Like many of you, I've been impacted by cancer. Prior to their deaths, both my father and mother had cancer. Here I'll share five realistic, practical and sustainable tips to reduce your risk for developing the dreaded disease and hopefully preserve your sanity in the process!

1. Follow a plant-based diet.
Let me assure you that I am NOT trying to make you become vegan! I am, however, recommending that you follow an eating plan where the MAJORITY of your food comes from plant sources, and that you strive for whole, minimally processed plant foods with each meal.
There is ample research to support that eating a diet rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables and leafy greens, whole grains, beans and legumes can provide a number of health benefits including helping to maintain a healthy weight, reducing inflammation and improving gut health. Eating an abundance of fiber-rich plant foods has been found to reduce the risk of developing many chronic, lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and even cancer.
The Mediterranean Diet is getting a lot of attention due to its inclusion of the above mentioned foods, along with fresh fish, olive oil and red wine. I recently read a paper on the