Healthy Eating
What is a "Healthy Diet?"
A balanced diet is important for everyone, but when you’re a cancer survivor, eating healthy and getting the nutrients your body needs to fight cancer and other diseases is critical. The cornerstones of a healthy diet are…
- Eat at least 2½ cups of vegetables and fruit each day. Ounce for ounce, these foods pack a punch with more cancer-fighting nutrients and other helpful components than all other foods.
- Choose whole wheat products over refined grains and cereals. Whole grains are loaded with B-vitamins, magnesium, and fiber.
- Limit the amount of red and processed meats you eat. These foods are linked with much higher rates of colorectal cancer. This is one of the more common cancers, and as a cancer survivor you are at higher risk of developing it.
- Limit the amount of sweets, fat, alcohol and other high calorie foods that do little to nourish your body.
Healthy eating recommendations in SurvivorSHINE are based on information from the DASH Eating Plan (see the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), the American Diabetes Association, and the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Brad's Story
It took some time, but I changed my life when I was diagnosed with cancer. Before my diagnosis, I loved regularly eating fried foods and drinking lots of beer. I started to slowly change when my doctor told me how my eating habits puts me at an increased risk for getting cancer again. Little by little, I changed the way that I ate. Now, I eat more vegetables, fruits and grilled foods. I still love fried foods and beer…but I have really cut back. Changing my eating habits, changed my life.
* The individual pictured above is not the individual described in the story. The name and photo have been changed to protect privacy.