Kids Get It: Lessons on Healthy Food for a Healthy Life
Last month, The Cancer Project introduced its revolutionary Food for Life for Kids program to the Kid Power DC after-school program at Kimball Elementary School in Washington, D.C. The class teacher reported: &ldquo Students thoroughly enjoyed the program. They need to know the importance of healthy eating.&rdquo Third-grade student Rebecca raved that it was the &ldquo best program.&rdquo Kid Power is a nonprofit organization that provides educational programming for 275 youth from underserved communities in Washington, D.C. Kid Power DC site coordinator Arianne Sthouis said: &ldquo The students looked forward to the class every week and kept asking what they were going to make and eat.&rdquo Another third-grade student, George, confirmed the success of the program with a few simple words. &ldquo I am going to eat more fruits and vegetables,&rdquo he said.
Make a Huge Impact Through Friends of Food for Life
Friends of Food for Life is a monthly giving program providing you with an opportunity to lend support to The Cancer Project’s nutrition and cooking class program. These classes are truly making a lifesaving difference for thousands of cancer survivors each year.
For as little as $5, you can empower a cancer survivor. That’s only 16 cents a day, but it will make an enormous impact on our work. We now have instructors teaching in cities all around the country! Your support will allow us to keep this program going strong. And when you become a sustaining supporter, you will enable us to better plan for the future because we can count on your recurring contribution.
Your monthly contribution will also help The Cancer Project reach out to low-income, underserved communities. We have teamed with other groups to help broaden our reach&mdash to teach the classes in different languages and in schools where students are at especially high risk for disease. It’s critical that this knowledge is shared with as many people as possible so we all have a chance to turn our health around.
Become a valuable " Friend of Food for Life" today!
The Five Most Unhealthful Foods at Mexican Restaurants
At last week’s White House state dinner for Mexico’s president, guests enjoyed food from the first family’s favorite Mexican restaurant. But a report by The Cancer Project will make Mexican food enthusiasts think twice when ordering at Mexican fast-food restaurants.
With more than 2,100 calories and more fat and sodium than most people should eat in a day, the Charbroiled Steak Nachos at Baja Fresh tops a list of five foods to avoid. Other offenders in the report from dietitians at the Cancer Project include items at Chevys and Chili’s.
Read the complete report > >
Diet and Cancer in the News
The Latest Research on Cancer, Diet, and Genes
Although women diagnosed with a genetic mutation of the BRCA genes have up to an 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime, new research shows that diet can still play a dramatic role in cancer prevention. Researchers discovered that a diet high in a variety of fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce breast cancer development in women with BRCA mutations. The BRCA gene is responsible for repairing DNA, but the antioxidant and phytonutrient complex in fruits and vegetables can assist the DNA repair system. A well balanced plant-based diet high in a variety of fruits and vegetables may be highly protective for women carrying an altered BRCA gene.
Ghadirian P, Narod S, Fafard E, Costa M, Robidoux A, Nkondjock A. Breast cancer risk in relation to the joint effect of BRCA mutations and diet diversity. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 117:417-22.
Meat-Based Diets Increase Bladder Cancer Risk
Meat consumption increases the risk of bladder cancer, according to a new study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting. Researchers studied the diets of 884 participants with bladder cancer and 878 controls and found that those who ate the most meat were up to 58 percent more likely to develop bladder cancer. Eating well-done meat was linked to an almost twofold increased risk of bladder cancer. Cooking meat at high temperatures produces carcinogens called heterocyclic amines. Study participants who consumed the most bacon, pork chops, fried chicken, and fried fish also had a higher risk.
Lin J, Wang JM, Grossman BH, et al. Red meat and heterocyclic amine intake, metabolic pathway genes, and bladder cancer risk. Report presented at: American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting April 17, 2010: Washington DC.
New Food for Life Cooking and Nutrition Classes for June
See a full schedule of classes here >
