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Diet and Nutrition

Diet to reduce risk and strengthen body

11/03/2003

Question:

I am 45 years old. I recently had a mamogram return abnormal. Another will be done in 6 months to note any change. During this time, I would like to change my diet and strengthen my body to loose weight and become stronger should any treatment need to be taken. Is there any recommended diet that should be considered.

Answer:

Thanks for your question. The best `diet` (or dietary habits) to adopt to prevent cancer and most other chronic diseases is a low fat, high fiber diet. If you are not already- try to include at least 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day (4 servings of fruit, 5 servings of vegetables). Fruits and vegetables that contain the most color, contain the most nutrients. For example, oranges have more vitamins and minerals in them than apples. In general, dark green, red and orange fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious. Try to include more broccoli, greens, berries and citrus fruits in your diet. It`s also a good idea to include more whole grains in your diet. Whole grains are less processed and contain more fiber than refined grains (such as white bread, corn flakes and white rice). A diet high in fiber has been linked with reduction of several types of cancer, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Examples of whole grains include oatmeal, whole wheat bread, bran cereal, brown rice, and barley. Finally, try to limit total fat and especially saturated fat in your diet. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature and is found mostly in animal foods (beef, whole milk dairy products, chicken skin, liver and eggs). Trans fat is also detrimental to good health. This type of fat is found in most margarines, commercial baked goods (such as cookies and snack cakes) and snack crackers. It`s also found in fast food. Try to bake or broil food more often rather than frying or grilling. "Good" fats to include in your diet to help prevent cancer include omega-3-fatty acids found in fatty fish (such as tuna and salmon), canola oil, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil and walnuts. I hope this information was helpful. Good luck to you.

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Response by:

University of Cincinnati Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
Adjunct Faculty
University of Cincinnati
Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, MEd, RD, LD