Cancerproof your diet

American Fitness, Sept-Oct, 1990 by Frances Sheridan Goulart

Cancerproof Your Diet

What do oysters, apple-banana splits and good sex have in common? They all reduce the risk of America's No. 1 health worry--cancer. Every year almost 500,000 of us die of cancer and 1.4 million new cases are diagnosed. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

But it doesn't have to happen to you. A good diet can prevent up to 40% of carcinomas or block them before it's too late, according to the American Council on Science and Health. Here are 15 one-way-a-day ways to cancer-proof your diet.

DAY 1

Lower the boom on calories. According to a 12-year study by the American Cancer Society concluded in 1988, the body's "hot spots" for fat--the colon, breast, cervix, uterus, prostate, ovaries and rectum--are also hot spots for cancer. And the more you tip the scales, the greater your risk. A balanced diet providing less than 3,000 calories a day protects your immune system, according to the National Cancer Institute--especially if those calories come from ingredients the NCI has designated as the cancer-fighting-eight:

Ingredient: Fiber

Sources: Popcorn, whole-wheat, rye, oatmeal, who-wheat cereals, barley, buckwheat groats, bulgur, fruits (with skins), root vegetables, parsnips, kale, spinach, greens

Ingredient: Folic Acid (Folate)

Sources: Organ meats (liver, kidney), dark-green vegetables, dried peas and beans

Ingredient: Beta Carotene

Sources: Broccoli, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe, peaches

Ingredient: Beta Carotene

Sources: Broccoli, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe, peaches

Ingredient: Vitamin C

Sources: Citrus fruits, broccoli, greens, parsley, green peppers

Ingredient: Fatty Fish

Sources: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, herring, trout, bluefish, halibut

Ingredient: Vitamin E

Sources: Vegetable oils, wheat germ, whole grains, brown rice

Ingredient: Selenium

Sources: Seafood, organ meats (kidneys, liver), grans

Ingredient: Cruciferous Vegetables

Sources: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips

DAY 2

The Japanese, Finnish and Seventh Day Adventists seem to have found a prevention for tumors of the colon, American's No. 1 killer cancer. Pectin--a fiber more beneficial than bran--is plentiful in their diets. Found in apples, pears, strawberries, plums and tangerines (especially the skins), these anti-cancer ingredients can easily be included regularly in your diet.

Three-Fruit Musli

1 cup rolled oats plus 1/4 cup powdered milk 1 cup hot lemon tea or fruit juice 2 cups chopped fresh or dried fruits of your choice (apples, grapes, peaches, raisins, marionberries or blackberries) 1/2 to 1 cup plain lowfat yogurT, skim milk or buttermilk

Add oatmeal and milk powder to tea or juice. Saok overnight. Before serving, combine the oat-water mixture with fruit and yogurt or milk. 4 one-cup servings.

DAY 3

Positive emotions and loving behavior stimulate the immune system and help protect the body from cancer, according to Dr. Frederick Levenson, a psychotherapist in Massapequa, New York, and author of The Anti-Cancer Marriage (Stein and Day). And men who have sex regularly, says Levenson, run a lower risk of prostate cancer--the second deadliest male cancer. One recommended breakfast in bed suggestion is the following:

Beta Carotene Pancakes

1 cup finely grated carrots 2 eggs or substitute equivalent 2 T. wheat germ or oat bran 1 T. Canola, safflower or other high polyunsaturated oil

Stir all ingredients together. Spoon by the tablespoon into greased skillet. Bake until brown. Finish baking on the flip side. Serve with pureed fresh fruit or yogurt instead of sugary syrup or high-fat cream.

One raw carrot contains 4,758 mcg of beta carotene (a precursor of vitamin A). Beta carotene is also found in liver, kale, squash, melon and mangos.

DAY 4

Know the seven warning signs of cancer: a change in bowel or bladder habits, a sore that does not heal, unusual bleeding or discharge, thickening of lump in breast or elsewhere, indigestion and difficulty in swallowing, obvious change in wart or mole and a nagging cough. After an anti-cancer meal, have an anti-cancer protein-digesting enzyme--bromelain--derived from raw fresh pineapple and sold as a digestion supplement at health food stores.

DAY 5

Shun the sun and make it a family affair. Long-term ultraviolet ray exposure causes malignant and nonmalignant melanoma, premature aging, cataracts (triple the risk) and lowers your body's immune response, according to Dr. Suzanne G. Gaynes, chief of the NCI's Health Promotion Sciences Branch. An SPF-15 sunscreen for both kids and grownups screens out 93% of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. So do sun-glasses with 100% UV-protective lenses. Wear SPF-fortified makeup over your SPF sunscreen or block and switch to sun products with an SPF rating of 6 to protect your winter skin. Don't forget the kids either. "One severe sunburn in the first 10 to 20 years of life [may] double the risk of malignant melanoma," says Dr. Sidney Hurwitz, clinical professor of pediatrics and dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.