Diet and Cancer page 2

Fats, with the exception of omega-3 fats, olive oil and a few others, are probably the worst kind of food you can eat. Fats are by far the most energy-dense foods, which means that if you eat a lot of fat you are likely to exceed your caloric needs. In addition, most of the fats we consume are saturated animal fats, which usually come with cholesterol. The other kind of fat that is very prevalent in most people's diet is trans fats, which, as we have mentioned before, raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good one. Fats in general, and saturated fats in particular, have been directly linked to several kinds of cancer. There is evidence that links cholesterol intake to certain cancers as well.

Carbohydrates (carbs), on the other hand, are a different story. There are good carbs and there are bad carbs. This should be obvious since we have been recommending fruits and vegetables throughout the book, both of which are mostly carbohydrates. So if fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates and carbohydrates are "high-energy" foods, how come you almost never see any obese vegetarians? Without refining or processing, fruits and vegetables are complex carbohydrates. The reason these are "good" for you is that a large percentage of their weight is made up of fiber, which is undigestible and doesn't have much energy. So not all carbs are really that high-energy.

The fact that they are "complex" means that it takes more energy to break them down than simple carbs. If you use up more energy to digest the complex carbs, there is even less overall energy increase in your system. It also takes longer to digest them, which means that some undigested potential energy goes out with the feces. Since it takes longer to break down these complex carbs, it means that they are in your stomach for a longer period of time, which gives you a feeling of being full, and it will take longer for you to feel hungry again. This means that you will generally eat less.

Unless you are a serious athlete or you have a very physically-demanding job, you are probably getting more calories than you need today. Calories that are not used up, or burnt as some people like to say, will turn to fat. Hence, the best way of cutting down on calories is eating complex carbs. The best examples there are of complex carbs are fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts. Other good carbs are unrefined, whole grains, such as whole or cracked wheat (known as bulgur), brown rice, oats, corn, kasha, millet, rye, buckwheat, barley, quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa"), amaranth, psyllium, triticale, sorghum and wild rice. So don't believe those that say that carbs are fattening. The truth is that some carbs are fattening, while others are really healthy.

Simple carbs are what is left over from whole grains when they are refined or processed. Starchy foods such as potatoes are also simple carbs. They are digested very quickly, starting as soon as they hit the mouth. The fact that they are simple, without fiber or rigid cell walls, makes them very similar to sugar as far as digestion goes. They are converted to glucose almost immediately, which is pure potential energy. If this energy is not used up, the glucose soon becomes fat. Most pastas, baked goods and white breads, refined white rice, corn chips, and refined cereals (this includes most cereals) are simple carbs. These are the ones you should avoid, and they are the ones that give carbs their bad reputation as fattening.

Keep in mind that people are eating less fat today than they were a few decades ago. Despite this, there are more obese and overweight people, especially in the United States, than there used to be. How can this be? We are eating less fat but we are getting fatter? Yes we are. Although everything at the grocery store seems to say "fat-free" or "low-fat", excessive fat is built from the over-consumption of calories, not of fat. Although fat is the most energy-dense food, you can still go way over your caloric needs by eating a lot of simple carbs. So don't let yourself be fooled by advertising gimmicks and "low-fat" labels. Look at the calories. Many low-fat foods are high in calories. If you eat a lot of these, you will probably exceed your energy needs and build excess body fat. Read your nutritional information labels carefully.

It is believed that excessive protein can promote cancer. However, protein is so linked to fat (since most meat is fat-laden) that it is hard to tell whether it is the protein or its associated fat that is the cancer-inducer. For this reason, you should get as much of your protein from plant sources, such as soy, since plants have virtually no fat. Add to this the fact that vegetarians usually live longer and have healthier lives, and you cannot avoid the conclusion that you should limit your animal protein intake. People need about 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. This translates to 0.7 grams per pound of body weight.

Excessive energy intake is considered a pre-condition of cancer and a promoter of cancer because tumors feed off of glucose, and glucose is what is produced from excess calorie-consumption. Protein is an energy food, as is carbohydrate and fat, while sugar is pure energy. Tumors are made up of protein, which adds to the probability of protein consumption being linked to cancer. Since sugar is the quickest substance to be converted to fat when its energy is not used up, sugar should be avoided as much as possible.