Most people know that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is healthy, yet not everyone acts upon that knowledge.
BC Cancer Agency registered dietitian Cheri Cosby said one way she thinks more people can be convinced to choose a health lifestyle is to better explain why eating well promotes overall good health.
"I think people, when they understand some of the research and what it means and how it's interpreted, I think people are little bit more convinced of the benefits," she said.
She said just telling people that fruits and vegetables are good and processed food is bad is too simplistic, Cosby said, but deeper explanations into the health implications of a healthy or unhealthy diet tend to resonate more.
"I think in the desire to have a simple message, I think we've lost that piece that people actually need and that is how it relates to them," she said.
The health message also needs to put the marketing messages from processed foods into context.
As an example, Cosby said the incidence of colon cancer in B.C. could be reduced if people chose a healthier diet, including reducing the amount of red meat consumed and eating more poultry and fish.
She said anywhere from 35 per cent to 75 per cent of colorectal cancer cases in the province can be attributed to lifestyle choices. Since the colon is one of the body's main processing units for food, it's one of the first points of contact for the carcinogens contained in the food we eat.
Some types of food contain natural carcinogens, while other groups of food - especially the processed varieties - have unnatural carcinogens.
Conversely, many fresh fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which can make the colon less susceptible to the cancer-causing materials.
By limiting the amount of cancer-causing food people eat and increasing the foods rich in antioxidants, the cancer rate may decrease.
Another risk factor for colon cancer Cosby said people should consider is their rate of alcohol consumption.
"Alcohol can tend to promote some of the effects of some of the carcinogens," she said. "Also, it's a toxin so it damages cells."
When presented with the evidence of a reduced cancer risk, Cosby is hopeful more people will choose a healthier diet and try to maintain a healthy weight.
Currently, she said the message is getting through to people in their 50s and 60s, but she said some younger adults continue to exhibit "health behaviours that are high risk" and more needs to be done to convince people to make lifestyle changes before too much damage is done.
"They're not taking the information, they may see it and understand it and they may have family members who are encouraging it, but they're just not choosing it at this point," she said.
Cosby said more must be done to target that young adult group to explain to them why eating healthy will help them in the long run.
Meanwhile, a new provincial screening program is in place to try to help catch cases of colon cancer earlier, which can dramatically increase the chance of a successful course of treatment.
The screening program is a partnership between the provincial government, the regional health authorities and the B.C. Cancer Agency. It allows primary care providers to refer patients between the ages of 50 and 74 who have an average risk of contracting colon cancer to have their fecal matter tested once every two years.
"It's a fascinating process and opportunity that we have in catching this disease well before it is happening," Cosby said.
