise), family history, and factors in your workplace and environment.
Cancer is downright scary! The simple fact that we're all scared of it is testimony to the failure of conventional treatment. Although we have made major headway in the fight against Cancer, the fact remains that there are still many questions that don't have answers.
My own father developed Lung Cancer when he was in his late 70's. He went through conventional Chemotherapy, and although he handled it rather well for his age, I didn't think that chemo was a very good choice for treatment. There had to be another answer! I wanted to find out everything I could about the disease that was taking my father's life.
For many people, the fear of Cancer is what drives us to accepting conventional methods. We fear what we do not understand. Because we are driven by the fear of death, we opt for conventional cancer therapy not so much believing that it will work, but hoping it will not fail.
Cancer may sometimes happen, as a result of lifestyle stagnancy. It becomes a disease of lifestyle. There are many steps you can take to prevent it in your own body.
90% of all Cancer can be prevented by nutrition, which also means your risk of cancer also goes down by 90% when you become more nutritionally savvy. That is a fact. Researchers at the University of Victoria, B.C., studied 200 Cancer patients who had experienced a spontaneous regression. They found that 87% of these 200 patients had made major dietary changes in most cases, by switching to a vegan diet.
Four Immediate Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
#1 - Reduce your dietary fat intake to a level of no more than 30% of your total calories. This particularly includes reducing your saturated fat intake to less than 10% total calories.
#2 - Increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
#3 - Consume only small amounts of salt-cured foods, salt-pickled foods, processed foods, and smoked foods. All of these foods contain loads of preservatives, excessive salt, and dangerous hydrocarbons.
#4 - Consume loads of phytochemicals. These are chemical compounds found in plants that protect them from the ravages of the environment - oxygen, insects, pollution, and fungi. There are thousands of known phytochemicals. They're the sulfur smell of cabbage, the burn of hot peppers, and the irritation of poison ivy. Fruits and vegetables are full of them: garlic has an antibiotic effect, beans have Cancer prevention properties, hot peppers help maintain a healthy heart, and citrus fruits detoxify us.
Cruciferous vegetables have gotten a lot of attention over the years, as these vegetables are a power house of protection to reduce the risk of Cancer. Examples of cruciferous vegetables are: cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, collards, cauliflower, kale, bok choy, turnips, mustard greens, and rutabagas.
Berries, broccoli, tomatoes, citrus fruit, carrots, grapes, onions, garlic, spinach, salmon, tuna, mackerel, whole grains, cold pressed oils, soybeans, yogurt, black and green tea, red wine in small amounts.
Eat Less of These:
Red meat, pork, fried foods, margarine, butter, corn oil, white flour, refined sugar, smoked foods, ice cream, whole milk, hot dogs, luncheon meats, fast food, canned foods, hard liquor.
And On Occasion:
Eggs, nuts especially cashews, almonds, walnuts, Brazil, and red wine
Eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet and exercising regularly are good for your health in general. You can reduce your risk of Cancer and other diseases just by eating right and staying in good physical shape.
It's not hard to change your diet for the better to decrease your risk of cancer. Just make smart choices that include whole grains (such as whole wheat bread or pasta), fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. Cut back on sweets and alcohol, and include fish and poultry in your diet on a regular basis. Making just a few of these changes can improve your overall health.
If you're not used to exercising, start out slowly. Choose a type of exercise you enjoy, so you'll be sure to stick with it. Try to gradually work up to exercising 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week. If you have heart problems or any other health concerns, talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program.