Anti-Cancer Food Guidelines

Interested in some straight-forward guidelines for healthy eating?  Check here for a list of best choices including many brand names.

ENJOY

• Mediterranean-type diet, Indian cuisine, Asian cuisine
• Increased consumption of vegetables and fruit
• Laughter, lightheartedness, serenity
• Light and fresh air - get outside daily
• Exercise 30 minutes, 6 times per week
• Clean environment - limit use of pesticides, heavy cleaners

RESTRICT or AVOID

• White flour products, white potatoes, and white rice
• Saturated fats - high fat red meat, whole dairy products, butter
• Products containing chemicals whenever possible
• High fructose corn syrup, sugar, and sweets
• Sweet processed beverages - soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, etc.

Fruits and Vegetables (6 or more servings daily)

Most contaminated - use organic if possible:  Apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, grapes, bell peppers, celery, green beans, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin.

Least contaminated:  Bananas, oranges, tangerines, pineapple, grapefruit,melons, watermelons, plums kiwi, blueberries, mangoes, papaya.

Goals:  variety, quantity, and deep rich color.  The best are listed below.

• Cruciferous family - beet greens, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, savoy cabbage, cabbage, cauliflower, colards, kale, red chicory, red cabbage, spinach, turnip greens, watercress
• Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions
• Boston lettuce, romaine lettusce
• Red/ orange/ yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers
• Sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, radishes
• Carrots
• Berries - blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and others
• Pomegranate, any whole citrus, kiwi, mangoes

Protein (5 servings daily)

Try to minimize high fat, red, and processed meats.  Focus on seafood and poultry. 

• Any fish with the exception of shark, marlin, tilefish, king-mackerel, swordfish due to toxins.  Oily fish is best -  salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, lake trout.  Wild Alaskan salmon is the best!
• Skinless poultry - turkey breast, chicken
• Lean, nitrate-free deli meats or pre-packaged luncheon meat (turkey, ham, chicken, roast beef)
• Lean beef - round steak, cubed steak, London broil, filets, flank steak, or extra-lean gound beef
• Lean pork - tenderloin, loin chops, Candian bacon
• Wild game - venison, elk, quail, dove, etc.
• Any shellfish - clams, shrimp, oysters, etc.
• Beans or peas - black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, white beans, lentils and garbanzo beans
• Eggs - look for omega 3 or DHA on label - Eggland's Best, Egg Sence, etc.

Dairy (2 servings daily)

Reduced fat, low fat or skim.

• Organic cow's milk (skim or 1%)
• Other types of milk - almond, hazelnut, oat, hemp, buttermilk
• Non-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt - plain is best (Stonyfield Farms, Oikos, Fage, Brown Cow)
• Fart skim or reduced-fat cheeses (made with 2% milk)
• Low-fat cottage cheese, ricotta cheese
• Organic butter - in limited amounts
• Highly flavored cheese (in moderation) - parmesan, feta, goat

Nuts (1 serving daily)

• Raw nuts are best - almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts
• Nut butters - peanut, almond, sesame
• Unsweetened coconut

Starches/ Carbohydrates (2 servings daily)

For weight and hormone balancing, carbohydrates (except for fruits and vegetables) should be kept to breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks; no carbohydrates after 4:00 pm.  100% whole grain; intact grains (oats, brown rice, wheat berries, etc. ) and high fiber cereals have an edge over whole grain breads.

• Whole oats - steel cut or "old-fashioned" best
• Whole grains- barley, rye, wheat berries, whole wheat, bulgur, couscous, wheat germ, oat bran, quinoa, teff
• Brown rice, wild rice, basmati (white or brown)
• Whole wheat pita bread
• Whole grain tortillas, flatbreads
• Whole grain breads - whole wheat, sourdough, rye, pumpernickel, sprouted breads, (Ezekil, Alvarado Street)
• Flatbreads - pita, chipati, etc.
• Whole grain waffles - Kashi, Go Lean, etc.
• Protein/ fiber-enriched pasta - Barilla plus

Oils

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Canola oil - expeller-pressed best
• Oilve oil or canola oil-based pan sprays
• Nut oils - walnut, sesame, etc.
• Oilves - green olives best
• Flora sunflower or safflower oil, unprocessed - must be kept refrigerated

Beverages

• Purified water - 1/2 your body weight (in lbs) in ounces.
• Green, black or white tea - loose leaf, not powdered or bottled
• Coffee - regular or decaf (water-processed only)
• V8 or 100% vegetable or tomato juice (low sodium)
• Pure cocoa powder for making hot chocolate
• Herbal teas - chamomile, red rooibos, etc.

Salad Dressing Tips

Goal is to use healthy oil base like olive oil or canola oil - homemade is best, using extra virgin olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.  Others to try:

• Annie's Naturals and Cindy's brand generally have a healthy oil base
• Avoid full-fat (thicker) varieties - ranch, blue cheese, thousand island, etc.
• Bottled olive oil or canola oil-based vinaigrettes are fine
• Nothing fat free (too much sugar)
• Light or reduced-fat brands of the thicker varieties are also acceptable but not as healthy as olive oil-based vinaigrettes

Recommended Snacks

• Nuts and seeds and nut butters:  peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts
• Fresh-cut veggies: carrots, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas.  Dip in hummus, bean dip, guacamole, salsa, or olive oil and vinegar
• Fresh or frozen fruit
• Soy nuts, dried wasabi peas
• Wasa, Ak-mak, Kashi TLC or other 100% whole-grain crackers with cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, hummus, salsa, guacomole, sardines, smoked salmon
• Stone-ground tortilla chips or baked chips dipped in hummus, salsa or guacamole (try "Foods Should Taste Good" brand)
• Stacy's Mulitgrain Pita Chips
• Low-fat plain yogurt - sweeten with agave or fruit-sweetened jam
• Part-skim mozzarella or other reduced fat (2% milk) cheeses - try cheese sticks for convenience
• Homemade fruit smoothies
• Dried fruit (avoid if overweight, diabetic or insulin resistant)
• Granola bars - Kashi TLC or Kashi rolls, trail mix, Power Bar Protein Plus or Triple Threat bars, Balance Gold Bars, Greens+ Protein Bars.
• Hard-boiled omega 3 eggs
• Dark Chocolate - 60% or more cocoa - in moderation!

Frozen Foods - can be just as nutritious as fresh!

• Frozen veggies - avoid those with added butter or sauces
• Frozen fruits - avoid those with added sugar
• Frozen seafood
• Frozen skinless poultry

Condiments/ Flavor Enhancers

• Prepared hummus or other bean dips, salsa, artichoke or olive tampenade, brushetta, guacamole, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes
• Balsamic vinegar and other vinegars (rice, white wine, etc.)
• Salad dressings with healthy oil base (olive oil or canola oil)
• Peanut butter or almond butter
• 100% spreadable fruit (no jelly), jam only if seetened with fruit juice (Polenar All Fruit, Smucker's Simply Fruit)
• Flax seed
• Lemon or lime juice
• Sauces - ketchup, light mayonnaise (canola-based is best), steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustards, hot sauce, light teriyaki, tahini, horseradish, light soy sauce
• Any herbs/ spices - fresh garlic, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, etc.  (Mrs. Dash products, Bragg's products)
• Agave syrup, 100% maple syrup, honey (in moderation)

Recommended Cereal Brands

Recommend 100% whole grain, lots of fiber (5 or more grams per serving), minimal amounts of added sugar (ideally 10 grams or less per serving).

• Quaker Oat Bran, Oat Squares or Old Fashioned Oats
• Complete Oat Bran or Wheat Bran Flakes
• All-Bran, All-Bran Extra Fiber, All-Bran Buds
• Kashi Go Lean, Kashi Go Lean Crunch
• Post Bran Flakes or Post 100% Bran
• Nature's Path - all varieties
• Health Valley Golden Flax
• John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal or Old-Fashioned Oats
• Red Mill brand flours many whole grain varieties available

Canned Goods

Canned goods are generally inferior to fresh, but the following retain their goodness:

• Olives, pickles, capers, water chestnuts
• Roasted red pepper
• Any form of tomato products
• Canned broths, broth or tomato-based soups
• Artichokes
• Pumpkin
• Beans
• Fish/seafood - canned salmon (Red Sockeye), tuna (Chunk lite contains least mercury), sardines, oysters
• Canned chicken
• choose reduced-sodium varieties when available
• Canned vegetables and fruit are a clear second to fresh or frozen, but are better than none at all