Getting a cancer diagnosis is scary, there are several things you can do as part of your every day routine to help mitigate the risk of developing cancer. Healthy eating and staying active are two of the simplest ways you can help reduce your risk of cancer.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Keeping your body weight within a healthy range reduces the risk of some types of cancer. If you are currently overweight or obese, losing a few pounds can be beneficial in reducing your risk of cancer. Talk to your doctor to help determine your healthy weight and create goals to help you get to or maintain that weight.1
- Sit less: Move your body as often as you can. Avoid staying stationary, sitting or lying down, for long periods of time. Simply standing up and stretching periodically is a great starting point to develop a more active lifestyle. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, but don’t stop there, the more exercise the better!
- Healthy eating: Seems pretty obvious, unfortunately obesity is at an all-time high across the country. Reduce consumption of red meats, processed meats, sugary drinks, and highly processed foods. Increase consumption of leafy greens and colorful fruits and vegetables. Keep an eye on our blog for more healthy eating tips!
- Alcohol – less is more: Less alcohol means more healthy living. Ideally avoiding alcohol is best, if you do partake in alcohol consumption, have no more than 1 – 2 drinks per day (12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces distilled spirits).
Cancers Affected2
| OBESITY | DRINKING ALCOHOL | NOT EXERCISING | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIVER | x | x | |
| COLON | x | x | x |
| KIDNEY | x | x | |
| STOMACH | x | x | x |
| ESOPHAGEAL | x | x | x |
| PANCREAS | x | ||
| BRAIN | x |
Sources
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/top-ways-to-prevent-cancer-513787
- https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/cancer-control/en/booklets-flyers/diet-and-physical-activity-patient-fact-sheet.pdf
