Cancer Prevention - Recommendation 4

Recommendation 4:
Eat mostly foods of plant origin 

Eat at least five portions/servings (at least 400 g or 14 oz) of a variety of non-starchy vegetables and of fruits every day.

Eat relatively unprocessed cereals (grains) and/or pulses (legumes) with every meal 
Limit refined starchy foods.

People who consume starchy roots or tubers as staples also to ensure intake of sufficient non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and pulses (legumes). This is best made up from a range of various amounts of non-starchy vegetables and fruits of different colours including red, green, yellow, white, purple, and orange, including tomato-based products and allium vegetables such as garlic. 

An integrated approach to the evidence shows that most diets that are protective against cancer are mainly made up from foods of plant origin. 

Higher consumption of several plant foods probably protects against cancers of various sites. What is meant by ‘plantbased’ is diets that give more emphasis to those plant foods that are high in nutrients, high in dietary fibre (and so in nonstarch polysaccharides), and low in energy density. Nonstarchy vegetables, and fruits, probably protect against some cancers. Being typically low in energy density, they probably also protect against weight gain. Non-starchy vegetables include green, leafy vegetables, broccoli, okra, aubergine (eggplant), and bok choy, but not, for instance, potato, yam, sweet potato, or cassava. Nonstarchy roots and tubers include carrots, artichokes, celeriac (celery root), swede (rutabaga), and turnips. 

The goals and recommendations here are broadly similar to those that have been issued by other international and national authoritative organisations. They derive from the evidence on cancer and are supported by evidence on other diseases. They emphasise the importance of relatively unprocessed cereals (grains), non-starchy vegetables and fruits, and pulses (legumes), all of which contain substantial amounts of dietary fibre and a variety of micronutrients, and are low or relatively low in energy density. These, and not foods of animal origin, are the recommended centre for everyday meals.