By Sara Jackson, MiCAFE Network Specialist  

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) reports, approximately one-third of the most common cancers in the United States could be prevented by moving more, weighing less, and eating healthier. If we were to do these things, we could see a decrease of about 340,000 cancer cases each year. That number could be even greater if individuals stopped smoking and protected themselves from sun damage. 

When you hear these numbers, you may think that you must do something crazy or out of the ordinary, but you don’t. You can follow these 10 Cancer Prevention Recommendations and start to live a healthier lifestyle. 

1. Be as lean as possible without being underweight. 
2. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day and limit your sedentary behavior. 
3. Avoid sugary drinks and limit your intake of energy-dense foods. 
4. Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. 
5. Limit consumption of red meats (beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats. 
6. If you consume alcohol at all, limit your drinks to 2 for men, and 1 for women, each day. 
7. Limit your consumption of salty foods and foods that are processed with sodium. 
8. Don’t rely on supplements to protect against cancer. 
9. If you are a new mother, breastfeed your baby exclusively for at least the first six months, and then add other liquids and food. 
10. If you are a cancer survivor, make sure to follow any post-treatment recommendations that you were given. 

AICR also has some great resources that you can use to understand your cancer risks, such as Cancer Prevention Quizzes, New American Plate Challenge, BMI Calculator, Healthy Kids Campaign, and Cancer Prevention Planner.