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Lifestyle cancer awareness

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There is evidence to suggest that we can all take simple steps to avoid the risk of cancer in our lives. While tobacco is the leading contributing lifestyle risk factor to cancer, three other lifestyle factors combined dwarf all other known carcinogens.

These three interconnected lifestyle factors are diet, weight and physical activity:

Diet, weight and physical activity

Diet and physical activity protect against cancer in two ways. Evidence shows that a healthy diet may help protect your body against cancer. It also helps you manage your weight, which in turn lowers your cancer risk. Similarly, physical activity has been found to offer 'direct' protection from cancer by reducing levels of hormones that are linked to a higher risk of the disease. It also plays a key role in helping you to manage your weight and therefore reduce your cancer risk.

Three simple guidelines that you can think about and eventually adopt as principles to guide your choices.

1. Diet: Choose mostly plant foods, limit red meat, avoid processed meat and alcohol consumption

2. Physical activity: Undertake moderate physically activity every day in any way for 30 minutes or more.

3. Weight: Aim to be a healthy weight throughout life.

For more information about healthy lifestyles, download our booklet: Guidelines on diet, physical activity and weight for cancer prevention. We also have more information about alcohol awareness.

For personalised advice on diet, weight and physical activity contact the Get Health Information & Coaching Service on 1800 806 258 or visit http://www.gethealthynsw.com.au/

Recommended minimum daily intake of fruit and vegetables for adults:

Adult Fruit (serves) Vegetables (serves)
Men & Women 2 5
Pregnant Women 4 5-6
Breastfeeding 5 7

Source: The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

Recommended minimum daily intake of fruit and vegetables for children and adolescents:

Age of child (years) Fruit (serves) Vegetables (serves)
4-7 1-2 2-4
8-11 1-2 3-5
12-18 3-4 4-9

Source: The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

Sustaining a long term habit of eating a variety of fruit and vegetables can help prevent:

  • Certain types of cancers
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Coronary heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Overweight and obesity

What is a serve?

One serve of vegetables is 75 grams or:

  • ½ cup cooked vegetables
  • ½ cup cooked dried beans, peas, legumes
  • 1 medium potato
  • 1 cup salad vegetables

One serve of fruit is 150 grams of fresh fruit or:

  • 1 medium piece eg. apple
  • 2 smaller pieces eg. apricots, kiwi fruit
  • 1 cup chopped or canned fruit
  • ½ cup (125mL) 100% fruit juice
  • 1½ tablespoons dried fruit eg. sultanas or 4 dried apricot halves

Go for 2 and 5

Lifestyle campaigns

The Go for 2&5® campaign was developed by the Department of Health Western Australia.

The campaign encourages increased consumption of fruit and vegetables.  'Go for 2&5®' refers to the recommended minimum number of two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables per day for adults.

The Cancer Institute NSW and NSW Health implemented the first and second phase of the campaign in 2007 and 2008.

30 second television commercial

Read about the outcomes of this campaign in the Go for 2 and 5 Campaign Evaluation.

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