There are so many factors that contribute to the development and progression of cancers, and while many are not in your control, food, nutrition and lifestyle factors ARE--so take control of what you can TODAY. Making healthier food and lifestyle decisions each and every day has been shown to reduce both your risk of developing many types of cancer-including breast cancer-as well as their recurrence. 
 

Keep reading for five cancer risk reduction steps to take NOW!

1. Reach and Maintain a healthy weight. For an initial idea of what your healthy weight would be, start with 100# (female) or 106# (male) for the first 5 feet of your height and then add 5# (female) or 6#  (male) for every inch you are above 5 feet tall. Your actual "ideal" weight may be up to 10% over or under this number if you have a large or small frame..but it gives you a starting point. Ideally, once you determine your "ideal" weight, work to reach it and vow to stay within about 10 pounds of this weight. For additional reference as to where your body weight currently stands, you can also use an online BMI calculator (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html) to figure out your Body Mass Index. This number should be <25 for most people. NOTE* BMI is not an accurate assessment of ideal body weight to height in highly athletic individuals with very high muscle mass. Whether you need to lose weight or prevent weight gain, a healthy eating plan combined with physical activity will ensure that you are at an optimal weight for your health. (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/prevention/index.html). Follow us on twitter (@nutritionenergy) for a continuous source of great tips for your nutrition.
2. Include antioxidants and phytochemicals in your daily diet. These two big words are important, cancer fighting components, that are found in abundance in most fruits and veggies!  Aim to get 2-3 cups of each of these cancer fighting powerhouses (fruits and veggies that is!) in your diet, everyday.
3. If you eat meat, cut back on processed ones like bacon, sausage, ham, and red meats like beef, pork and lamb, which have been shown to increase cancer risk. When you do eat meat, make sure you choose leaner cuts. Opt for fish, poultry (white meat, without skin) or legumes and beans, to meet your protein needs for at least several meals each week. When you do eat meat, be sure to marinate it first and ensure it does not char (burn and develop that dark black outer coating you often see on meats). Those charred meat are high in HCA's (heterocyclic amines) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). These chemicals, explained here, have been shown to increase cancer risk in animal models and studies are underway in human subjects.
4. Pay attention to how your food is prepared. Whether you are cooking your food (which is better as you will have more control), or eating out, remember to steam, grill, broil, boil, bake, or poach. Avoid fried or charbroiled since the high temperatures used to prepare foods (especially meats) in these methods increase the release of HCAs and PAHs both of which are currently being studied as potential carcinogens.
5. Get physical! All this good effort with your food will be fortified with exercise! According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines we should all aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate or 15 minutes of intense activity 5 times a week in order to obtain several long-term health benefits, cancer prevention being one among them. Any type or combination of exercise will help.
    

BONUS TIP - if you drink alcohol, keep in mind that amount matters more than type.  According to the National Cancer Institute's Alcohol and Cancer Risk Fact Sheet (found here) the more one drinks, the greater the chance of developing certain types of cancers, with risks increasing after one daily drink for women and 2 for men.  One drink is equal to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (hard liquor).
 

There is so much in life that is beyond our control...we might as well take advance of, and make the best of, the decision that are WITHIN our control as much as we can! As always, if you or your friends or loved ones need help dealing with cancer risk reduction or management through food, give us a call today...the dietitians at Nutrition Energy are here to help! 

Nutrition Energy would like to congratulate Jordan Metzl on on the release of his upcoming book called The Exercise Cure! In this book Jordan traces the interesting and indisputable body of evidence about the effectiveness of and importance of exercise to overall health. Jordan's book will be released December 10th and is available for pre-order now. Pick up a copy here!