4 Habits Cancer Survivors Need Now (Plus, a Wellness Retreat for You this Saturday!)

People who have had cancer want to do everything they can to keep that cancer from coming back. Cancer survivors often ask me what they can do with their nutrition and eating to get and stay healthy. While the research on cancer prevention is ongoing, scientists have uncovered four key behaviors that may lower your risk: stay at a healthy weight, eat a plant-based diet, exercise, and limit alcohol. But are we doing all these things? Well, there’s a study on that!

Researchers evaluated data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from years 2017, 2019, and 2021. They identified 9,121 people as cancer survivors who had completed questionnaires for all four of the guidelines.

Only 4% of cancer survivors surveyed were following all four of the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer prevention and recurrence, according to a study published online April 18 in JAMA Oncology.

But that 4% is not as bad as it sounds. When you look at each individual guideline, the numbers look pretty good. I am not surprised that it is hard for cancer survivors and everyone else to reach all four of these goals. These goals are lofty. So, I advise people – both cancer survivors and people who want to lower their cancer risk, to start where you are and make realistic daily improvements.

ACS recommendations for individual choices:

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight throughout life.

• Stay at a healthy weight and avoid weight gain in adulthood.

• Visit the ACS Excess Body Weight and Cancer Risk site for more information on which cancers are related to weight.

• 62% met this guideline
  

Be physically active.

• 150-300 (2.5 – 5 hours) minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week (or a combination of these).

• Don’t sit too long throughout the day.

• You can visit the ACS site on diet and exercise here.

• 72% of cancer survivors surveyed met this guideline!
  

Follow a healthy eating pattern at all ages.

• A healthy eating pattern includes:

  • Lots of fruits, vegetables, and legumes

  • Whole grains

• Limit:

  • Red and processed meats

  • Sugar-sweetened drinks

  • Highly processed foods

• 12% of cancer survivors surveyed met this guideline,
  

Moderate to No Alcohol:

• Less is best but limit it to no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 drinks per day for men.

• Read more about alcohol and cancer risk on the ACS site.

• 50% of cancer survivors surveyed met this guideline.
  

These 4 habits are particularly important for cancer survivors, but they really apply to everyone. Take one habit to work on at a time and remember, as that old 70’s song went, two out of three (or 3 out of 4) ain’t bad!

Now, here’s an event this Saturday that some of you may be interested in. I want to invite everyone to New Water Farms in Dadeville, Alabama for the Wellness and Healing Retreat. This retreat is designed for anyone with a chronic, serious illness, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals but all are welcome.

Tickets are $50. That includes breakfast, lunch, and a host of other activities including boat rides, massage therapy, chair yoga, drumming, meditation, and more! I will be speaking during lunch. It will be my first time speaking in public in person since before the pandemic, so I am excited about it! To learn more about the retreat, go to www.contenuhealing.org

I hope to see you there!

Beth Kitchin PhD, RDN