Nutrition Q&A: 17 Healthy Tips for 2017

Q: I’m always a bit overwhelmed with New Year good intentions, but how can I follow through ?

A: 17 Tips for 2017!

With the arrival of the New Year, I challenge everyone to focus on positive things you can do for your health. New Year’s resolutions tend to be the same every year–eat healthier, lose weight, exercise, quit smoking, etc. Everyone has such high hopes and expectations, yet few of us set up a plan to help us succeed. So, instead of diving into the year with blinders on, in honor of 2017, here are 17 things you can do for a better YOU, and assist in keeping you free of cancer and/or recurrence. These tips include some general things YOU can do as well as some top cancer-fighting foods to be sure you’ve included in your nutrition.

Seven General Things YOU can do:

If overweight, strive to become a healthy weight. Being a healthy weight is the single most important thing, next to not smoking, that can decrease your risk of cancer and/or cancer recurrence. Facts on obesity and cancer.
Hydrate. Your body is made of 70% water. Proper hydration is critical for your body to function at its full potential.
Cut back on red meat consumption. Red meat should be kept at a minimum of 18 oz. or less per week. Red meat consists of beef, pork, lamb, venison, veal. When eating red meat, choose grass-fed options when available.
Increase physical activity. Physical activity is the single most important thing you can do to keep healthy, cancer-free, and decrease your chance of recurrence. You may want to consult this quiz on your activity level.
Eliminate all processed meat like bacon, luncheon meat, sausage etc. Processed meats are harmful because they are high in sodium and loaded with nitrites. Nitrites are a known carcinogen and should be avoided at all cost.
Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum, if at all. General guidelines for Men: 2 drinks per day, for Women: 1 drink per day.
Cut back on saturated fat. Saturated fat is an inflammatory fat. Chronic inflammation can contribute to a number of health issues. Saturated fats can be found in meat (especially those heavily marbled) chicken skin, full-fat dairy, butter, margarine, and coconut oil.

Top 10 cancer-fighting foods:

Blueberries have the highest antioxidant power among all fruit, due largely to the number of phytochemicals they possess. They’re also an excellent source of vitamins C and K, manganese and a good source of dietary fiber.
Legumes provide 20% of the daily value for fiber and 10% of the daily value for protein. Legumes are an excellent source of folate, also providing iron, magnesium and a handful of phytonutrients.
Cherries are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Cherries have good anti-inflammatory properties, and contain a variety of phytochemicals contributing to its antioxidant properties.
Flaxseed and chia seed are both excellent sources of magnesium, manganese, thiamin, and fiber. They are a good source of selenium and provide protein and copper, as well. Both are an excellent source of Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
Walnuts are good for us for many reasons, but mostly because of the antioxidant properties they have due to the large amount of phytochemicals they provide. They’re an excellent source of copper, manganese, and a good source of magnesium as well as Omega-3 fatty acids.
Grapefruit. One-half of a medium grapefruit provides almost all of your vitamin C needs for the day and are also loaded with cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins C and A, and one serving provides 10 percent of the daily recommended potassium. In addition to beta-carotene, tomatoes contain a number of other carotenoids.
Carrots contain 200% of the daily value for vitamin A in a half-cup, along with providing fiber and vitamin K.
Apples are a good source of fiber and vitamin C and provide a heavy dose of phytochemicals.
Whole Grains are good sources of fiber. They also provide magnesium, protein, manganese, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6 and selenium.