Simply Healthy in the New Year

Eat Healthy and Get Active

Poor diet and lack of exercise can increase your cancer risk, and an astounding one third of all cancers are attributed to diet and activity factors. Good news, you can control these risk factors.

What is healthy eating?

The goal of healthy eating is to eat a diet rich in variety of unprocessed foods in order to obtain the nutrients that your body needs and maintain a healthy weight throughout life.  Two tips for healthy eating that I learned from my patients: if it has an ingredients list that you can’t read, don’t buy it (this avoids processed foods) and shop the periphery of the supermarket, not the middle aisles (fresh, unprocessed products are in the cooling cases, while processed packaged foods are typically in the middle of the market).

In order to reduce cancer risk, the American Caner Society recommends a diet that is low fat and has an emphasis on plant sources.

General Guidelines

  • 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and try to eat those with the most color (they have more nutrients). Advantage – high in cancer fighting antioxidants and good for weight control (low in fat and calories).
  • 3 servings of whole grains a day.
  • Limit processed and red meats in your diet.
  • Limit alcohol consumption. The American Cancer Society recommends no more than 1 drink a day for women.
  • Practice portion control.

A note on portion control and plate size

The size of a dinner plate in the United States has increased in the past few decades from a mere 7 to 9 inches, now up to 11 to 12 inches. This means that the surface area has increased by 50% and we are naturally eating 50% more food! Important to note, the average European dinner plate is still 9 inches. Since we tend to eat whatever is on our plate, use a smaller plate. Studies have shown that people feel more satisfied with less food when they are served on an 8-inch salad plate in place of a 12-inch dinner plate.

How much exercise and what kind do I need?

The American Cancer Society recommends 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity 5 or more days of the week. 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity are preferable. Children and adolescents should engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous activity at least 5 days a week.

Resources

BMI calculator

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

Posted: January 22nd, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: cancer prevention, general health, great health at every age, nutrition & diet | Tags: , | No Comments »

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