Food and nutrition

In general, eating a healthy, balanced diet reduces your risk of developing cancer, while a poor diet increases your cancer risk. Cancers associated with diet are most commonly found in the digestive tract, including the oesophagus, stomach and bowel.

Improving your diet can be as simple as trying to eat more:

• vegetables, fruit and legumes
• cereals (preferably wholegrain) – bread, rice, pasta and noodles contain fibre, and a diet high in fibre can reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

While at the same time you can try to eat less: 

• red meat such as beef, veal, lamb, venison, goat and pork 
• processed meat such as salami, ham, hot dogs and canned meat.  

Diet can also influence body weight, which in turn can affect your risk of developing cancer. It is important to balance the amount of energy (kilojoules or calories) you take in with the amount of energy you expend each day.

Eat for health

You can lower your risk of cancer by enjoying a healthy diet, being physically active every day and maintaining a healthy body weight. Studies show being overweight, physically inactive and not eating well increases your risk of developing cancer.

Healthy eating is a first step in reducing your cancer risk. Poor eating habits increase your risk of cancer at many sites in the body. Poor eating habits can also contribute to weight gain, and being overweight or obese increases your risk of cancer. The good news is that a healthy diet, combined with regular physical activity and a healthy body weight can reduce cancer risk.

While there is no one food that can protect against cancer, there are steps you can take to lower your overall risk. A healthy diet may protect against cancers including cancer of the bowel, liver, oesophagus (food pipe), lung and stomach.

Eat more vegetables and fruit

Eat at least two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables each day.

Tips to eat more fruit and vegetables

• Double your serving of vegetables.
• Try a new fruit each week.
• Use frozen vegies for convenience.
• Include vegies with your lunch.
• Add extra vegies to all your recipes.
• Have fruit instead of sweets.

Eating well

• Eat a variety of raw and cooked vegetables, fruit and legumes (e.g. dried beans, lentils).
• Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain.
• Eat red meat no more than three to four times a week. On the other days choose fish, poultry, dried or canned beans or lentils.
• Choose foods low in salt.
• Don’t eat too much fat, especially saturated fat. Be aware of hidden fats in snack foods, cakes and takeaway foods.
• Choose low fat yoghurt, cheese and milk.

What about taking vitamin and mineral supplements?

If you enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods you will get the nutrients you need, reduce your cancer risk and be less likely to be overweight or obese. For most healthy people, vitamin and mineral supplements are not necessary when they eat well. 

Remember, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact your doctor.