By: Foundation for Cancer Research & Wellness
http://www.cancerrecovery.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adult_homepage
Answer these 16 questions to consider how you eat.
Instructions: In front of each statement, place one of four "grades:" When appropriate, I have inserted wording to allow non-cancer patients to take this "Check-up".
A=I'm doing outstanding
B=My self-care is acceptable
C=There's room for improvementD=My self-care needs strengthening here
1)___ I have asked for an appointment to see a Registered Dietitian at my cancer center for nutritional advice that has been individualized to take into account all of my medical needs.
2)___ I know the diet guidelines for reducing my risk of cancer published by The American Cancer Society (ACS) and The American Institute for Cancer Research (ACIR). [See note below]
3)___ I know which foods will help [strengthen my immune system] my body recover from cancer and which foods are less helpful to my efforts to recover from cancer [to reduce my risk of cancer].
4)___ I am willing to incorporate new foods, beverages, herbs, and spices into my diet.
5)___ I choose foods to eat that will nourish my [immune system] cancer recovery.
6)___ I eat my meals in a loving manner, reflecting positive thoughts about my food choices, and giving thanks for the healing [protective] energy my food is giving me.
7)___ I am moving toward a plant-based diet.
8)___ I consume a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, striving for 9 or more servings of fruits and vegetables most days of the week, and choose deeply colored fruits and vegetables with at least 3 colors eaten every day. [See below: “What counts as a serving?”]
9)___ I include at least 3 servings of whole grain foods in my diet every day.
10)___ I have tried several types of soy foods and have found a way to include at least one serving of a soy food in my diet daily. [See caution for cancer patients, especially breast cancer patients, at the end of ACIR guidelines.]
11)___ I have reduced the amount of meats I eat at my meals and replaced them with types of fish which are high in omega-3 fatty acids and/or plant foods as entrees. [Refer to “What counts as a serving?” under #8]
12)___ I include dried beans or legumes in my diet on a daily basis and use Beano(r) if needed to help achieve physical comfort and "social acceptability".
13)___ I know which foods contain saturated fats, trans fats, mono-unsaturated fats, omega- 3 fats, omega-6 fats; which types of fat are potentially harmful or helpful, and have shifted my diet to maximize the intake of the helpful fats in an amount that will help me achieve a body weight within 10 pounds of the optimum for my height and gender. (See BMI explanation & charts below)
14)___ I can adjust recipes to reduce fat content, increase fiber, and add phytochemicals.
15)___ I know how to choose (or request) foods to optimize my cancer recovery [health] when eating in a restaurant.
16)___ I believe that food nourishes the soul in addition to the body and choose foods for this aspect of my recovery [health] occasionally in a mindful manner and do not feel guilty.
Use your findings: Congratulate yourself on the items you could honestly rate A. Make note of those items rated C or D about which you would like to take some action.
#2 – I have summarized the diet guidelines for reducing your risk of cancer published by The American Cancer Society (ACS) and The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in the next 2 blogs. The websites are provided so you can visit them to read them in their entirety, if you desire. As you read this information, you realize how important your eating & physical activity habits are with respect to reducing your risk of cancer, improving your prognosis if you are a current cancer patient, & preventing recurrence of cancer if you are a recovered/recovering cancer patient. However, you will notice, if you read the reports in their entirety, that there are endorsements by other health organizations. The guidelines are clearly as applicable in reducing your risk of type II diabetes, heart disease & obesity.
#8 What Counts as a Serving?
Fruits
1 medium apple, banana, or orange
six strawberries, two plums, fifteen grapes
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
3/4 cup of 100% fruit juice
¼ cup of dried fruit
Vegetables
1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other cooked or raw vegetables, chopped
3/4 cup of 100% vegetable juice
five broccoli florets, ten baby carrots, one roma tomato
3/4 cup tomato juice, ½ cup V-8
half of a baked sweet potato, one ear of corn, four slices of an onion
Grains
1 slice of bread
1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Beans and nuts
1/2 cup of cooked dry beans
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
1/3 cup nuts
Dairy foods and eggs
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of processed cheese
1 egg
Meats
2-3 ounces of cooked, lean meat, poultry, or fish
Sources:
US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 4th ed. Home and Garden Bull 232. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1995.
http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/f/servingfruit.htm
#13 – Your BMI, or Body Mass Index, is used to determine whether or not you are at your perfect weight. The BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into account a person’s height and weight. As a strict formula, the body mass index equals a person’s weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Have no fear. You do not need to make the conversions. The table below is given in pounds & feet & inches. Just find your height in the left-hand column, & then swish your finger over to your weight. The column above your weight is your BMI.
The BMI breakdown goes like this:
• 18 or lower: underweight
• 19 – 24: normal
• 25 – 29: overweight
• 30-39: obese
• 40 – 54: extremely or morbidly obese
The BMI is referenced in the ACS & AICR Guidelines on Nutrition. The tables below were re-printed from the book Perfect Weight America, by Jordan Rubin. (You can left mouse-click on any chart to enlarge it.)
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