By Bisi Onile-Ere
(06/02/04)-- Many cancers are strongly linked to lifestyle factors, like obesity and poor eating habits. HealthFirst reporter Bisi Onile-Ere says there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of cancer.
We overeat, eat the wrong foods, fill up on fat, and today, 65 percent of Americans are overweight. "As obesity rates go up, that could also be linked with the cancer incidence going up," said Johns Hopkins Dietician Mary Eve Brown.
According to Brown, up to 40 percent of cancer is caused by lifestyle factors like poor eating. "If you make small changes, you can reduce your cancer risk by 60 percent."
To do that, fit in 20-35 grams of fiber a day. Half a cup of beans and one serving of bran cereal each have five grams. Next, get five to nine servings of veggies every day. "A serving is a half a cup cooked or a cup raw," Brown advised.
Two cups of cooked veggies for dinner and a salad at lunch is enough. If you crave meat, marinate it. Use acidic lemon or vinegar-based marinades to reduce cancerous chemicals significantly. "The good thing about a cancer-prevention diet, it's the same for all diseases," according to Brown.
Eden Stotsky wishes she had paid attention to her diet sooner. She was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 26. "I can't help but to think that the diet I had before had something to do with the reason why I got cancer to begin with," she said.
That was six years ago. Since then, Eden has changed her eating habits. "My diet now is very high in fiber, so instead of eating white bread, I would eat wheat bread. Instead of eating white rice, I'll eat brown rice."
With a better diet and no cancer in sight, she leads an education program at Johns Hopkins, which keeps her focused on her remission.
Fruit is also a great way to pack fiber into your diet.
Here's another tip: grilling over foil, rather than an open flame, can lower the risk of cancerous chemicals when you're grilling meat.