 Your
Health
Ask
the Cancer Information
Service
9 a Day Campaign
Q: My wife says black men have a higher risk
for cancer and other diseases than men in other groups but that
eating fruits and vegetables can make a difference. Is she right?
A: Yes. Black men suffer much higher rates of almost every type of cancer and
are more likely to develop high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes than
other groups. But there’s something black men can do about that. Researchers
have found that eating more fruits and vegetables may lower their chances of
getting all these diseases.
Currently, black men eat the least amounts of fruits and vegetables of any group,
averaging only about three servings a day. Most black men are not even aware
that they can improve their health and fight disease by eating more fruits and
vegetables.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services recommend that all men and teenage boys eat at least nine servings of
fruits and vegetables a day. Since black men are the most seriously affected
by diet-related diseases, the two agencies recently announced a national media
campaign to emphasize the 9 a Day message to this group.
The campaign includes radio ads in urban areas, a new NCI
Web site for black men and a new "Men Eat 9 a Day" brochure about
the health benefits of fruits and vegetables and tips on how to eat nine servings
a day.
The NCI also recommends that women and children age 6 and older eat seven servings
of fruits and vegetables a day, and that younger children eat five servings a
day.
For more information about healthy eating, call the Cancer Information Service
at 1 (800) 4-CANCER and ask for a copy of "Men Eat 9 a Day" and other
free brochures on nutrition.
More on 9 a Day
Eating nine servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk for many diseases,
and it’s not as difficult as many people think. A serving can be a small
glass of orange juice, a medium size piece of fruit, 1 cup of salad greens, 1/2
cup of cooked vegetables, 1/2 cup of cooked beans or peas, or 1/4 cup of dried
fruit.
9 a Day Tips
• Drink a glass of juice each morning
• Add fresh fruits and
vegetables to foods you already eat—add berries to yogurt,
a banana to cereal, or veggies to pasta
• Snack on fresh fruit
or cut-up veggies instead of candy or chips
• Eat a side salad with
lunch and/or dinner each day
• Keep dried fruit in
your desk drawer for a quick snack
• Eat at least two vegetables
with dinner
• Choose fruit for dessert
Ask the CIS is distributed by the Cancer
Information Service of Hawai‘i (CIS), which serves the
state at the Cancer
Research Center of Hawai‘i. The CIS is a program of the
National Cancer Institute. Call the CIS toll-free at 1 (800) 4-CANCER
between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time.
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