If there’s any disease that’s has become a widespread and global fear for many, it’s cancer. Children and adults alike; men and women too, everyone seems to have that cancer risk.
While common, however, it’s also unfortunate that at present, there’s no way to cure it yet. The best thing that the doctors can give is treatment forms to reduce or stop its spread, surgery to remove the affected area, and in the end stages, palliative care to improve the quality of life.
But, while the cure is still yet unknown, there are so many reports now on its prevention. While some may be conflicting from others, there seems to be one unified truth: a healthy lifestyle is a key to possibly avoiding the onset of this life-threatening disease.
5 Tips To Reduce The Risk Of Cancer
If you’re so concerned about cancer prevention, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll have some of the best and simplest lifestyle tips that may possibly reduce the risk of cancer.
#1. Don’t Smoke Tobacco
Another time-tested and all-too-common tip is to avoid smoking tobacco. Smoking will eventually put you at a higher risk to advance on the road to cancer. This includes cancer types like lung, kidney, mouth, cervix, and throat.
Even if you don’t smoke it yourself, exposure to secondhand smoke also increases your risk of cancer. So, think about your family, loved ones, and even your children.
The decision to stop smoking is something that you can’t drastically do overnight. It’ll take time, as you may experience withdrawal symptoms. The key is to start reducing your intake of cigarettes day by day until your body doesn’t look for it anymore.
If you need professional help in quitting smoking, ask your doctor about it, so you can have the best tips and strategies to help you stop smoking completely, along with the best screening methods. Visit ezra.com to learn more.
#2. Maintain an Ideal Body Weight
The ideal body weight of a person depends on their height. So, this is something you’ll have to check with your doctors.
As you exercise and begin to eat healthy foods, there’s one metric that you’ve got to regularly check through your weight. You shouldn’t be underweight and overweight.
To enjoy substantial health benefits, aim to have at least 150 minutes of active or aerobic activity every week. If possible, make it a minimum of 30 minutes daily.
This is very important as there are so many common cancer forms that are associated with obesity, and these include colon, breast, stomach, uterus, and kidney cancer.
#3. Have A Healthy Diet
Having a healthy diet is the simplest, and best lifestyle change decision to make. It’s not about depriving yourself of too much food, as you may also be losing essential nutrients. It’s more about giving yourself a colorful and healthy diet comprised of fruits and vegetables, among others.
Here are some good tips to follow as your healthy diet:
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, at least 5 to 9 servings every day. A good rule of thumb is to have a variety of at least three different colors of fruit daily.
- Cut down on refined carbs and sugar. These won’t only result in rapid spikes of your blood sugar, but also a greater risk of prostate cancer, among others.
- Limit processed meat, as these are filled with preservatives and harmful chemicals, such as too much salt and nitrate.
- Eat food that is high in dietary fiber, including whole-grain cereals and legumes.
- Minimize your intake of unhealthy fat and cholesterol. Instead, aim to add more unsaturated fats to your diet, coming from fish, avocados, and olive oil.
- Take Vitamin D supplements, as these may potentially reduce the risk of breast, pancreatic, and colon cancer.
- Give your body a rich supply of fiber. This is very important in keeping your digestive system healthy.
#4. Fill Your Body Up with Antioxidants
Antioxidants come from plant-based sources that are highly rich in nutrients. These boost your immune system and may lower the risk of protecting against cancer cells thriving.
The best sources of antioxidants come from the following:
- Food high in lycopene such as tomato and watermelon may play a role in reducing prostate cancer risk;
- A fruit-based diet may lower the risk of stomach and lung cancer;
- Food high in Vitamin C such as oranges, dark leafy greens, and berries may protect against esophageal cancer.
- Vegetables that are rich in carotenoids like carrots and squash may reduce the risk of cancers of the lungs, larynx, and mouth.
Here are tips on how you can sneakily add fruits and vegetables to your diet:
- For breakfast, add fresh fruits to a low-sugar breakfast, like oatmeal;
- For dessert, choose fruits instead of sugary desserts;
- For lunch, have a salad filled with your favorite peas and beans, or any vegetable you like.
- For dinner, add fresh or frozen vegetables on top of your pasta or rice dish.
#5. Protect Yourself from The Sun
One of the most common types of cancer, but also the most preventable is skin cancer. Especially if you live in a tropical country, it’s very important to be cautious about the sun.
You may want to try these tips:
- Don’t Skimp on the Sunscreen. Use one that has at least SPF 50 on hot days, and SPF 30 on cloudy days. Apply sunscreen generously and once every two hours particularly if you’re outdoors.
- Avoid Midday Sun. The sun’s rays are at its strongest between 10am and 4pm. During these hours, it’s best to avoid the sun.
- Avoid Tanning Beds and Sunlamps. While you may think that tan looks good on you, it’s not doing any good at all to your health.
- Stay in the Shade. Whenever you’re outdoors, stay in the shade whenever you can. Sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat can help.
Conclusion
As you can see, creating lifestyle changes that may potentially lower your risk of cancer isn’t that difficult. If this becomes difficult to accomplish, you don’t need to pressure yourself into making that change drastically.
Take it one tip at a time. Eventually, these tips will become a part of your habit that’s hard to break. Once you start to enjoy a healthy diet, for instance, you’ll find junk gross.
Once you start to exercise, your body begins to look for it. Start today by making these positive changes in your lifestyle. It’s never too late, yet.
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