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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2026 9 Eating a healthy diet can have an enormous impact in preventing cancer. Studies have shown that 40 percent of the cancers found in men and sixty percent of those found in women are related to what we eat. The type of cancers that have been linked to dietary factors include cancer of the colon, prostate, ovary, uterus, skin, vulva, kidneys, cervix, stomach, esophagus, mouth, and liver. Years of research have led to some basic easy-to- follow dietary guidelines that can significantly lower your risk for cancers: Reduce your fat intake. A high-fat diet does not only increase your cholesterol and girth, but also can significantly raise your risk for cancer. Fats do this by several mechanisms, such as increasing cell proliferation, increasing the production of free radicals which can damage DNA, or by increasing the secretion of bile into the intestines, which can be converted into carcinogenic compounds. The most undesirable fats are the saturated fats which are found in meats, poultry, eggs, and whole-fat dairy products. Polyunsaturated fats are less troublesome but should also be kept to a minimum. The healthiest choice is monounsaturated fats which are found in olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil. As a general guideline, a diet of 2,000 calories a day should include no more than 44.5 grams of fat per day. Consume at least 25 grams of fiber a day. Fiber, which is simply the structural part of plants that we cannot digest such as celery strings and the bran part of grains, is believed to protect us against colon cancer as well as other cancers. It does this by warding off the growth of bacteria in the colon that could lead to cancer by sweeping carcinogens through the colon and out of the body and by keeping harmful chemicals from damaging the colon's lining. Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Fruits and vegetables contain fibers and many other compounds with cancer-fighting properties. They also contain vitamins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals which are naturally occurring substances that protect us from cancers in various ways. For example, sulforaphane, a chemical found in broccoli and other vegetables, is believed to activate an enzyme that removes carcinogens from cells. Genistein, found in soybeans, keeps tumors from forming blood vessels, thus cutting the tumor's lifeline. There may be many more protective chemicals in fruits and vegetables that no one has identified. The presence of these unknown cancer fighters is one of the reasons why doctors and dietitians say that vitamin supplements are no substitute for a healthy, varied diet. Limit the number of calories in your diet and maintain a desirable weight. Eating a high-calorie diet and carrying extra body fat can increase your risk for several cancers, including cancer of the breast, uterus, ovary, kidneys, colon, prostate, and cervix. Limit your intake of barbecued meats, smoked and salt-cured fish, and pickled foods. When you barbecue, fat from the meat drips onto the flames and produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These cancer-causing substances then rise with smoke and settle on your food. Smoked, salt-cured and pickled foods often contain nitrates which have been linked to stomach cancer. Limit your consumption of alcohol. Even moderate drinking can raise your risk of several types of cancers. If you drink, limit your intake to no more than four alcoholic beverages per week. Use dietary guidelines to help you make smart food choices. These suggest that nutrients come from a variety of foods to ensure that you are getting enough of a combination of foods that are necessary for a well-balanced diet. You don't have to eat a perfect diet at every meal, every day. But keep an eye on what you do eat, and try to make better choices as often as you can. If you have something that is rather fatty at lunchtime, compensate by eating leaner at dinner so that your overall food intake for the day follows the guidelines as closely as possible. With a little practice, you will find that eating a cancer-preventive diet is not hard at all. ~ Tina Soeten, jp4health4u@yahoo.com Eating Healthy to Reduce Cancer Risk

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