Fruits, vegetables promising line of defense

The Post and Courier

One of the greatest deterrents of cancer may be fruits and vegetables. That's the conclusion of "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective."

The 517-page study, published last year, analyzed the effects of diet, physical activity and weight management on cancer risk. It was the result of five years of rigorous evaluation of thousands of cancer studies by the American Institute of Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund-United Kingdom.

Some local health experts say eating vegetarian a few times a week is a fairly simple way to get on the road to a healthier diet.

"Plant foods have fiber and phytochemicals that are not found in animal food," says Lowcountry health and wellness expert Dr. Ann Gregorie Kulze. "Yes, animal foods have nutrients, but they don't have these, which we know have significant disease-fighting chemicals."

Kulze says she eats mostly plant foods but does include some poultry, seafood and occasional red meat in her diet. "I think going the semi-vegetarian route, where you include those things, is perhaps the easiest way to get the healthiest diet," she says.

Andrew Hiott of Health Nuts Organic Foods and Sports Nutrition in North Charleston says he switched from eating a meat diet to a total raw food diet and found that just eating more fruits and vegetables filled him up faster and even kept him from craving meat.

"If you eat your fruits and vegetables first, you'll get fuller before you eat the meat and then you'll eat less meat," says Hiott. "That would make the transition a lot easier for someone who is used to eating more meat."

Kulze and Hiott agree that some nutrients, such as vitamin B-12, iron, zinc and long-chain omega-3 fats, can be absorbed more easily from meat, but eating too much meat can be risky.

The American Institute of Cancer Research's Web site states, "To reduce your cancer risk, eat no more than 18 ounces (cooked weight) per week of red meats, like beef, pork and lamb, and avoid processed meat such as ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs and sausages. Red meat contains substances that are linked to colon cancer. For example, heme iron, the compound that gives red meat its color, has been shown to damage the lining of the colon."

The Web site adds, "Studies show we can eat up to 18 ounces a week of red meat without raising cancer risk. Research on processed meat shows cancer risk starts to increase with any portion. When meat is preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or by the addition of preservatives, cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) can be formed."

Hiott advises people to be smart about what type of meat they eat. "You can get natural chicken, grass-fed beef and eco-friendly beef that has been raised without hormones. That can be found at Wal-Mart, Publix, even Kmart. You can find it almost anywhere," he says.

Kulze understands that the human palate loves red meat. "But once most people are informed of the benefits of limiting red meat and the risks of continuing to eat it, it gets quite easy to get on board," she says. "They usually feel better, lose some weight, and that provides further incentive."

Being a part-time vegetarian can even do your pocketbook good. Vegetable forms of protein such as beans, soy, corn and nuts are typically less expensive than meat.

If you're concerned about hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals, it might be worth considering a meatless diet. "The explanation is that as you move up the food chain, there's a phenomenon known as bioconcentration," says Kulze, "meaning environmental contaminants increase as you move up the human food chain. In other words, you will be exposed to fewer harmful elements when you eat plants rather than meat from a cow."

If you add more fruits and vegetables to your diet but find yourself haunted by visions of hamburgers and steaks, Kulze says to keep this in mind: "Plant food provides a wonderful opportunity to increase your intake of fiber and vitamins and minerals. ... The micronutrient content of plant proteins per unit calorie is higher than animal protein. You will get more vitamins and minerals overall from the plant vs. the animal protein, especially calorie for calorie."

Kulze likes to experiment with meat substitutes, meatless meals and leaner meat.

"There are wonderful substitutions for ground meat," she says. "Ground turkey breast is an exceedingly healthy form of protein. You can still have burgers, spaghetti, chili. You can do vegetable-based stews, bean soups. One of the easiest is the standard vegetarian pizza on a whole-grain crust."

Although the transition to eating less meat might be difficult at first, Hiott says those who try it soon will notice a change. "At first, you'll probably crave the stuff you gave up," he says. "After a month, you'll see weight loss, think a little clearer and (have) more energy because fruits and vegetables are filled with living enzymes."