Guest Post: Preventing Cancer Through Better Nutrition

Today's guest post comes from Jillian McKee who works and writes for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. I was excited when she contacted me about writing a guest post, as I feel that proper nutrition is important no matter what the health issue is, but I don't think it gets any more important than when we're talking about Cancer.

Bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to the organization, Jillian McKee has worked as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance since June of 2009. Jillian spends most her time on outreach efforts and spreading information about the integration of complementary and alternative medicine when used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatment.

Check out here blog posts at the mesothelioma.com blog!

Preventing Cancer Through Better Nutrition

There are a variety of different diseases that are linked to poor nutrition. This includes heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and even some kinds of cancer. Many Americans think that they can simply pop a few multivitamins and solve all of their problems. It’s not the case.

Various types of cancer are going to create a number of problems inside the body. The treatment, too, is going to alter the way the body functions. Whether it’s radiation therapy, surgery or even alternative mesothelioma treatment options, there are ways that the body can manage through these treatments better than if nutrition wasn't a focus.

Before one considers nutrition to deal with cancer, it’s possible that one can prevent cancer altogether by focusing on nutrition from day 1. The National Cancer Institute released a tip sheet on diet related diseases that included cancer.

A healthy diet, according to the National Cancer Institute, is 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables. While this may seem high in comparison to what the average person eats on a daily basis, it is very easy to do with fruits and vegetables as substitutes for snacks throughout the day as well as a garden salad for lunch or dinner.

This healthy diet is going to reduce the risks for a variety of diseases, including cancer. Fruits and vegetables contain high levels of disease fighting phytochemicals and fiber that are often missing from the multivitamins that people take every day. Even if the multivitamins do contain these, they aren't at the necessary levels, which is why people must get these vitamins the good old-fashioned way – by eating the foods that contain them naturally.

There is no miracle food that’s going to prevent cancer. However, there are a number of research reports that indicate various types of cancers are linked to nutrition and obesity. When a person who is suffering from poor nutrition or obesity has another factor that is contributed to cancer, they run a higher risk of getting cancer as well.

Cancer isn’t something that anyone plans on getting. In fact, many people assume they will never get cancer, despite the alarming number of people who are diagnosed with some form of cancer every single year. People are ignorant to the symptoms and do nothing in the way of preventing it – which is also why America is fighting higher obesity rates than ever before.

The average American may consume one or two servings of fruits and vegetables in a single day. This is about a third of what they should be eating. In addition to fruits and vegetables, a person should be concerned with maintaining their ideal weight. Those who maintain their ideal weight are healthier in general and run a lower risk of getting a variety of different cancers.

You can never be too safe. When you want to live a healthy life and better prepare yourself for being disease-free, you need to make nutrition a top concern. Eating the right amount of vitamins, minerals and proteins will help to boost your immune system. You will find that you have more energy and are sick less often throughout the year.

Should you ever be diagnosed with cancer despite eating a healthy diet regularly, you will be better prepared to face the treatments that you will have to endure. The side effects from the treatments can result in nausea, dry mouth and a variety of other symptoms. When you are eating the right foods, however, you can experience fewer symptoms as well as less drastic versions of all of the symptoms.

Cancer is nothing to play around with. Depending on when the diagnosis is made and what kind of cancer it is, many people experience a prognosis of 5 to 10 years. You can improve this when you eat healthy.

There’s no sense waiting until you are diagnosed with cancer to start thinking about proper nutrition. When you maintain your ideal weight and begin eating more fruits and vegetables, you take a step in the right direction. You’ll feel better and you will reduce your risk in being diagnosed with many kinds of cancer.