AVOIDING CANCER, ONE VEGETABLE AT A TIME

The American Cancer Society estimates that one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives and that one third of all cancer deaths are related to dietary factors. Picture yourself at lunch with seven girlfriends; chances are that one of you will be affected. There is nothing simple about defeating cancer, but there are many simple ways to help avoid getting it in the first place. Physicians often do not have the time to educate patients sufficiently, so it is up to us as individuals to educate ourselves and adopt lifestyles consistent with cancer prevention. We are willing to spend considerable money and time to rid ourselves of a tumor, but we spend little to educate ourselves about ways of avoiding disease in the first place. Some dismiss cancer risks by thinking “this will never happen to me”, while others are reluctant to lifestyle changes seen as difficult to make. It’s your life and you should stop cancer before it stops you. The best defense against breast cancer is a good offense.
Food, glorious food, is the key to a strong defense. One of the biggest problems with the modern American diet today is that it typically involves a huge deficiency of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our diet has unfortunately developed around speed, ease and the profitability of the foods being sold; we have become a grab-and-go society. We want cheaper food. We want convenience. We do not want to shop daily, so we want foods with long shelf lives, leading to our consuming preservatives instead of fresh produce abundant with nutrients. Eating is not an act devoid of consequences; it is without a doubt the simplest, most basic and natural way to actively arm oneself against a demon as formidable as cancer. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and other important foods is essential to preventing cancer. Our nutritional status either weakens us, making us susceptible to the development of cancer, or strengthens our bodies’ defense mechanisms, enhancing our ability to prevent renegade cells from becoming tumors.
To learn more about the anticancer diet and its ability to prevent cancer, please read my blog “Eating to Cheat Cancer”

Elyn Jacobs
elyn@elynjacobs.com