“Health requires healthy food.” – Roger Williams

A healthy balanced diet with plenty of fiber, fruits and vegetables and less red & processed meat and salt can help cut cancer risk. This is important because obesity is a cause of 13 different types of cancer.

WHAT IS A HEALTHY DIET?

We often hear that a healthy and balanced diet is good for us, but it can be hard to know what this looks like.

We recommend a diet high in;

  • fruit and vegetables
  • wholegrain (e.g. brown rice or wholegrain bread)
  • healthy proteins like fresh chicken, fish or pulses (e.g. lentils or beans)

And low in;

  • processed and red meat
  • high calorie foods
  • sugary drinks

  • alcohol

EATING MORE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. They are a good source of many important nutrients. They are low in calories and an excellent source of fiber, which can help you keep a healthy weight. Eating more fruit and vegetables could also reduce the risk of mouth, throat and lung cancers.

Try to have at least 5 portions of fruit and colourful vegetables each day. Examples of a portion include: a medium-sized apple, a banana, 2 satsumas, 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked veg, or a cereal bowl’s worth of salad.

  • Include fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables in your diet- they all count towards your daily portions.
  • Choose fruit and vegetables with a variety of colors.
  • Some foods can’t count for more than 1 portion of your 5 a day, even if you eat more than that- for example, 150 ml of fruit juice or smoothie can only count for 1 of your 5 a day, as they are high in sugar and low in fiber.
  • If children don’t want to eat veg, keep offering them small tastes – having several opportunities to try new foods can help get them interested.

Here are some tips to add an extra portion of fruit or veg at each meal:

  • Top your wholegrain breakfast cereal with fruit.
  • Put some crunch in your lunch with carrot and celery sticks.
  • Add extra beans, mushrooms or chopped peppers to sauces and casseroles.
 

EATING MORE WHOLEGRAIN FOODS

 

Wholegrain foods are higher in fiber and nutrients, which can help fill you up for longer and keep a healthy weight. Fiber from wholegrain can also help reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Simple ways to include wholegrain in your diet include:

  • Choose brown, grainy bread instead of white bread.
  • Choose brown rice instead of white rice.
  • Choose wholewheat pasta instead of white pasta.
  • Choose wholegrain breakfast cereals like rolled oats (porridge oats), Weetabix or Shredded Wheat (or your supermarket’s own brand versions).
  • Snack on plain popcorn instead of crisps.
  • Add barley to soups and stews.

 

EATING LESS PROCESSED AND RED MEAT

Eating a lot of processed and red meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer, and possibly stomach and pancreatic cancer. Processed and red meats can also be high in calories, which can contribute to weight gain. Healthier choices of protein foods include fish, fresh chicken, pulses (e.g. beans, lentils and chickpeas) and eggs.

Processed meat includes ham, bacon, salami and sausages.  Red meat includes all fresh, minced and frozen beef, pork and lamb.

  • Try to have some meat-free meals a week.
  • Eat smaller portions of meat.
  • Swap processed and red meat for fresh chicken or fish.
  • Use pulses (e.g. beans, lentils and chickpeas) instead of meat in your recipes as these are a good source of both protein and fibre.

When you cook meat, use low-temperature cooking methods such as braising where possible. Cooking meat at high temperatures (e.g. barbecuing) until it chars can produce cancer-causing chemicals.

 

EATING LESS SALT

Foods that are preserved using salt may increase the risk of stomach cancer. And cutting down on how much salt you eat is good for your overall health.

  • Cut down on salt-preserved foods, like bacon, some types of ham, salt beef, salt cod and some pickled vegetables.
  • Base your meals on vegetables, wholegrain foods, pulses and fruit which are naturally lower in salt.
  • Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods, so check the salt content of things like breakfast cereals, breads and ready meals. There is often salt hidden where you wouldn’t expect it.

Foods that are preserved using salt may increase the risk of stomach cancer. And cutting down on how much salt you eat is good for your overall health.

  • Cut down on salt-preserved foods, like bacon, some types of ham, salt beef, salt cod and some pickled vegetables.
  • Base your meals on vegetables, wholegrain foods, pulses and fruit which are naturally lower in salt.
  • Most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods, so check the salt content of things like breakfast cereals, breads and ready meals. There is often salt hidden where you wouldn’t expect it.

 

EATING LESS HIGH-CALORIE FOOD

 

High-calorie foods and drinks (such as fried foods, biscuits, savoury snacks, confectionery, sugary drinks and fast foods) can lead to weight gain, as it’s easy to take in lots of calories from smaller amounts of food. They also tend to be lower in beneficial vitamins and minerals and higher in saturated fat, sugar and salt.

  • Base your meals on vegetables, wholegrain foods, pulses and fruit which fill you up on fewer calories.
  • Cut down on or avoid sugary drinks – make water your first choice.
  • Cut down on ‘fast’ or ‘takeaway’ foods by cooking at home more.
  • Snack smarter- pack fresh fruit to reduce your chances of reaching for biscuits, chocolate or crisps later in the day.

 

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

 

A simple way to get the right foods in the right amounts is by thinking about your plate. At lunch and dinner try to:

  • Fill ½ your plate with colourful vegetables
  • Fill ¼ with high fibre wholegrain foods like brown rice or wholewheat pasta
  • Fill ¼ with a healthy protein food like fish, fresh chicken or pulses (e.g. beans or lentils)

 

 

 

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