Eat to Prevent Colon Cancer

Increase fruits, vegetables and whole grains. "We're seeing less colon cancer in people who eat a mostly plant-based diet — lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains," Doyle says. To reduce colon cancer risk, "you want to eat a diet with lots of colorful fruits and vegetables. We encourage people to eat at least five servings a day with lots of variety and lots of color. We also encourage people to incorporate more legumes and beans, as an alternative to red meat. And we encourage people to eat whole grain products — with breads, cereals and pastas, look on the ingredient list and be sure that 'whole something' is the first ingredient."

Limit alcohol. "There's some evidence that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of colon cancer in both men and women," Doyle says. So ACS joins other health organizations in recommending that women have no more than one drink a day and men no more than two drinks (with one drink defined as 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of hard liquor or 5 ounces of wine).

Included in this article are links to six recipes reprinted, with permission, from the American Cancer Society. The Great American Eat-Right Cookbook: 140 Great-Tasting, Good-for-You Recipes (Atlanta, American Cancer Society, 2007).

                                                                    Updated January 2012

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