1 in 4 people will be diagnosed with cancer within their lifetime. Whether you have a family history of cancer or want to learn how to reduce your risk of cancer, the answer lies in your diet.
A plant-based diet is widely considered the best diet to avoid cancer as it ensures your body gets the minerals, nutrients, and vitamins it needs. You can choose to go fully plant-based or operate a 5/2 diet, eating plant-based during the week and incorporating meat and non plant-based food at the weekend.
The question of “how to prevent cancer” is one we’re seeing everywhere. After the pandemic, we’re more aware of our health than ever before. Switching to a plant-based diet will lower your risk of heart disease, obesity, and other serious health concerns.
Changing your diet isn’t easy, especially if you’ve never eaten plant-based before. We’re sharing the benefits of a plant-based diet and what foods reduce the risk of cancer to boost your immune system and maintain your overall health.
Types of Plant-Based Diets
There are a few different types of plant-based diets with interchangeable names. You can get most of the benefits of a plant-based diet from either of these four options. It’s not uncommon for people to transition from one type of plant-based diet to the other, depending on their lifestyle.
1.Vegetarian Diet
The vegetarian diet is the easiest to transition to as it maintains dairy products while swapping meat for plant-based protein. This option is ideal for those exploring a plant based diet for the first time, instead of cutting out animal products immediately.
2. Flexitarian Diet
Want the flexibility of a vegan diet with a little meat and dairy? Most flexitarians take a 5/2 approach. They’ll eat a plant-based diet during the week and then indulge in dairy and meat on the weekend. It creates a balance that prevents any major health consequences of eating animal products. Adopting a flexitarian diet can be necessary for certain health conditions and can help you transition towards a vegan diet.
3. Vegan Diet
If you’re ready to commit to a plant-based diet, you can adopt the vegan diet. It means you’re forgoing animal products entirely, including food like cheese, milk, and honey. You’ll exclusively be eating plan products and vegan alternatives to meat.
4. Raw Vegan Diet
What’s the difference between a vegan and a raw vegan diet? A raw vegan diet has stricter requirements and focuses on eating only plant-based foods in its raw state. This plant-based diet is not necessarily the best diet to avoid cancer as it can be difficult to hit your nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
The Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet to Prevent Cancer
A plant-based diet isn’t just a contemporary trend. While more people are making small changes towards incorporating fewer animal products, transitioning to a plant-based diet is becoming increasingly popular.
Plant-based diets come with a variety of health benefits, whether you’re becoming a flexitarian or a raw vegan. Either diet will help you incorporate more foods that reduce the risk of cancer to boost your immune system and overall health.
We’re sharing 10 benefits of a plant-based diet that will help prevent cancer and other serious health conditions.
1. Antioxidant-Rich Diet
A plant-based diet is high in antioxidants due to the amount of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains you’ll be consuming. Antioxidants work to protect your body’s cells from free radicals, which cause cancers, heart disease, and other health conditions.
The antioxidants in plant foods neutralize these harmful free radicals and boost your immune system. Embracing a plant-based diet will lower your risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Having an antioxidant-rich diet is vital for cancer patients as oxidative stress from free radicals can be caused by radiation and exposure to chemicals, including chemotherapy. Eating more antioxidant-rich foods will help your road to recovery and support your immune system.
2. High in Fiber
Fiber is a vital component of any diet for cancer patients and is essential for a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Eating foods high in fiber will lower your cholesterol and blood sugar while promoting healthy microbiomes and gut health. Plant-based diets often feature fiber-rich foods, including lentils, black beans, and whole grains. Eating a diet high in fiber will boost your energy levels and make you feel fuller for longer. Chickpeas, edamame, and whole-wheat pasta are some of the best fiber-rich foods to add to a plant-based diet.
Eating more fiber-rich foods will maintain your bowel health by normalizing bowel movements and controlling your blood sugar levels, preventing other serious health concerns from arising.
3. Improve Your Cholesterol
When your diet is high in cholesterol, fatty deposits begin to form and restrict blood flow to your heart and brain. If your cholesterol is high, it can eventually lead to a stroke or heart attack.
Having a plant-based diet means that your cholesterol levels are more likely to be in a healthy range. Patients with high cholesterol are often advised to switch to a plant-based diet to naturally lower their cholesterol by as much as 25%.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Weight loss is one of the main appeals of a plant-based diet, but it can also make it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Those on a plant-based diet tend to weigh less than meat eaters. However, weight loss is usually a by-product of a plant-based diet, rather than the overarching goal.
Plant-based food typically has lower calories, making the diet ideal for those who want to get to a healthy weight without having to be calorie-restricted. Popular plant-based foods, such as whole grains, will also keep you full for longer as they’re slowly digested and rich in fiber and antioxidants.
5. Lower Your Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a major health concern that is linked to serious conditions and health issues, including type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Choosing a plant-based diet will naturally lower your blood pressure by reducing your intake of animal products, particularly red meat.
A recent study into the vegetarian diet found that vegetarians have a 34% lower risk of developing high blood pressure than those who get animal products.
6. Promote Heart Health
Having a strong heart is vital to reducing your risk of cancer or helping you recover from a diagnosis. One of the risks of an animal product diet is the saturated fat within meat. Red meat is known for its high saturated fat which can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease.
Adopting a plant-based diet means you’ll be consuming less saturated fat. The Journal of the American Heart Association recently published a study that suggests a plant-based diet can reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by over 30%.
The plant-based diet can benefit your heart health in more ways than just reducing your meat intake. This diet focuses highly on anti-inflammatory foods, including vegetables, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables.
Stay away from processed foods, refined sugar, and fried food to prevent pro-inflammatory foods from sneaking into your diet.
7. Decrease Your Risk of Cancer
A plant-based diet is one of the best diets for preventing cancer. What makes this possible is that plant-based food is rich in cancer-protective nutrients, from vitamins to fiber and minerals. Your diet will be made up primarily of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and grains that will promote your overall health.
Cancer survivors can also benefit from a plant-based diet, including maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of remission.
8. Improve Your Lifespan
All of the above benefits accumulate into the overarching aim of a plant-based diet – to keep you healthier for longer. The Journal of the American Heart Association has found that a plant-based diet lowers your risk of mortality from all causes, including cancer, by 25%.
Your body benefits from a plant-based diet in every aspect, from a stronger immune system to reduce your risk of heart disease. Adopting a plant-based diet will help you take control of your heart for good.
9. Reduce Your Risk of Stroke
Strokes are another serious health condition that can be avoided by adopting a plant-based diet. It lowers your risk of stroke by reducing the contributing factors, from heart disease, to being overweight, and having high cholesterol.
With half of all strokes being preventable, being proactive about your diet is the best step forward. The more fruit and vegetables you consume, the lower your risk of stroke will be.
10. Promote Brain Health
One of the most overlooked benefits of a plant-based diet is how it promotes your brain health. While research is ongoing, there appears to be a strong correlation between plant-based diets and a slower progression of Alzheimer’s. What causes this? Fruits and vegetables contain polyphenols that can reduce cognitive decline and promote brain health.
What is The Best Diet for Cancer Patients?
Incorporating more plants into your diet is one way to reduce your cancer risk. Everyone can benefit from eating fewer animal products and switching to plant-based protein. Whether you start as a flexitarian or transition to being a raw vegan, going plant-based is one of the best diets to prevent cancer.
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