Cancer Prevention Nutrition Guidelines and Nourishing Fall Recipes

Overall guidelines for nutrition and cancer prevention

♥ Emphasize:

• Fiber intake:
  • For those aged 19-50: 38 grams per day for males, 25 grams per day for females (3,4)
  • Sources include: whole grains, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds, oats
• Protein intake:
  • Varies by individual needs, activity and age, however typically the target is within: 0.8-2 grams of protein, per kilogram of body weight
  • Emphasize lean meat and plant-based proteins, rather than processed meat and red meat
  • Good animal sources include chicken, turkey, duck, egg and fish
  • Plant-based proteins include lentils, beans, peas, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, quinoa, wild rice, seeds, nuts and seitan
  • Avoid or minimize processed meats, such as deli or luncheon meats, ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs and sausages
  • Reduce consumption of red meats, including beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton and goat

♥ Fruit and vegetable intake: aim for at least 5 servings a day

• Eating more fruits and vegetables may help protect against at least 14 different types of cancer, including lung, stomach, colorectal, and ovarian cancer, among others (5-7).
  • A good tip to achieve a sufficiently high intake in your diet is to fill half your plate with fruit and vegetables
  • To take it a step further, try to focus more on non-starchy vegetables. “Starchy” vegetables are higher in simple carbohydrates and include vegetables like carrots, beets, corn and baked potatoes
  • Non-starchy vegetable sources include vegetables like spinach, kale, arugula, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers

♥ Minimize refined foods, ultra processed foods, and foods high in added sugar

• • Refined foods include white flour and white rice
  • Ultra processed foods can include packaged snacks, instant noodles, soda and sweetened beverages, many fast foods and frozen ready-made meals
  • Foods high in added sugars can include ice cream, milkshakes, candy, chocolate bars, and baked goods such as desserts, cookies, pastries and cake

♥ Avoid or significantly reduce alcohol: research shows that any amount of alcohol can increase cancer risk. Current guidelines recommend no more than 0-2 drinks per week (8).

• • Opt for other beverages such as sparkling water, unsweetened juices, herbal teas, or low sugar mocktails

♥ Other honorable mentions – some studies have shown possible cancer-related benefits for certain foods and food habits. The evidence for this, however, hasn’t been strong enough to formulate officially recognized recommendations. We might yet infer the following suggestions:

• Eating foods low on the glycemic index (9,10) (glycemic index is an indication of how quickly blood sugar will increase following consumption of a food)
• Consuming a variety of herbs and spices (11,12)
• Incorporating walnuts into your diet (possibly particularly for breast cancer, according to a small pilot study) (13)
• Dietary intake of lycopene (possibly particularly for prostate cancer risk and lung cancer mortality risk) (14,15)