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Recipe for Health
A nutritious diet is your first line of defense against cancer. “No single factor has more influence on cancer prevention than the food you eat everyday,” says Daniel W. Nixon, M.D., professor of experimental oncology at the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South California. Some basic guidelines:

Maintain a stable weight. Women who are 40 percent or more above their desired weight face a greater likelihood of developing breast, colon, ovarian, uterine, and gallbladder cancers. Estrogen, stored in excess fat tissue, may promote the growth of tumors.

Think green and veg out. Crunchy cruciferous vegetables are believed to be effective cancer fighters. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a powerful anticancer compound, while spinach and kale are high in protective antioxidants. Munch away, too, on cauliflower, celery, lentils, and peas.

Feast on fiber. Dig into whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat pasts, and whole wheat bread. Potatoes, popcorn, tortillas, and rice are also rich in fiber, which helps transport carcinogenic compounds out of the body.

Skip smoked foods. Limit consumption of smoked, charcoal-grilled, and salt or nitrite-cured meats, such as tapa, longganisa, and tocino. Meat cooked over hot flames absorb a chemical that is carcinogenic.

Shed the fat. Trim the percentage of fat in your diet to 30 percent or less. Women who derive 40 percent of all calories from fate face the highest risk of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, women whose diets are heavy in saturated fats are five times more at risk of developing lunch cancer than those who eat leaner foods. Avoid tropical oils and hydrogenated vegetable oils, and limit consumption of nuts, seeds, commercially-baked products, snack chips, and fried foods, which are heavy in saturated fat. Eat only small amounts of butter, oil, margarine, cream sauces, gravies, and high-fat dairy foods, such as cheese and ice cream. Go for low-fat alternatives: lean meats, skinned chicken, fish, and turkey.

Your best friend here is common sense. “It’s pretty simple,” says Dr. Nixon. “The keys are a variety of fruits and vegetables—five or more servings per day…and to avoid animal fat as much as possible.”

Sobering News About Alcohol
If you drink alcohol, keep your consumption moderate. Heavy drinkers are more prone to oral cancer and cancers of the larynx, throat, esophagus, and liver. About eighteen thousand cancer deaths a year are related to excessive alcohol use. One study showed that even one rink a day can raise breast cancer risk by more than 50 percent.

Stay Out of the Sun
If you fry now, you’ll pay later. By far the most common cause of skin cancer—a disease that afflicts more than 800,000 people a year—is overexposure to the sun. “Skin cancer is the most widespread, most easily preventable of all cancers,” says Darell Rigell, doctor of Dermatology at New York University Medical Center. “No matter what else you do, never—ever—just bake in the sun.”

Avoid ultraviolet rays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. even on cloudy days. Slather on sunscreen liberally, before exposure and again after swimming and heavy sweating. If you have fair skin and light-colored eyes, apply a product with a sun protective factor (SPF) rating of fifteen or higher. About 90 percent of all skin cancers occur on parts of the body frequently exposed, usually the face, lips, tips of nose. Remember: Ultraviolet light can penetrate lightweight summer clothing or wet t-shirts, cut through haze, light clouds, and fog, and reflect off sand, snow, ice, and water.

The Exercise Fix
Exercise may help prevent cancer, too, perhaps because workouts shave off fat. Many studies have shown that sedentary people face a higher likelihood of cancer. Women at least 20 percent above desirable weight are more likely candidates for breast cancer than those at normal weight. All it takes to heighten your fitness level—and your protection against cancer—is a workout three times a week for about a half hour each session.

The Clues Behind Family History
Scientists now believe you can inherit a predisposition towards cancer. For example, a woman who has a first-degree relative—such as a mother or sister—with breast cancer is about two to four times more likely to develop the disease than a woman with no such family history. High-risk women need to practice extra vigilance and follow special instructions. As a start, find out whether cancer has affected any close relatives, particularly when they were young. Get in touch with a genetics counselor, who can examine your family history and accurately compile your risk profile.

Don’t Smoke
Cigarette smoking is responsible for about 30 percent of all cancer deaths. It’s also associated with cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney, and bladder. Smokers who kick the habit, regardless of how long they’ve smoked, live longer than those who keep smoking. Why? Anytime you quit, your lungs immediately get a chance to recover. So whether you’ve been smoking for a month or a decade, for as long as you have no symptoms, nature can still repair the damage.

Checkups and Self-Exams Your best defense against cancer is early discovery of any abnormality. The earlier the stage in which you find a cancer, the better your chances of a cure. The American Cancer Society recommends that you get cancer checkups every three years. Such screenings, as well as self-exams, detect cancers of the breast, tongue, mouth, colon, rectum, cervix, and skin, covering nearly half of all new cases. Consult your physician today for how to go about these.