The sad truth: we all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. What is not common knowledge, though, is that nutrition and weight can be directly linked to cancer diagnoses.
The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that about 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the US are related to body fatness, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and/or poor nutrition, and thus could also be prevented.
Our bodies can do amazing things and if we don’t treat them with respect, our bodies can turn against us. Here are 5 basic steps you can take to turn your nutrition around and take the best care of your body.
Keep it simple
What most people don’t realize is that good nutrition is simple.
Simple ingredients. Simple recipes. Simple Foods.
What we mean is that pure, simple, minimally-processed foods are typically the safest and healthiest to put into your body. A great example of a simple, healthy meal is a grilled chicken breast with diced vegetables or greens with a simple oil and vinegar dressing and a portion of quinoa or brown rice. This is easy to cook and the ingredients are easy to identify.
By omitting complex ingredients like bread, pasta, chips, sugar, foods with dyes or artificial flavors or sweeteners, you are automatically omitting any unnecessary chemicals or preservatives from entering your body.
Balance it out.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that staying healthy doesn’t mean that you should cut down your diet. This means that you should try to represent each of the major food groups in your 3 main meals of the day.
The major food groups include:
- Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans
- Grain foods, mostly whole grain
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Plain, whole-milk dairy (no added sugars)
Each group has its place in developing and helping the body’s major functions work. Also, these groups give you a wide variety of foods to pick from to keep you full and steer you away from the foods that may not be beneficial to your health.
Portions are important.
Now that you know what to eat, it’s important to monitor how much to eat to keep a balanced nutrition.
For example, fruit can be a great source of antioxidants and vitamins, but they can also contain a lot of natural sugars. The recommended amount of fit to eat in one day is 5 servings, or 2 ½ cups of fruit per day.
Making sure that you understand how much to eat with help manage and maintain weight so that you lower the risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
Drink it.
When thinking of nutrition, a lot of people mainly focus on food, but don’t consider the other outside factors that could affect your nutrition. Drinking plenty of water is a great way to keep healthy. In fact, being thirsty can give your body the same cues that hunger give you, which can lead to a lot of unhealthy snacks between meals.
Also, keep track of the beverages that you are drinking as well as the nutritional values of those. Sodas tend to be very high in added sugars and alcohol typically is high in calories. If you can’t avoid drinking these, try to drink them in moderation.
During/Post Cancer Treatments.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer or know someone who has, understand that nutrition still plays a large part during and after cancer treatment. According to the National Cancer Institute:
- Healthy eating habits are important during and after cancer treatment.
- A registered dietitian is an important part of the healthcare team.
- Cancer and cancer treatments may cause side effects that affect nutrition.
- Cancer and cancer treatments may cause malnutrition.
Our food at Superfit Foods is hormone and pesticide free. Our meals are balanced, nutrient dense and can fit into any type of lifestyle. To find out more about our meals, please visit our website at: https://www.superfitfoods.co/#pick-you-plan