Good Nutrition Today Helps Kids Prevent Cancer Tomorrow

After devouring handfuls of Halloween trick-or-treat goodies, most of the city's young ghosts and goblins have returned to their earthly form.

This ethereal adventure may have some parents revisiting the fruit and vegetable aisles of the grocery store - and with good reason, according to experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Parents may be able to help their kids scare away cancer by encouraging them to eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily, says Sally Scroggs, M.A., nutrition counselor at M. D. Anderson's Cancer Prevention Center.

"Research has shown that plant-based diets may protect against many types of cancer," she says. Phytochemicals, found in all fruits and vegetables, have been identified as protecting against cancer. Researchers now are investigating whether phytochemicals may even slow the growth of existing cancers.

Poor nutrition over a lifetime may be a culprit for several types of cancer, including cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, stomach, mouth, throat, bladder and pancreas, says Dr. Bernard Levin, M. D. Anderson's vice president for cancer prevention.

Previous studies have shown that increasing daily consumption of fruit and vegetables may help to prevent these cancers.

"But it's important to remember that these cancer-protective effects have been shown only for actually eating fruits and vegetables, rather than depending on vitamin and mineral supplements," Dr. Levin says.

The reasons for encouraging children to eat healthy foods seem clear, but how do parents get finicky kids to eat 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables?

"It's easier than you think," Scroggs says. A serving is defined as 6 ounces of juice, 1/2 cup of chopped fruit or vegetable, 1 piece of fruit, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, or 1 cup of leafy vegetables.

"All it takes is juice in the morning, fruit in your cereal, fruit with lunch, vegetable snack and salad or cooked vegetables with dinner," Scroggs says.

Experts agree that, when it comes to eating habits, parents set the agenda.

Moms and dads can set a good example by letting their children see them eating a fruit snack instead of a bag of chips, Scroggs says.

Placing healthy foods in easy-to-reach places makes it simple for kids to grab and go. Parents can keep fruit in an attractive bowl on a kitchen counter and place sliced carrot sticks on the refrigerator's top shelf, next to some low-fat dip.

"The idea is to make it just as easy to choose a healthy snack as it is to grab a high-fat or high-sugar snack," Scroggs says. "The earlier healthy eating behaviors start, the better the chance that kids will continue good nutrition into adulthood."

Another way to encourage children to eat fruits and vegetables is to involve them in food preparation.

"If kids get to fix it themselves, they eat it," Scroggs says. "Even picky eaters who normally wouldn't touch certain foods will be happy to eat what they have helped to prepare."

Additionally, these healthy nutrition habits can help prevent obesity, which has been linked to several cancers, including breast, prostate, colorectal, endometrial, kidney and gall bladder, Dr. Levin says. For children who may be overweight, substituting fruits and vegetables for high-fat or high-sugar snacks can help kids reach a healthy weight and enhance overall health.

Rather than putting kids on diets, parents can replace some of the unhealthy foods with fruits and vegetables - and help kids on their way to a cancer-free life.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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