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Nutrition & physical activity
We know now that many cancers are preventable. Some cancers run in families, but most don’t. Most are related to the way we live.
If we changed the way we lived, we could reduce our risk of cancer.
One of the biggest causes of cancer is smoking. It causes about a third of all cancers. So it's a good idea never to start, or quit as soon as you can. I know I should do some exercise, but how much? Probably more than you do now. So if you do nothing, do something! Or lots of little somethings. Even a walk around the block helps. If you don’t do much, do more! Leave the car at home when you can. Walk the dog – borrow one if you have to. Walk up stairs, rather than catch the lift. Go for a swim. Have a walk at lunchtime.
If you do half an hour a day of something that makes you puff, or an hour a day of brisk walking – you’re reducing your chances of getting cancer. You don’t have to do that half an hour in one go. You can do it in blocks of 10 minutes or more. See how to be more active.
Remember – 30 minutes a day of activity that makes you puff, or an hour a day of something gentler, reduces your risk of cancer. Be as active as you can.
Does it matter what I eat and drink?
Yes. If everybody ate healthy food, there’d be a third less cancer in the world.  Eat more vegies and fruit - 5 serves of vegetables and 2 of fruit every day. Eat a wide variety of foods to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. Eat red meat only three or four times a week, and cut right back on processed foods like fritz, bacon and salami. If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t start. If you’re a woman, limit alcohol to one drink a day. If you’re a man, the limit is two. Being overweight’s got nothing to do with cancer, has it?
This is something fairly new. They knew people who don’t eat healthy diets are more likely to get cancer. They knew people who exercise often can reduce their chance of getting cancer. But now they’ve found out that overweight people, even if they eat well and get some exercise, are more likely than slimmer people to get some types of cancer. So keep a healthy weight, eat less calories – it will help.
I'm worried about my children's food and physical activity - what can I do?
Go to The Parents Jury - a web-based network of parents who wish to improve the food and physical activity environments for children in Australia
Pulling the Plug on food advertising campaign
Young Media Australia provides up-to-date information about media and children, for parents and caregivers, professionals, students and researchers
Find out more
Find the brochure Healthy eating to reduce cancer risk in 16 languages
More about healthy eating, physical activity and cancer prevention Nutrition and physical activity position statements [Cancer Council Australia] Find out about the How do you measure up? campaign  Top |
Prevention & early detection 
