Cancer, the C word, is a word everyone is intimate with these days. It’s no longer something that you’ve heard about, like a distant notion that doesn’t resonate. Cancer has touched most of us intimately, whether it’s a friend or family member.

While there have been several approaches, experimental treatments, and drug therapies tried by the medical establishment, they seem to lack a key factor. Nutrition has been shown in many studies to have a huge impact on every area of health, and cancer is no different.

Interestingly, Europe is much more advanced in this area than we are over here in North America. The link between cancer and nutrition is well established in the European arena, while the America medical establishment doesn’t seem willing to consider it’s impact.

In Europe for example, they understand the role that sugar plays in the body where cancer is concerned. Sugar provides a perfect environment for cancer growth, so many European cancer therapies incorporate carbohydrate restriction. By doing so, the cancer cells are in effect starved. Remove the cancer’s preferred food source, and you remove the mechanism for growth. Combine this with drug or surgical therapies, and the results are significantly better than the typical American approach to single storey.

And of course, eating healthy provides your body with the resources it needs to fight off and recover from cancer. Many people have found a diet consisting of a high amount of raw or lightly steamed vegetables is very helpful. Vegetables are powerful sources of nutrients and anti-oxidants, and most are low in sugar too. Raw vegetables are high in enzymes which helps take the strain off your body when it comes to digestion.

Adding a sound nutritional approach to a cancer fighting plan is something anyone dealing with the dreaded C word should consider. Empowering the body with proper nutrition can only help when it comes to recovering from something as draining as cancer can be. Consider sugar and carbohydrate restriction as well. Take a hint from the Europeans and starve that cancer.

If you’re going to be a legitimate home gym junkie, and you really want to improve you health and your appearance, you have to be able to make healthy food choices – to do this, you must know how to read nutrition labels.

Nutrition labels are found on the packaging of most pre-packaged foods and they give information about macronutrients and micronutrients contained within certain foods. Most people don’t read nutrition labels because they don’t know how. Don’t be one of those people; read on to learn how to read nutrition labels so you can start making healthy food choices.

1. Calories

The calories are listed at the very top of every nutrition label. This section tells you how big a serving size is and how many servings are contained in one package. This section breaks down the number of calories that are found in one serving. This is important because, if there are 100 calories in a serving, but there are 4 servings in a package…you do the math, you’ll be eating 400 calories if you eat the entire package!

2. Macronutrients

The next section of the nutrition label contains information about the fat, sodium, carbohydrate and protein content found in each serving. You should limit your intake of foods that are high in saturated fats, trans fats and sugar if you want to maximize the effects of your training.

3. Micronutrients

The next thing you’ll see on the nutrition label is a list of vitamins and minerals that are found in one serving of the product being considered. You may also see a statement that reads “not a significant source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium or Iron”. If you see this statement on a food item that you’re thinking about eating – don’t do it! Put it back.

Typically, the micronutrients found in a food should offer between 5 and 20 percent of your daily values per serving for at least a few of the nutrients listed.

4. Ingredients

The last bit of information found at the bottom of most nutrition labels a list of ingredients used to make the item. The ingredients are listed in order of most abundant to least abundant within a food.

To make the most of your home gym experience you’ll want to avoid foods containing sugar or sugar variations, enriched flour, or partially hydrogenated oils in their first five ingredients. You’ll see a lot of ingredients listed that you don’t recognize, and that’s fine; just try to avoid those ingredients listed above and you’ll be much healthier for your efforts.