The month of February is marked by the World Day to Combat Cancer (04/02) and the International Day to Fight Cancer in Childhood (15/02), which invites us to reflect on the disease. Estimates from the National Cancer Institute José Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA) predict the occurrence of approximately 600 thousand new cases in Brazil in the period 2016-2017.
The disease is surrounded by fear, rumors and Myths, but one piece of information is more than proven: the relationship between cancer and food. “Food has been associated with the development process of some types of cancer, mainly breast, intestine, prostate, esophagus and stomach. Some foods protect the body and others increase the risk of developing the disease. In addition, a person's weight is also related to cancer ”, informs INCA in one of its awareness materials for the date. Knowing the existence of this relationship, what have you been doing to prevent it?
When we embrace the cause Save Your Food we are concerned not only with the issue of food waste, but also with how they can and should be eaten in a balanced way, favoring the health and well-being of all people. Following this line of reasoning, for us at Alpfilm it makes perfect sense to teach and help people to conserve and consume more fruits and vegetables - according to the INCA these foods contain nutrients that contribute to the proper functioning of the human body's natural defenses . The recommendation is that each person consume at least 5 servings of that group per day. Another suggestion of the organ is to give preference to cooked or roasted meats, since fried foods, very fatty meats, sausages and canned foods, when consumed frequently for long periods, can cause healthy cells to turn into cancer cells. It is worth remembering that these tips also make a difference in the lives of those who have already had cancer.
We know that following a healthy diet is more difficult for those who work out and spend most of the day on the street, being subject to ready-to-eat foods available for sale in restaurants and cafeterias. This “busy” lifestyle has an impact not only on health, but on food waste: in an attempt to buy time, many people buy large quantities of food so that they do not have to go to the supermarket frequently. With no time to cook at home or consume everything you bought, many foods (especially the most natural and without preservatives) end up losing and going to waste. The result of this is cruel: each person wastes an average of 280 kilos of food per year, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In addition to throwing food and money away, health is also impaired: in Brazil alone it is estimated that each person consumes, on average, 1.187 calories per day in industrialized products. In other words, we are wasting fruits and vegetables and increasing the consumption of products that are bad for our health.
The solution starts with changing habits: going to the supermarket more often and thus buying smaller quantities of food; store fruits, vegetables and vegetables in an appropriate way to increase their duration; take advantage of stalks, leaves and seeds in the preparation of recipes; to conserve raw and cooked foods in the correct way; give preference to foods that are growing season (abundant production requires less pesticides in cultivation). You can follow other tips on this subject on the project page Save Your Food and on the website INCA.