Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, just slightly behind heart disease.

Sadly, most of us have been impacted in some way by cancer, whether it be a family member, friend, colleague, acquaintance or ourselves. It is important to note that two-thirds of your risk of cancer is influenced by genetics, the other one-third is influenced by lifestyle–specifically diet, exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight. Although genetics may outweigh lifestyle risk, reducing your risk by a third is worth the effort. And as the saying goes, “lifestyle may pack the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”

The American Institute of Cancer Research has reviewed a large number of studies on the effects of food on cancer and has identified a variety of foods that have been fount to protect you against cancer. Top on the list of cancer-fighting foods are vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans. Eating a diet rich in these foods is demonstrated to reduce your risk of cancer.

The super power in these foods are found in the phytochemicals hidden inside. Phytochemicals, which naturally occur in plant foods, have health-promoting properties. They provide plants with their color, odor and flavor, but for you and me, they are helpful in other ways. Phytochemicals have been found to stimulate the immune system, block carcinogens, reduce inflammation and cancer growth, prevent DNA damage, repair DNA, slow cancer cell growth, regulate hormones, reduce oxidative damage, and trigger damaged cells to self-destruct before reproducing.

Foods found to be associated with the promotion of cancer should but cut out of our diets. This includes red meat and processed meats. These foods have been strongly linked with an increase of colorectal and stomach cancer. Drinking alcohol can increase a the risk of a variety of gastrointestinal, liver and breast cancers, and should be avoided as well. Additionally, an excess intake of added sugars (not ones naturally occurring in foods) has been found to increase cancer by adding additional calories to the diet which can lead to long-term weight gain. This weight gain may be associated with excessive body fat which has been found to be correlated to an increased risk of a variety of common cancers.

What about exercise? Physical activity is also an important part of the equation. Being physically active can help reduce cancer risk. In fact, the more often we move, the better it is for our health. On the flip side, the more sedentery we are, the more likely our risk of cancer. It was found that people who get the minimum recommended 30 minutes of exercise each day and are also physically active throughout the day, have the lowest cancer risk overall.

Moving more frequently by small trips to the water fountain, copy machine or rest room may be one way of lowering your cancer risk. For others, you want to park farther away from the building when shopping, taking the stairs versus an elevator, or setting a reminder to get up and move for a couple minutes ever hour.

You can fight cancer naturally and even reverse its damage. Live longer and feel better one bite at a time and through an active, healthy lifestyle.

By Gretchen Krivak, director of the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan