Why Five A Day
Cancer touches many of us. One-half of all men and one-third of all women will experience some form of cancer in their life. That's why the folks at Genesis Regional Cancer Center are focusing on promoting the American Cancer Society's guidelines for healthy living.
Because we care about the whole person, Genesis provides a full range of services from prevention and detection to treatment and counseling. In fact, our cancer program is accredited by the American College of Surgeons.
The American Cancer Society Guidelines
In its 1996 Nutrition Guidelines, the American Cancer Society reported that, given the wide variety of potential protective substances in fruits and vegetables, the best advice is to eat 5 or more servings each day. This is the message of the Five-A-Day Program:
- Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Eat other foods from plant sources, such as breads, cereals, grain products, rice, pasta, or beans several times a day.
Mom Was Right!
Fruits and vegetables contain important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and fiber - all important in reducing your risk of cancer. In general, those with the most color - green, red, yellow, and orange - have the most nutrients.
Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day may not be that hard to do when you look at how small one serving really is:
- ½ cup of fruit
- 1 medium piece of fruit
- ¼ cup of dried fruit
- ¾ cup of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
- 1 cup leafy vegetables
- ½ cup of cooked or raw vegetables
To receive a free Five-A-Day guide with valuable prevention tips, contact Genesis On Call at 563-421-2000 or GenOnCall@genesishealth.com.