13 ways to reduce your risk of prostate cancer and BPH

✔ Choose 

 

  1. Plant-based nutrition: The majority of your food choices are minimally processed, whole plant foods. Fill >50% of your daily meals with vegetables, 10% fruits, 15% legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, 25% lean protein such as organic chicken, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, organic tofu/edamame
  2. Flaxseed 
  3. Garlic, onion
  4. Lycopene: cooked tomato, watermelon, papaya, guava, persimmon, red pepper
  5. Omega 3 fatty acids: fish oil, salmon, sardine, mackerel, tofu, edamame, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts 
  6. Catechins: Matcha, green tea, dark chocolate, berries
  7. Zinc-rich foods: Pumpkin seeds, legumes
  8. Vit E (50mg/day): sunflower seeds, almonds, avocado, leafy greens 
  9. Selenium-rich foods: Brazil nuts, eggs, salmon, pumpkin seeds
  10. Cruciferous Vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bitter vegetables
  11. Vitamin D: 1000-5000 IU/daily or ~15 minutes of sun on the arms, legs, face during midday (10am-2pm), 3-4 times a week
  12. Nutritional supplements: Saw Palmetto, Stinging Nettle 
  13. Stay active, exercise and maintain healthy weight. Move more and sit less

✖  Avoid/Limit

  • Ultra-processed foods, such as Jam with added sugar,  processed meats, sugary granola bars, microwave popcorn, frozen dinner/pizza, instant noodles, margarine, fried foods, dried fruits 
  • Smoking or excessive alcohol intake
  • Store-bought pickled foods with nitrates or high sodium content 
  • Barbecue or grilled meats
    • Cooking meat over high temperature (ex. Pan-frying, grilling, barbecuing) may produce carcinogenic chemicals 
  • Processed meats with nitrates, such as sausage, bacon, ham, smoked salmon, pepperoni, roast beef  
    • Processed meats with nitrates and nitrites can form nitrosamines (carcinogenic) in the body 
    • Processed meats, especially red meat contain heme iron, which can enhance the formation of carcinogenic compounds (NOCs) in the body 
  • Refined grains, such as white rice, white bread, sugary cereal, regular pasta
  • Excessive intake (more than 3 servings/day) of dairy and calcium 

Nutrition Tips

  • Replace cookies & crackers with veggie sticks & hummus/plain yogurt 
  • Make a veggie omelette/tofu omelette/lentil soup/homemade smoothie for breakfast to boost vegetable intake in AM
  • Eat your vegetables and fruits with healthy fats such as avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts to maximize nutrient absorption
  • If you have BPH, limit red meat, caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods 
    • Excessive intake of red meat is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases 
  • Drink green tea with citrus (such as freshly squeezed lemon juice) to enhance catechins absorption
  • Replace processed meats and red meat with unprocessed, fresh chicken/turkey and have some meatless days with plant proteins
  • Eat a diet high in antioxidants polyphenols and Vitamin C can help reducing the conversion of nitrates and nitrites to nitrosamines 
    • ex. green tea, cocoa powder, berries, red grapes, star anise, flaxseed 

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