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Food Diaries: How a Cancer-Fighting Diet Expert Eats
Alice Bender of the American Institute of Cancer Research shows how a mainly plant-based diet helps lower cancer risk. By Melissa Romero
Comments () | Published March 26, 2013

Alice Bender is a registered dietitian with the DC-based American Institute for Cancer Research. As part of her job, through food she helps Americans take “simple steps to lower cancer risk, based on the latest science.” Bender says she practices what she preaches, by following the institute’s New American Plate, which requires filling at least two-thirds of your plate with plant-based foods and one-third or less with animal foods. Two to three times a week she also exercises at the gym with vigorous cardio and strength training, on top of walking every day for at least 45 minutes. 

Breakfast: “I start my day with routine: whole-grain toast with a little jam, plain yogurt, fruit, and coffee with milk. Lately I’ve been dressing up my coffee with frothed milk. I love my little frother.”


Morning snack: “For my mid-morning snack I’ll munch on nuts, for a little protein boost, and fruit; walnuts and dried apricots is typical.”

Lunch: “Leftovers make life easier in so many ways, healthier eating being one. A big pot of beans-and-greens soup can go a long way. And peanut butter and veggies usually find their way into my day.”

Dinner: “I do take AICR’s recommendations for cancer prevention seriously, and I like to use the New American Plate model. This meal is a good example: salmon, brown rice, broccoli, and green salad. It’s quick, easy, and always satisfying. Most days I’ll have some kind of dark chocolate—so delicious!”


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  • Alice Bender

    AICR’s recommendations for cancer prevention do allow for
    inclusion of fish, poultry and limited lean red meat. These are evidence-based
    recommendations from the AICR/WCRF Expert Report (http://www.aicr.org/research/r...
    and its continuous updates that is the largest, most comprehensive systematic
    review of all the evidence on diet, weight and physical activity and cancer
    prevention and survivorship. Evidence from the China Study is part of that
    review and you can see our relationship to that book here: http://www.aicr.org/about/advo....

    Thanks for your point about arsenic in rice – it is important to eat a variety of foods overall. Here's information from Consumer Reports about how to limit arsenic exposure from all foods: http://www.consumerreports.org...

  • Tim Maxwell

    As a cancer researcher, why would you consume any animal product at all? Have you read the china study? Why would you eat any rice? Haven't you heard about the usfda determining that just about all rice has very high levels of arsenic in it? Arsenic is a known carcinogen. You might as well smoke cigarettes.

  • John LaDawn

    This is great news Tim!
    Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

  • danielle stout
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Posted at 10:30 AM/ET, 03/26/2013 RSS | Print | Permalink | Comments () | Washingtonian.com Blogs