Imagine having the power to significantly impact on your risk of developing cancer in your future. In fact, you absolutely do have this power and I'll show you how!

While there is no single food or habit that will surely cause cancer, there is also no single food or habit that will surely prevent it. To reduce your risk of being diagnosed with cancer you can influence any number of your day-to-day lifestyle practices, most importantly your nutrition. There are several choices you can make that will have HUGE  impact on your cancer risk. 

According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, these are the top cancer prevention recommendations related to diet, nutrition, and physical activity:

• Be a healthy weight
• Be physically active
• Enjoy a healthy diet
• Limit “fast foods”
• Do not eat red and processed meat
• Cut down on sugary drinks
• Do not drink alcohol
• Do not use supplements for cancer prevention
• Avoid smoking and other exposure to tobacco
• Don’t get excess sun exposure

In this article, you’re going to learn more about some of these diet and nutrition-related recommendations so that you can use your lifestyle to reduce your risk of getting cancer. You’ll also get some goals, tips, and strategies to make them work for you.

Fun fact: The healthy nutrition strategies in this article will not only reduce your risk of cancer, but they can also reduce your risk for developing heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and excess weight gain.

[Note that when you hear phrases like “limit” and “cut down” they don’t necessarily suggest that you completely remove all traces of these foods from your diet. It simply prompts you to consider enjoying them less often and in smaller portions as part of an overall nutritious and well-balanced diet.]

What is cancer and how can nutrition naturally reduce your risk of getting it?

Behind heart disease (which is number one), cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States. Cancer happens when cells—from anywhere in the body—become abnormal and multiply uncontrollably. These cancer cells can cause damage by eventually growing into lumps or otherwise spreading throughout the body. 

There are many different types of cancer and many different things can increase and decrease your risk of cancer. Cancer starts when there is an interaction between cells, the genetics inherited from parents, exposures to different compounds and viruses, and any number of other factors.

The good news is that many cancers are highly preventable with a healthy lifestyle that includes an abundance of nutritious foods. In fact, according to Harvard Health, a healthy dietary pattern can reduce your cancer risk by 10-20 percent.

One of the main nutrition-related factors that can increase risk of cancer is excess weight. Studies show that excess weight can increase risks for cancers of the mouth, throat (pharynx, larynx, esophagus), stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, liver, colorectum, breast (post-menopausal), ovary, endometrium, prostate, and kidney.

Enjoy a healthy nutrition choices to reduce your cancer risk

What exactly is a “healthy” cancer-risk-reducing diet? It’s choosing more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes like beans and lentils. These foods help reduce cancer risk in many ways. For example, they are full of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes also contain other health-promoting compounds like antioxidants. Plus, these foods can help protect against excess weight because they can help you feel fuller longer due to their fiber and water content.

Fun fact: Fiber is a health-promoting carbohydrate found only in plant foods. It’s a unique type of carbohydrate because it’s one that our gut can’t break down to digest. This has many health benefits for your digestive system. For one thing, fiber can help you feel fuller and help your digestive system keep things moving and promote regularity. Fiber also supports a healthy gut microbiome by feeding your friendly gut bacteria. Getting your fiber from foods is recommended over fiber supplements whenever possible.

Fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes also contain antioxidants and protein. These foods are known to help protect against many cancers, including colorectal cancer. Non-starchy fruits and vegetables also protect against several cancers, including cancers located in the mouth and throat.

A recommended goal is to eat at least five - seven servings of non-starchy fruits and vegetables and at least 40 grams of fiber each day. You can do this by including non-starchy fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes in every meal and enjoying them as snacks. Examples of these foods are:

• a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, pineapple, broccoli, bell peppers, leafy greens, and blueberries
• whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat, and oats
• legumes include black beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and lentils

Limit “fast foods” to reduce your cancer risk.

“Fast foods” are convenient foods that are often very processed. “Processed” means they’re heavily manufactured and don’t resemble their natural state. (Think of an apple picked from a tree and how much it goes through to become part of an apple pie). Examples of fast foods include burgers, fried chicken, potato chips, fries, cakes, pastries, candies, and candy bars.

Many fast foods are engineered to be very tasty (“highly palatable”) and are prone to be enjoyed often and in large quantities. Fast foods are almost always high in fat, salt and starches or sugars. They also usually have a long shelf-life so they can be stored for a long time (e.g., they’re not “fresh” foods that can wilt or go bad quickly). Eating too many fast and highly processed foods is linked to increased weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

The goal to reduce your cancer risk—and improving your overall health—is to limit how often and how much fast food is eaten.

To reduce your risk of cancer do not eat red and processed meat.

Meat can be a good source of protein, iron, zinc, and Vitamin B12. However, red and processed meat is linked to many cancers, with the strongest link being to colorectal cancer. 

Red meat includes beef, pork, veal, lamb, and goat. Processed meat is meat that has been salted, smoked, cured, or fermented. These processes are done to enhance the flavor of the meat and also to preserve it and increase its shelf life. Examples of processed meats are hot dogs, bacon, salami, sausages, and deli meats like ham.

Red and processed meats can contribute to cancer risk because they may contain or create cancer-causing substances when they’re processed and cooked (charred). They can also contribute to excess weight, which is a risk factor for many cancers.

If you choose to continue to eat red meat, do so very infrequently and have a serving size that matches a "side dish".   

Cut down on sugary drinks to reduce your cancer risk

Sugar-sweetened drinks include sodas and energy drinks, as well as sugar added to other beverages like tea and coffee. There is strong evidence that high intakes of sugary drinks contributes to excess weight and increases your risk of cancer.

Fun fact: Drinking coffee may protect against liver, endometrial, mouth, and throat cancers. Drinking tea (but not maté tea) is linked to a reduced risk of bladder cancer. [(Consider enjoying them without or a bit less sugar.)]

Pro tip: Did you know most coffee shops will happily make their signature drinks with half of the sugar/syrup? Simply ask for your drink to be “half sweet” and see if they can accommodate your journey toward better health.

Try to reduce your intake of sugary drinks by having them less often and in smaller amounts. When it comes to benefits of substituting sugar-sweeneted drinks with low-calorie artificially-sweetened drinks, the science is is showing that these substances are harmful. That’s why the recommendation is to enjoy water and unsweetened drinks.

Final thoughts 

Cancer is no small health risk and the empowering truth is that you absolutely have the ability to influence your health and future with nutrition. The foods (and drinks) you consume contribute to your healthy lifestyle to reduce your risk of cancer. And the great news is that these strategies can also reduce your risk of other chronic diseases at the same time.

By choosing more fruits, vegetable, whole grains, and legumes, choosing to remove red and processed meats and reducing sugary drinks, you can exert a big impact on your health. You don’t need to overhaul everything right away because small, sustainable changes to your day-to-day life can lead the way to improved wellness.

Need help choosing or implementing more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes into your diet? My team is here for you.  Book a free meet and greet with Dr. Dunbar.