Please note: This information was current at the time of publication. But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit familydoctor.org, the AAFP patient education website.
Information from Your Family Doctor
Food Choices to Help Reduce Your Risk of Cancer
Am Fam Physician. 2000 Oct 1;62(7):1697-1698.
Grain Products
Foods to choose
Whole-grain breads and cereals
Baked products made with whole grains and limited amounts of fat and sugar
Foods to limit
Biscuits
Croissants
Stuffing
Fruit and nut bread
Fried or greasy snacks (tortilla chips, corn chips, popcorn, etc.)
Vegetable and Fruits—Eat Five Per Day
Foods to choose
Beta-carotene sources: carrots, cantaloupe, apricots, tomatoes, winter squash, spinach, etc
Vitamin C sources: oranges, grapefruit, red and green peppers, strawberries, broccoli, etc.
Folic acid sources: oranges and orange juice, bananas, leafy green vegetables, leaf lettuce, asparagus, etc.
Cabbage family: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.
Foods to limit
Vegetables prepared in high-fat sauces
High-fat items such as avocado and coconut
Fried or deep-fried vegetables (potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.)
Fried snacks (potato chips, sweet potato chips, etc.)
Milk and Dairy
Foods to choose
Skim or 1 percent milk
Nonfat dry milk or evaporated skim milk
Low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt
Farmers cheese
Part-skim mozzarella or ricotta cheese
Low-fat cheeses
Ice milk
Low-fat frozen yogurt
Foods to limit
Whole or 2 percent milk
Sour cream
Butter and margarine
Fried or deep-fried cheese
Regular cheeses
Ice cream
Cream (half and half, whipping)
Meat or Meat Alternatives
Foods to choose
Lean beef, veal, pork and lamb (trim all visible fat)
Skinless chicken and turkey breast
Low-fat processed meat (lean ham, low- or nonfat bologna and hot dogs, etc.)
Fish and shellfish
Dried beans, peas and lentils
Foods to limit
Chicken and turkey with skin
“Prime” grade, heavily marbled or fatty meats (such as rib-eye steak)
Sausage, bacon, frankfurters, bologna, etc.
Goose and domestic duck
Fried or deep-fried meat, poultry and seafood
Fats, Oils and Sweets
Foods to choose
Use sparingly—broil or bake instead of frying
Use fruit, instead of butter and syrup, on pancakes and waffles
Choose low-fat sweets (angel-food cake, graham crackers, ginger snaps, etc.) if you have enough calorie allowance after getting foods from the other food groups
Foods to limit
Greasy and/or fried items
Spreads and salad dressings
Desserts that are high in fat and sugar (pastries, pies, doughnuts, candy, etc.)
This handout was originally published in the Physician's Guide to Outpatient Nutrition. Copyright 2000 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
This handout is provided to you by your family doctor and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Other health-related information is available from the AAFP online at http://familydoctor.org.
This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
Copyright © 2000 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP. Contact
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