What is this colorectal cancer, and what is scaring us?
The intestine, colloquially also called the colon or a portion of it, is the last part of the digestive tract, a small thing known as the rectum. Digesting is like using an incredibly long tube with food, where cells begin going crazy inside, creating potential cancer cells. This form of cancer has been increasing in prevalence, especially among younger populations. Still, there is an excellent upside: many of these are preventable by just eating right and maintaining a proper lifestyle.
Which foods can ward off colorectal cancer?
Your food preferences matter a great deal in colorectal cancer. Think of the colon as one’s garden-fertilizing rightly can keep its soil healthy. Foods high in fiber are extra important. Fiber acts almost like a clean broom or brush that gently sweeps through all the intestines, cleaning off the bad leftovers.
Here is a simple list of foods that may help protect your colon:
- Fruits
- Vegetables; for example, Leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, colorful vegetables
- Whole grains
- Beans and lentils: All legumes
- Fish: Fatty fish like salmon and sardines
- Yogurt and other fermented foods
- Nuts and seeds
- Garlic and onions
What are the foods to avoid or reduce to prevent cancer?
Some things can raise your risk of developing colorectal cancer. These are the foods and drinks you should limit:
- Processed meats: hot dogs, bacon, and deli meats
- Red meat: fewer than three portions a week
- Sugary drinks and desserts
- Highly processed snack foods
- Alcohol: if you drink less than one per day for women, two per day for men
- High salt foods
- Food fried in commercial fryers
How is fiber your own best friend?
How does fiber prevent colorectal cancer? It stays undigested primarily in your gut system. When it passes through the digestive system, fiber does many important things. For one, it helps the movement of waste in your colon be faster; therefore, there is less contact between harmful substances and the walls of the colon. Fiber can also feed good bacteria in your intestines, keeping your colon healthy.
Consider fiber as both a cleaning and a feeding service for your intestines. You want to get about 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Incorporating fiber gradually avoids further stomach issues and ensures you take a lot of water.
An understanding of the form in which it reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.
Exercise is the best way to ensure one does not have this large intestine cancer. Various benefits are connected with exercise that helps maintain a normal weight. Hence, excess body fats, which boost the risk factor of cancerous growths within the body, move food into the digestive tract faster and generally reduce inflammation levels in the human body, which tends to help suppress the risk for cancer.
Cardiovascular workouts like brisk walking (at least 30 minutes, but most days) can be a good alternative. Can you imagine dancing, swimming, gardening, or playing with your kid or grandkid after all this time? The secret here is to create habits around moving, not necessarily be the next marathon runner.
Keeping one’s body at a healthy weight is quite helpful in preventing colorectal cancer because:
- More significant amounts of body fat, specifically around the stomach, are considered to increase a person’s likelihood of developing colorectal cancer. Body fat may provide energy but also release hormones and other elements that can help promote the proliferation of cancer. Consider excess body fat as an organ that is ‘active’ in determining your risk of cancer.
- Even modest weight loss may lower your risk. Rather than trying another fad diet, adopt sustainable eating and exercise habits. This isn’t a temporary solution to your problem; it is a matter of how healthy you want to be in the future.
- Yes, but what about smoking or alcohol – are they good or bad factors that change your risk of catching colorectal cancer?
- Smoking and drinking a lot are the most significant causes of this disease. Besides that, smoking disturbs your circulation system and thus does damage to your entire body – and that comprises your gut, too. Smoking cessation is the fastest and healthiest way for smokers to gain health benefits.
- Alcohol is inherently considered something evil. In some study investigations, tiny amounts of alcohol intake have no effect, but habit or heavy drinking does bring on carcinoma in its wake. If you consume alcohol, being a moderate alcohol user means one drink for women or less per day for men.
What role does hydration play in preventing colon cancer?
Drinking enough water can be one very easy and efficient step in preventing cancer in the colorectum. It helps fiber work well in moving your digestion system by helping wash your body and remove garbage. Think of water as your body’s cleaning system.
Initially, drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. In case you are not able to drink plain water. Then, you can add slices of lemon, cucumber, or berries to the bottle. The point is that all other liquids, including herbal tea, are included in your everyday beverages, but water is the top choice.
What are the warning signs?
Knowing the signs of this cancer would be helpful even though this article is on prevention. Do not disregard these changes in your body:
- Changes in bowel habits that last several days
- Blood in your stool
- Continuous abdominal discomfort or cramping
- You lose weight and cannot explain why
- You feel that your bowel is not fully emptied.
- You are experiencing weakness or fatigue that doesn’t go away.
- If you recognize at least one, consult with your physician. Remember yourself: the sooner the diagnosis, the higher the chance of effective therapy for colon cancer.
Let’s bring these enhancements into our day-to-day routine and lifestyle:
There is a muddle when incorporating lifestyle modifications. It always has the sense that you’re taking on so much at once, starting all over again; hence, start piecemeal. Here is how you could begin today:
- Include just one more vegetable serving at the meals
- Start taking a walk for 10 minutes after either lunch or supper
- Replace one processed snack with fruit
- Drink a glass of water for each meal
- Instead of white bread, choose whole-grain
- Cook more meals at home where we can choose the ingredients
Remember, small steps lead to more significant steps over time. Don’t try to change everything in your lifestyle at one time. Think about progress, not perfection.
Conclusion:
What else can we do to protect ourselves?
Other critical measures, other than diet and exercise, can prevent colorectal cancer. To check up, go to your doctor’s clinic and request your medical officer to put you under their screening or refer you for screenings in case your age is beyond 45. Through screenings, harmful cells are easily diagnosed before attaining the carcinoma stage and becoming cancerous.
Learn your family history. If you or your first-degree relatives were diagnosed with colon cancer, then you need to either prefer screening at an earlier age or have more frequent testing.
Maintaining gut health is a lifelong process. What you do today might protect you from developing colorectal cancer tomorrow. Start with small changes and be consistent; it is never too late to start being healthier.
REFERENCES:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4415727/
https://www.healthline.com/health/colorectal-cancer-basics/diet-plan-colon-cancer-treatment
https://prolifecancercentre.co.in/a-guide-to-diet-and-lifestyle-for-colorectal-cancer-prevention/
https://nyulangone.org/conditions/colorectal-cancer/prevention
https://colorectalcancer.org/article/nutrition-and-lifestyle-tips-help-prevent-colorectal-cancer