The thought that ‘everything in life causes cancer or damages your health’ is not a proactive mindset that any one person needs to live by. Realistically, there is a lot out there that can negatively impact your health, however there are just as many opportunities (or more) to help improve your health. Cancer risk as a gauge toward better health is a reasonable way to assess your current health priorities. Given the fact that lifestyle plays a massive role in short and long term health, here are 5 easy changes you can make today to slow the risk and growth of cancer:
Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Although it sounds daunting, trust me, it isn’t. Reducing your daily sugar intake can help create the difference between cancer cell growth and cancer cell death. Sugar drives cancer growth as not only do cancer cells feed on sugar, your immune system all but shuts down when large amounts of sugar are eaten. On average, Canadians consume between 25-30 teaspoons (85-130grams) of sugar per day (this is a very modest estimation)! Clinically, by reducing your sugar intake by a total equaling 1 can of pop per day, you can easily reduce your total consumption by close to 40 grams! Of course, it’s much easier to lower your sugar intake if you’re currently eating significantly high amounts, but either way, by simply removing something like 1 can of pop, reducing your dessert portion by one third, avoiding excessive amounts of juice, skipping a packaged snack (like one cereal bar), you’re well on your way to instrumentally reducing your total daily intake of sugar.
Increase Your Vegetable Intake
The advice that most of us grew up hearing: “eat your veggies” still holds true. Given the continued rise in cancer, this advice should ring stronger now than ever. By increasing your vegetable intake, you are going to benefit in at least one of two ways; leave less room for ‘non healthy’ food choices, or help to offset the detriments of eating unhealthy foods, both which will effectively reduce your cancer risks. Vegetables contain a plethora of phytochemcials and nutrients that have been consistently shown to impact cancer at multiple levels. Think it’s tough to increase your daily vegetable intake? By including even as little as 1/2cup of green or leafy vegetables (skip the iceberg lettuce!) to your current daily diet, the impacts on overall health and cancer risk begin to drop measurably.
Get outside
This one’s a no brainer so doesn’t require a lot of explanation. By getting outside, preferably in nature, not only are you going to start obtaining the many benefits nature has to offer, you’re also escaping the potentially toxic indoors, while unavoidably engaging in some level or form of exercise. Take 5 minutes, get outside, find green space, go for a walk, sit by an open window or under a tree, walk into your backyard at night and look at the stars, or somehow set a reminder at least once per day to stop what you’re doing and get outside. Nature and the outdoors impact health and cancer risk in so many ways, and coupling time outside with exercise is a bonus, Did you know that engaging in exercise or movement can directly kill cancer cells?
Breathe
Well yes, breathe, obviously. But what I mean here is take as little as one minute per day, slow down, and consciously become aware of how you’re breathing. Most times, we all breathe in a shallow manner and into our chest. We should, on the other hand, be breathing slower, deeper and into our diaphragm and stomach. There is plenty of research that shows breathing more deeply helps a multitude of parameters related to health (blood pressure, focus, circulation, pain, emotional well being, digestion, inflammation, the list goes on). When it comes to cancer, many of these health factors can in fact impact cancer risk and growth. Deep breathing also significantly (and quickly!) reduces stress; a direct impact on cancers potential to grow and spread.
Add An Anti Cancer Nutrient To Your Daily Regimen
Depending on whether you’re interested in reducing your overall cancer risk, counteracting an active cancer, or taking advantage of preventing reoccurrence, simple well known anti cancer nutrients is an easy change you can make. Of course, always work under the medical supervision of a naturopathic or integrative cancer focused doctor, yet adding a concentrated dose of turmeric, ginger, mushroom extracts, or many others, are well evidenced in science to powerfully lower your risk and growth of cancer. Each type of cancer (as well as specific details and markers) qualifies taking very specific anti cancer nutrients for each. By simply ‘popping’ a concentrated dosed capsule of an anti cancer nutrient is a simple and easy change you can add to your day today.
There you have it, 5 easy changes you can make today to slow the risk and growth of cancer. And in total, it would realistically take 10 minutes of combined dedicated time, maximum, out of your day. And the bonus? These changes are slight enough to barely notice inconvenience on your daily life, yet great enough to begin impacting cancer risk and growth.