In order to reduce your risk of getting cancer in the first place, there are some simple habits you can employ in your daily life. The combination of these habits will allow you to live smart and make the right choices to help you avoid cancer in the first place. These habits do not provide a guarantee that by employing them you can always prevent cancer but they certainly stack the odds in your favour of not getting the disease.
Remember there are six simple ways of reducing your cancer risk.
- Avoid tobacco
- Be sun safe
- Eat healthy
- Control your bodyweight
- Exercise regularly
- Limit your alcohol
Avoid tobacco
There is nothing beneficial your body gains by you chewing or smoking tobacco. Tobacco is the most preventable cause of cancer and you would be doing yourself a favour by staying away from it!
Be sun safe
- Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Remain in the shade, especially in the middle of the day - This is the time when the sun’s rays are the strongest
- Wear protective clothing – Always wear comfortable clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible when you are out in the sun
- Use a sunscreen - Always use a sunscreen when going out in the sun; Use sun screens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more
- Wear a hat and shades – Cover your head with a hat to protect your face and wear shades to protect your eyes and the surrounding skin
These simple steps will not only help your skin look younger but will also help you avoid long term damage and cancer.
Eat healthy
- Eat more fruit and vegetables - An adult must aim to consume 5 portions in total of fruits and vegetables each day; One portion is approximately 1 cup of raw fruit or vegetable or ½ cup of cooked vegetables
- Increase your intake of wholegrain - Bread, rice, pasta and noodles contain fibre, and a diet high in fibre can reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
- Reduce your intake of red meat - Research shows that diets high in red meat (lamb, pork or beef) can increase the risk of developing cancer; it is recommended to limit your intake of red meat to 300gms per week or better still replace it with chicken or fish all together
Control your bodyweight
The Body Mass Index (BMI), is a measurement used to assess people’s body weight - It is a measure of your body weight in relation to your height. A score over 25 is classed as overweight and a score over 30 as obese. A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is considered normal with anything less than 18.5 considered underweight.
To maintain a healthy body weight, eat a balanced diet that only contains as much energy (calories) as you use each day. If your BMI is above 25, you should also try to increase your level of physical activity while maintaining or reducing your food intake, particularly foods that are high in sugar and fat.
Exercise regularly
For good health, the required physical activity level is at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. It doesn’t have to be continuous; three x 10 minutes sessions are also good. Each activity session should last at least 10 minutes. Moderate physical activity includes any activity in which you can still hold a conversation, such as brisk walking.
For those who are able to do it, 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity per day would also be sufficient. Vigorous physical activity includes any activity that makes you ‘huff and puff’, such as fast swimming, cycling or jogging.
So, don’t wait, get out there and get your body moving!
Limit your alcohol
1 unit of alcohol is approximately 10ml/8g of pure alcohol, a single glass of spirits (35ml) is approximately 1.5 units, a standard glass of wine is approximately 2 units, a pint of regular beer is approximately 2 units. Be careful about cocktails… they could contain more than a few standard drinks!
So, if you don’t drink then please don’t start and if you do then limit it.
