“We are what we eat”, so goes a wise old saying.
A Nigerian food technologist, Dr Adewale Olusegun Obadina, has further given credence to this statement by blaming man’s eating habits to the increasing incidents of cancer in Nigeria. About 100,000 cases are diagnosed yearly, according to recent statistics by experts.
To stem the high rate of cancer, Obadina has outlined the dietary habits that people need to inculcate.
Obadina,an associate professor of Food Technology at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta urges people to avoid fatty food and alcohol, as they create conditions for cancer growth.
Here are his recommendations:
*Alcoholism helps cancer to grow, most especially liver and colon cancer. Excessive intake of alcohol damages the liver and increases the risk of having liver cancer.
*Contaminated foods in cereals also increase the risk of primary liver and colon cancer, especially in those who have the hepatitis B virus and those consuming of more alcohol.
*Fatty foods such as butter, margarine and fries aid the multiplication of cancer cells and should be avoided. He says there is a link between cancer and fat, particularly saturated fat intake. It is necessary to reduce fat intake.
*Instead of frying food, bake, boil, broil or microwave,’’ the expert advised.
*Increased intakes of fruits and vegetables could help prevent cancer.
Vegetables of the cabbage family called cruciferous vegetables activate enzymes that can destroy and keep cancer at bay. It attacks cancer cells found in the tissues because it diffuses into the tissues straight, thereby creating antibodies.
*Cruciferous vegetables are green papaya (Unripe Pawpaw), sweet potato, oriental cabbage, spinach, carrots cauliflowers, lettuce and apricots.
*Increased protein intake also help to fight cancer; this helps to replenish tissues and ensure positive nitrogen balance. Additional protein intakes replenish tissues and also provide for tissue regeneration. Healing and rehabilitation of tissues is done by protein foods such as fish, soybeans and sesame seeds.
*Also, intakes of vitamins and adequate iron intakes, especially foods rich in selenium sea foods, liver and watermelon are good in combating cancer,’’ he said.
According to Obadina, “Nutrition plays important role in the prevention and care of people with cancer, even from the diagnosis onward.
“It is an established fact from various researches across the world that nutrition makes a major contribution toward the clinical, biochemical and psychological status of cancer.
Mr Silvanus Ochondu, an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFEST), concurred with the recommendations of Dr. Obadina.
Ochondu advised people against consumption of foods with high cholesterol.
“Foods such as fatty oil can increase the chance of cancer because they lower the integrity of the system, making it possible for cancer to work unhindered,’’ he said.
Ochondu, however, called for consumption of more fruits like water melon because of its water content.
“The water in melon is living water that has been in intimate contact with protoplasm of vegetable cells, most especially reducing alkalinizing bodies.
“The most fascinating about watermelon is that it increases the solubility of acidic salt and facilitates their dissolution and elimination, and with this, cancer cells have little to hang on,’’ he added.