World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day is an international event, marked every year on the 4^th of February, in order to create awareness and to encourage people all across the globe on its prevention, detection, and treatment. A global initiative to unite the world against the fight against deadly cancer. It is believed that cancer is a preventable disease and people can be saved from it by raising awareness and education them about the disease by pressing governments, medical organizations, health channels and people around the world.

Each case of cancer is unique, and it affects only one person – the one affected, the patient. In order to save this problem we all just need a few simple things – a doctor who can treat cancer, proper diagnosis and treatment, adequate treatment centers, and the most important, support from the loved ones. After saying all these, it is of foremost importance to understand what cancer is all about. It is all that more important because it has been observed that the lack of knowledge and basic misconceptions about the reasons behind the type of cancer have turned small tumors into deadly monsters. Unless we change our perception of what cancer is all about, we will resist treatment particularly the easiest and commonly available ones. The day we all start understanding that cancer is not something superficial and induced from outside as a disease, but simply is the body mechanism of survival response, we will be in a better condition to eradicate cancer forever.

Diet and Cancer

The relationship between diet and cancer is very intricate. Researchers and doctors have revealed that proper intake of food plays an all-important role in the prevention of cancer. Studies show that many different kinds of cancers have shown positive response towards proper dietary intakes. Gastric, colorectal, breast, prostate, and lung cancers are a few to mention. Do you know that vegetarians have nil chances of developing cancer conditions? Foods like processed meat, dairy products, alcohol and saturated fat have shown an increase in the chances of contracting cancer.

Some specific food groups are related to specific kind of cancer. Facts have proven that eating red or processed meat increases the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer, chewing beetle nuts causes oral cancer and pickled foods increase risk of many cancer types.

How turning vegetarian can help in cancer prevention?

Vegetable and fruits contain high levels of carotenoids. Carotenoids are found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, papaya, and tomatoes amongst a few. Cruciferous vegetables are also rich in carotenoid. Cauliflower, cabbage, cress, and broccoli also have antioxidants along with foods like blueberries, blackberries, green tea, and garlic.

Fruits and vegetables constitute an important part of a healthy diet, as they are great sources or vitamins and minerals, and also fiber. It helps you keep a healthy weight and are relatively low in calories. Fiber also relatively helps gut bacteria produce helpful chemicals that change the conditions in our bowel. All these things could help to reduce the risk of cancer.

The article is authored by famous Dietitian Sheela Seharawat. She is the founder and chief mentor of Diet Clinic Health Care Pvt. Ltd. Also, she is one of the youngest successful entrepreneurs of India.