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News and Tips for Healthy Living 
The sunscreen aisle of a drugstore offers lots of choices, but which one is right for you? We show you how to find the sunscreen that best fits your lifestyle.
Even if you have carefully practiced sun safety all summer, it's important to continue being vigilant about your skin in fall, winter, and beyond. Throughout the year, you should examine your skin head-to-toe once a month, looking for any suspicious lesions. Self-exams can help you identify potential skin cancers early, when they can almost always be completely cured.
Start by adding more whole grains. In addition to being rich in vitamins and minerals, whole grains contain fiber which may help reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Eating Smarter: Tips and Recipes
An Un-beet-able Dessert. These vibrant cupcakes don't need artificial dyes to give them their red hue. The secret ingredient here is beet, which adds the perfect coloring and packs fiber, manganese and iron. Beets are also full of folate, a B vitamin that is essential for producing and repairing DNA and may play a role in cancer protection.
Turkey Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust
Weighing in at less than 300 calories, this dish also a healthy comfort food to keep you satisfied. In fact, research has shown eating high-fiber plant-based foods can help you fill up with fewer calories so you can eat smarter throughout the day.
Brussels Sprout Slaw with Cranberries and Walnuts
An easy slaw with a sweet touch of apples, dried cranberries and walnuts to cut down on the bitter flavor. It packs a delicious punch and adding cruciferous vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, to your diet can help lower risk for certain cancers, especially those of the colon, mouth, esophagus and stomach.
The Myths about Cancer
The origins of cancer are complex, and no one knows exactly what causes it. But scientists do have a good idea about which factors increase cancer risk. Yet they aren’t the factors many people associate with cancer.
For example, there is no proven link between pesticide residues on produce and cancer occurrence. Yet in a survey by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), 71% of Americans believed pesticide residues are a risk factor. They also thought that food additives, stress, breast implants, beef hormones, genetically modified foods, power lines, artificial sweeteners and cell phones are significant risk factors for cancer. But research shows little or no support for these assumptions.
There are many other supposed agents that have been labeled cancer-causing for which no scientific evidence or no consistent scientific evidence exists. This list includes fluoride in the water, antiperspirants, abortion, birth control pills, proximity to nuclear facilities and electromagnetic fields from electric blankets, computer terminals and household appliances.
Recommendations for Cancer Prevention
- Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
- Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
- Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (particularly processed foods high in added sugar, or low in fiber, or high in fat).
- Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes such as beans.
- Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
- If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to 2 for men and 1 for women a day.
- Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium).
- Don’t use supplements to protect against cancer.
Special population recommendations:
- It’s best for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for up to 6 months and then add other liquids and foods.
- After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.
And always remember – do not smoke or chew tobacco.
Reprinted with permission from the American Institute for Cancer Research.
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