Sometimes we’re so committed to finding smart or high tech ‘shortcuts for success’ that we overlook the source of problems and our own ability to tackle them. Fundamental to how we each define success is our gratitude for having good health.
This article looks at basic diets – probably the greatest single factor in the epidemic of cancer, now the No#1 killer in the USA (although the statistics and commentary are from the US, the problem is worldwide, particularly in developed countries).
Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, head oncologist at
A recent quote by Dr. Philip Lee, Professor of Social Medicine and Director, Health Policy Program,
The role of such important factors as diet in cancer and heart disease has long been obscured by the emphasis on the conquest of these diseases through the miracles of modern medicine. Treatment, not prevention, has been the order of the day. The problem can never be solved merely by more and medical care."
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 2000 - Only 2 out of 10 Americans today follow the nutrition guidelines established to prevent cancer."
American Cancer Society, 1999 - Researchers tell us that the majority of cancers we face in this country are preventable, not through new drugs, or major breakthroughs, but through simple lifestyle choices.
American Institute For Cancer Research, 1999 - This year, 175,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. An estimated 50% of breast cancers could be prevented through diet."
American Cancer Society, 1999 - The introduction of healthful diet and exercise at any time from childhood to old age can promote health and reduce cancer.
The following shocking excerpt is taken from the website of the American Cancer Society: (http://www2.cancer.org/cid/6077.00/index.htm) - "Many dietary factors can affect cancer risk: types of foods, food preparation methods,
portion sizes, food variety, and overall caloric balance. Cancer risk can be reduced by an overall dietary pattern that includes a high proportion of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans), limited amounts of meat, dairy, and other high-fat foods, and a balance of caloric intake and physical activity.
Many Americans and western country residents do not follow such healthful practices. Indeed, trends indicate an increase in caloric intake, greater use of high-fat convenience foods, and a decline in physical activity among Americans. The campaign against rapidly rising obesity and its huge social impact is now supported by governments and states in both the US and other countries struggling with an increasingly heavyweight population, like Australia.
We believe that such unhealthful trends are due in part to shifts toward consumption of food outside the home, to more sedentary lifestyle patterns, and to the advertising and promotion of high-calorie foods. The committee is especially concerned about the effects of such trends on the long-term health of children, who are establishing lifetime patterns of food intake and physical activity."
Despite the strength of the evidence associating consumption of fruits and vegetables
with decreased cancer risk, intake of these foods is low among many adults and
children.
Concern about low intake levels has led to a countrywide initiative--the
National 5 A Day for Better Health Program--to increase fruit and vegetable intake to
five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This recommendation applies to
foods in their fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juice forms, but does not apply to specific
nutrients or other substances that might be extracted from them.
Vegetables and fruits are complex foods containing more than 100 beneficial vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other substances. Scientists do not yet know which of the nutrients or other substances in fruits and vegetables may be protective against cancer.
The principal possibilities include specific vitamins and minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals--carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, sterols, indoles, and phenols--that are present in foods of plant origin.
How fruits and vegetables exert their protective effects constitutes an active area of scientific inquiry. Until more is known about specific food components, the best advice is to eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. There is a lot of literature and information around on ‘whole foods’ and their ‘cellular signatures’ that you might want to research to understand why eating the fresh food itself is critical – rather than pulped juices lacking the fibre, or extracts that have undergone processing or cooking.
Grains such as wheat, rice, oats, barley, and the foods made from them constitute the
base of healthful diets as illustrated in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Healthful diets
contain 6 to 11 standard servings of foods from this group each day. As shown in Table
2, standard portion sizes are defined as quite small, and this number of servings is not
difficult to achieve.
Grains are an important source of many vitamins and minerals such
as folate, calcium, and selenium, all of which have been associated with a lower risk of
colon cancer. Whole grains are higher in fiber and certain vitamins and minerals than
refined flour products. Since the benefits of grain foods may derive from their other
nutrients as well as from fiber, it is best to obtain fiber from fruits, vegetables, and
whole grains rather than from fiber supplements.
Beans are excellent sources of many vitamins and minerals, protein, and fiber. Beans are legumes, the technical term for the family of plants that includes dried beans, pinto
beans, lentils, and soybeans, among many others. Beans are especially rich in nutrients
that may protect against cancer, and can be a useful low-fat but high-protein alternative
to meat.
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