Bia Sasta: Insights into a better lifestyle

As many people might know, I lost my mother 12 years ago as a result of lung cancer.

She fought this terrible disease for many years with an inner strength I might not ever be able to muster.

But ever since, I’ve been extremely sensitive to people who try to claim that something prevents cancer.

I had the harshest argument with two sisters a few years ago who wanted to start a foot detox business, claiming that their little foot wash basin was preventing cancer.

Now, last week I received a press release from UCC promoting a new cookbook ‘The Anti-Cancer Cookbook: Recipes to reduce your cancer risk’ that promises also to prevent cancer - at first I was inclined to delete the email.

But since it was from UCC and was written on the back of the EPIC studies (European Prospective Investigation in Cancer), I asked for more details.

I am a big believer that a good diet is the best way of strengthening the immune system and should be incorporated into modern medicine to prevent rather than treat illnesses (I am with Benjamin Franklin who said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”) but cancer is a DNA-based illness.

The study the book refers to has recruited ‘hundreds and thousands’ of healthy people and followed them to see if they developed cancer or not. Now, DNA is something that we have but our lifestyle can damage the structure of our cells and result in cancer.

The authors of the book declared that only about five per cent of cancer is caused by the actual DNA cells while the rest results from our lifestyle. I am not sure if the number is correct as I haven’t read the whole study and I am not a medical professional but I do believe in a balanced diet to keep us healthy.

This is not only a cookbook but gives a good insight into this horrendous illness and I think I would have bought the book if my mum was still alive.

Neven Maguire is amongst the recipe providers as well as former professional athlete Derval O’Rourke.

But this book is not only a cookbook with recipes to follow. It gives a deep understanding into nutrition, sugars and fat, processed food, balance between meat and vegetables, portion control etc. So, even if you are just trying to change your diet, embark on a fitness regime etc., this book might be a great start.

The book itself is written by Irish dieticians Dr Aoife Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at UCC, and Dr Éadaoin Ní Bhuachalla, UCC PhD graduate and HSE Senior Primary Care Dietitian and what I have seen so far from the book (I got sent the first pages of the book) it is written very clearly and easy to follow.

I am not recommending the book based on its promise to prevent cancer but on its aim to get us to a healthier lifestyle (if you read my article last week, I don’t believe in miracle diets) that might just be the ticket.

The book ‘The Anti-Cancer Cookbook: Recipes to reduce your cancer risk’ is available for €25 with all royalties going to cancer research.