What should I eat for cancer prevention and survivorship? The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research’s Third Expert Report provides recommendations for diet and physical activity.
What is The Expert Report?
The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research have worked for over 25 years to better determine how what we eat affects our risk of developing and surviving cancer. Every 10 years, they publish a new report with their results and recommendations which are developed from rigorous, ongoing research through their Continuous Update Project (CUP). Lucky for us in answering our question of what to eat for cancer prevention and survivorship, the Third Expert Report called “Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Cancer: A Global Perspective” was just released in May. The full report is over 12,000 pages long but, luckily, they broke it down for us into ten recommendations for diet and physical activity, and I am going to make it even easier and talk about them below.
You may be asking, why should we pay attention to these recommendations? Well, the report is developed by a panel of independent experts (in other words, they have no personal investment in the outcome) who read, analyze, and draw conclusions from a ton of studies. The recommendations that come from this year’s Expert Report cover 17 cancer sites and are based on data from a total of 51 million people, 3.5 million who had cancer. A lot of studies with a lot of people help make the results more reliable. This is good because it means determining what is headline hype and what is solid research.
What is different this year?
Not only does the World Cancer Research Fund and the AICR use their findings to build upon their past recommendations, they explain what has changed since the previous report. This year, the major difference is the focus on lifestyle changes. For nutrition, this means focusing on eating patterns over time rather than on specific foods or nutrients. This is great news because there is so much room to customize these recommendations to fit the things you like to eat!
What are the Recommendations?
1. Be a healthy weight – This is important because excess body fat releases compounds that can negatively affect our health. However, what a healthy weight looks like is different for everyone, so don’t get too hung up on the numbers here. A good way to be your healthy weight is to focus on a healthy lifestyle, which is what the other recommendations below are getting at.
2. Be physically active – This is one of the best things you can do for yourself REGARDLESS of any weight loss. You will reap the benefits on a cellular level. Find something you enjoy. This does not have to be structured exercise if you don’t want it to be and can be broken up into 10-minute segments. Do 30 minutes total of an activity like brisk walking on most days. Remember, any amount is better than none! Ten minutes is infinitely greater than zero! For those of you who are older than 50, check out your local senior center for free activities. For the rest of us, check out your local YMCA or recreation department.
** Check out this blog post by Registered Oncology Dietitian Meredith Moyers for great tips on getting more physical activity and healthy plant-based foods **
3. Eat lots of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans – This is the same old song I know, I know. But many foods from around the world are centered around these four essential components of a healthier diet. Why not explore your own heritage or the rest of the world through food? Here is a great resource to learn about the diverse history of Southern food. Explore global veggie foods here and recipes here and here. Eat more plant foods by designating meatless meals one or more days a week. (Oh yeah, plant foods are also packed with cancer fighting compounds!).
4. Limit consumption of processed foods high in fat, starch, or sugar (like “fast” or packaged foods) – I know they taste good and the folks selling them to you know it, too! Here is a little challenge for you – when you go to the grocery store, notice which products are placed in the front of the store so you see them right when you walk in. These are usually on sale, too. Next, notice which products are on the ends of the aisles, so you can’t avoid them even if you tried. Even worse, which items are staring at you in the check-out lane? Now, notice which foods are not spread out over the store. How often do you see a fruit or vegetable outside of the produce section? The store layout is very intentional and influenced by those folks mentioned above. Use your newly acquired detective skills when you watch the ads on T.V., too. I encourage you to fight the power!
5. Limit consumption of red and processed meats – Red meat is beef, pork, and lamb, y’all. Remember “pork: the other white meat” ads? Well, we were lied to. But don’t worry! For all you meat lovers out there, four to six 3-ounce servings of red meat a week is fine. But I don’t think you’ll miss it too much since you will be busy planning your Meatless Mondays! Processed meats like bacon, sausage, ham, and hot dogs should be limited due to the preservatives and salt content.
6. Limit sugar sweetened beverages – These contribute calories with no other nutrients. That means no cancer fighting components AT ALL.
7. Limit alcohol – It is associated with 6 different cancers, so the advice is to avoid alcohol for cancer prevention. For those who choose to drink alcohol, keep it to 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks a day for men.
8. Get your nutrients from food, not supplements – When it comes to plants, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So, unless you have a known deficiency or have increased needs (elderly, women of child-bearing age) just eat food! Only use supplements to fill in the gaps. Following the AICR New American Plate can help you meet your vitamin and mineral needs without excess supplements. Talk to your doctor or registered dietitian if you are taking or want to take supplements.
9. Breastfeed your baby if you can – this can help prevent breast cancer in mom and help baby grow up to be a healthy weight.
10. If you are a cancer survivor, once your treatment is completed, follow these same recommendations if you can. Please seek advice from your medical provider or a registered dietitian with questions.
Finally, while this blog focused on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention and survivorship, there are other lifestyle factors that contribute to cancer risk.
Can I ever have dessert?
Of course! If you take all these recommendations together and aim to practice them most of the time, there is room to enjoy other foods, desserts, or your favorite beverage the rest. These new recommendations focus on creating a healthy eating pattern over time. A healthy lifestyle is the base from which to enjoy food, eating, and your life!
Guest blog post by Jessica Wallis, dietetic intern, MPH candidate in nutrition at UNC-CH, food lover, and future dietitian.