Some health conditions are just not preventable. When you find out that there is some control over illnesses such as heart disease and cancers, doesn’t it feel good? 70% of all cancers can be prevented with simple changes in diet and lifestyle, states the World Health Organization. After researching various topics, these tips seem to be the most commonly suggested:
Tip Number 1: Know what is NOT good for you. The following foods and lifestyle choices have shown direct links to heart disease and cancer.
- Sugar
- Refined carbohydrates (commonly known as “the white foods,” i.e. white flour)
- Hydrogenated oils, aka “trans fats” (How do you know whether food contains trans fat? Look for the words “partially hydrogenated” vegetable oil)
- Acrylamides (found in starchy foods cooked in high heat, e.g. doughnuts, french fries. Acrylamide is a known lethal neurotoxin)
- Sodium Nitrite and nitrates – although you may associate this substance with processed meats, it can often be found in vegetables too. Actually, the list continues to grow. Nitrates can be found in meats, pickled foods, fried foods, smoked foods, cheese and fish. Eating organic can help eliminate unwanted consumption of this sickening stuff.
- Saturated fats (high-fat cheeses, high-fat cuts of meats, whole-fat milk and cream, butter, ice cream, palm and coconut oils). Some of these foods contain good things for us too, but what is important to remember is the amount of saturated fats you are ingesting.
- Low oxygen levels (the result of a lack of exercise)
*Overall worst foods to ingest: french fries, doughnuts, chips, crackers and cookies. (that hurts just typing it.)
Tip Number 2: Know what IS good for you. The following foods and lifestyle choices have shown a direct link to the prevention of heart disease and cancer.
- Vigorous exercise – not being able to hold a conversation is a good marker of vigorous exercise. Tumors cannot thrive in highly oxygenated environments.
- Plant diet (most of what we consume should be vegetables)
- Vitamin C based foods (kale is at the top of the list)
- Omega-3 fats (e.g. salmon, walnuts)
- Unprocessed foods
- Alkaline diets – High acidic diets have shown to decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease energy production in cells, decrease the ability to repair damaged cells and also allow tumors to thrive. High levels of stress have also shown to increase the body’s acidity.
- Green tea – chemicals in green tea called polyphenols appear to inhibit two proteins that promote tumor cell growth and migration.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” -Buddha
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