There are many persistent myths about cancer and cancer prevention, but central among them is the assumption that cancer “just happens”. This is fallacious. How you live and what you choose to put in your body has a direct – and significant – causative relationship to whether or not your risk for cancer will be elevated.
Cancer isn’t an overnight event – it develops most frequently over many years due to a range of factors. A fascinating review of over 7,000 studies (talk about thorough) finds that what you eat and how fast you grow are perhaps most significant. I’ve long said that the fuel you serve your body impacts 70% of your health (the rest is exercise and stress management). But it’s interesting, especially in light of our Primal Health explorations, to consider the role of growth – and by growth researchers are talking about hormones.
The surest way to minimize your risk for all cancers is to practice a healthy lifestyle:
– do not smoke
– drink alcohol in moderation
– eat copious produce (this should be the “bulk” of your diet)
– do not eat processed, fried, junk, or refined carbohydrate/grain foods
– absolutely avoid sodas and sweetened drinks
– avoid corn syrup, cured and/or heavily processed meats, and corn oil
– do not eat trans fat or canola oil
– eat “clean”, lean protein (organic, grass-fed, free-range, etc.)
– eat “smart” fats (wild fatty fish, fish oil pills, avocados, nuts, olive oil, purslane)
– mothers, breast-feed your baby if possible
– exercise
– get daily sunlight exposure!
– get plenty of antioxidants from your diet and supplements
– avoid hormone therapy unless medically necessary
– manage stress to regulate hormones appropriately
Further reading:
16 Ultimate Super Foods
Smartest Foods to Boost Your Brain
44 Amazingly Healthy and Delicious Naturally Low-Carb Recipes
About the Author
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.
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