HEALTH By Danielle Cook Kawash, MS, RD, NBC-HWC
FIGHT CANCER WITH YOUR FORK W H Y DO S O ME PEOPLE GET CANCER? W H Y DO OT HERS AVO ID IT? IT’S NOT SIMPLY A MATTER O F GEN ET ICS.
It’s estimated that only 20 percent of health outcomes are the result of simple genetics – the hand we’re dealt at birth. The question is... how can we leverage that other 80 percent in order to avoid cancer? We can get savvy and take action in three categories: identification, avoidance and resilience.
IDENTIFICATION includes getting a
quality – and I emphasize quality – yearly physical and taking the time to assess honestly how your body is feeling. Firefighters are conditioned to be tough and live with discomfort, but that attitude can lead you to ignore early warning signs of cancer and other health concerns.
AVOIDANCE means limiting your exposure to carcinogens at work and at home. The good news is that your department likely has policies and procedures to help with that when you’re on the job. But there are plenty of toxins outside of work, and you’re continuously exposed to potential carcinogens in food and household products. By avoiding these, you reduce your “total toxic load,” and help your body remove toxins before they can harm you.
The third category is RESILIENCE . Did you know that we all have cancer cells in our in our bodies? The good news is that those cancer cells grow, divide and multiply only if they’re in a friendly environment. So how do you make your body hostile to cancer cells? You already have a powerful weapon in your arsenal that will keep you healthy if you put it to work – your fork. What you eat can either feed cancer cells or help you kill them.
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