The role of diet and lifestyle
The evidence is mounting: North Americans are getting heavier, and that extra weight and a lack of activity play a part in the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Dr. Beth Abramson, director of the Cardiac Prevention and Rehab Centre at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, says Canadians aren’t taking the time to look after their health. “We are leading fast-paced busy lives, and we’d rather take a pill than take that pill for a walk,” she says.
Abramson, who is also a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, describes diet and lifestyle as “significant” in determining a person’s risk of cardiovascular illnesses—and they are two risk factors that are preventable.
“Although there are some factors we cannot control, such as a genetic predisposition to heart disease,” says Abramson, “other risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which are significantly related to smoking [are modifiable].”
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, 30 to 35 per cent of cancers can be prevented through a healthy diet and exercise. The main factor in the prevention of lung cancer is being smoke-free.
- Indepth: Smoking
Get active
For heart patients and those looking to prevent cardiac illness, developing an active lifestyle is a key recommendation.
Abramson and the Heart and Stroke Foundation recommend a moderate amount of exercise every day. Abramson says 30 minutes of moderate physical activity means breaking a sweat and breathing a bit heavier than normal.
If someone has already had a heart attack, they should talk to their doctor before taking up an exercise regimen. Patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation will get advice on how to change their diet and exercise properly in order to prevent further illness.
Abramson says while many patients should be able to begin walking, some will get chest pains, which shouldn’t be ignored.
And it’s never too late to make a change in lifestyle. “A heart healthy lifestyle is just as important once one has heart disease, as it is prior,” says Abramson.
Food Choices
The other way to prevent illness is by eating healthy, which means a balanced diet that has a moderate amount of carbohydrates, as well as being low in fat and high in fibre, according to Gina Sunderland, a nutritionist in Winnipeg. Sunderland also recommends a daily multivitamin for optimal health.
- Indepth: Food
Though it sounds like a simple recipe, she and Abramson both say not enough people are doing it.
“We need to make healthy eating a priority for the whole family,” says Sunderland. “We need to take time to sit down as a family, and cook our meals.” She says people who sit down to regular meals are better able to maintain a healthy weight.
“Food habits are established early,” Sunderland says, “and these habits are hard to change.” She recommends making simple, gradual changes, to replace the bad habits with good ones.
But healthy eating doesn’t mean giving up all the guilty pleasures. “If I give someone a ‘do not have’ list, that’s the exact thing that they want,” says Sunderland. Allowing them a little treat can stop them from feeling deprived.
- Indepth: Fats
A drastic or unusual diet that recommends radical change will be harder to follow, and set you up for failure. Make sure your meals are made with foods that are healthy, and that you like to eat. Learn to enjoy healthy foods, and you’ll be able to enjoy them for a lot longer.
Sunderland recommends that people eat a wide variety of foods and make their grocery carts as colourful as possible. She says food such as potatoes, iceberg lettuce, apples and bananas aren’t as nutrient-rich as the more colourful alternatives, which typically contain the nutrients that can help prevent heart disease and cancer.
Anti-oxidants are natural chemicals found in certain food. They are thought to destroy or prevent the formation of free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells, and contribute to cancer. The more colourful the food, the more likely it contains anti-oxidants.
Red fruits and vegetables are high in the anti-oxidant lycopene, which protects against cancer-causing agents. The redder the colour, the more lycopene there is. Some examples: Tomatoes, red peppers, beets, strawberries.
Orange fruits and veggies are high in beta carotene, an anti-oxidant, which gives them their distinctive colour. Some examples: carrots, winter squash, apricots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes and peaches.
These contain the anti-oxidant lutein, which can also help prevent clogging in neck arteries. Some examples: yellow peppers, winter squash, corn and papaya.
Green plants containing chlorophyll have been shown to help prevent cancer, particularly liver cancer. Examples: dark green lettuce, spinach, kiwi fruit and broccoli. Some dark green vegetables such as broccoli, romaine and kale also contain the anti-oxidant lutein.
Anthocyanins, natural pigments thought to be potent anti-oxidants that also help dilate the blood vessels, give a deep purple colour to many fruits and vegetables. Examples: blueberries, plums, eggplant and purple grapes.
