Cancer prevention

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, about 1/3 of U.S. cancers could be prevented through a combination of diet, exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight. The cancer groups most influenced by these three lifestyle factors include; head and neck cancers, colon cancer, and endometrial cancer.

Here are some ideas to help you meet the 3 lifestyle recommendations:

Exercise

• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day
• After an hour of being sedentary, get up and stretch or move
• Break your exercise up if needed. Try doing something for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening
• Walk with friends and family after dinner
• Walk on your lunch break
• Park farther away from buildings and use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Rent exercise DVDs from your local library to try something new from the comfort of your own home
• March in place during commercial breaks
• Check to see if you are eligible for Silver Sneakers. This active adult membership is offered to many Medicare plans across the nation and allows you to join a participating gym. Check this website for eligibility: https://www.silversneakers.com/benefits/do-i-have-it
• Check with your local YMCA to see if they support the livestrong program, which supports cancer survivors at little or no cost. Visit their website here: http://www.livestrong.org/what-we-do/our-actions/livestrong-programs/ymca/

Diet

• Eat 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
• Choose whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta over white bread, white rice, white pasta….
• Plant your own vegetable garden. This helps you stay active and also provides you with healthy vegetables at meals
• Limit the amount of salt you eat and the amount of foods processed with salt such as canned foods, flavored boxed rice/pasta products, chips, etc…
• Make half of your plate at meals a fruit or vegetable
• Leave a fruit bowl on your kitchen counter. Studies have shown people are more likely to snack on fruit, rather than junk food, when it is out in the open
• Avoid sugary drinks like soda, sweet tea, and juices. Flavor your water with fresh fruit slices or drink sparking water
• Limit or avoid alcohol. If any, men should have no more than 2 drinks per day and women no more than 1 drink per day
• Limit the amount of red meat you eat. This includes beef, pork, and lamb. Also avoid processed meat such as bacon, sausage, and hot dogs
• Don’t eat junk foods straight from the bag-this can quickly cause you to go from eating 5 chips to 50 chips! Count out your portion on a napkin and don’t go back for seconds
• Visit the Patient and Family Resource Center located on the ground floor of the Cancer Hospital to check out one of our many books on diet
• Schedule an appointment with a dietitian to get more personalized tips and strategies

Maintain a Healthy Weight

• Diet + Exercise = Healthy Weight
• Consider downloading an app to help you monitor your exercise and diet. Some popular ones include “myfitness pal” and “lose it”