Patient Information

Cancer Prevention & Healthy Living

The American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that diet, together with physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight, can in time reduce cancer incidence by 30–40%. At current rates, on a global basis, this represents 3–4 million cases of cancer per year that could be prevented by lifestyle changes! Reduce your risk of cancer by taking the following steps:

• Quit using tobacco! Tobacco causes 90 out of every 100 lung cancer cases. Smokeless tobacco creates sores and white patches that may lead to cancer of the mouth. For pipe and cigar smokers, the risk of lung cancer is not as high as cigarette smokers, but not as low as non-smokers.
• If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to one drink per day for women, and two drinks or less per day for men. One drink equals 5 oz wine, 12 oz beer or 1.5 oz distilled spirits.
• Eat 5–9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Include 4 ounces of 100% fruit juice each morning, eat 1 cup of salad greens at lunch, grab a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack and include two ½ cup servings of cooked vegetables at dinner to easily meet five servings per day.
• Be physically active for 30 minutes, 5 or more days per week. If you are unable to walk 5 or more days per week, consider walking for longer periods of time on the weekends.
• Aim to eat 25–35 grams of fiber every day. Read food labels to see how much ‘dietary fiber’ is in different foods.
• Limit cured and processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, deli meats, canned meats, hot dogs and jerky.
• Choose healthy fats. Use olive, canola or peanut oil most often. If you use butter or margarine, use less, and choose margarine with NO trans fatty acids.
• Practice Good Food Safety Practices. Choose whole, natural, unprocessed and unpackaged foods most often. Wash fresh foods under running water and wash your hands well before preparing and eating food.
• Reach and Maintain a Healthy Weight. Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to find out if your weight puts you at risk.