The Anti-cancer Diet

by David Khayat

W.W. Norton     2015

274 pages      Nonfiction/Health

Originally published in France in 2010, The Anti-cancer Diet by Dr. David Khayat, is newly translated into English for American audiences. A well known oncologist, Khayat has created an incredible "everything you need to know" food guide to help adults from contracting cancer. 

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in adults in the world. More than 585,000 Americans die of cancer yearly. Staggering figures. Until I read this book, I knew that by not smoking, I was probably keeping myself from lung cancer, but I had really no idea what the possible effects of the foods I ate could have on my predisposition toward cancer. The book contains many charts to explain foods, ingredients, vitamins, supplements, and just about everything that goes into a person's mouth. Each food is analyzed for its possible contribution to cancer. I was pleased to see that red wine has Resveratrol, a substance that has anticancer properties.

I am always quite amazed that once you are aware of something—in this case preventing cancer—everywhere you look you find information on the topic. This morning in the Google News, there was an article from the Globe and Mail about citrus fruit consumption and skin cancer. This is something mentioned by Khayat. And then, just as i was eating a leftover piece of grilled salmon on my salad, I read that grilling may be dangerous and eating salmon is problematic. Couldn't finish my lunch!

Khayat doesn't expect for his book to be treated simply as a diet plan, and he creates no daily eating guide, like many diet books. His goal is to raise awareness and caution consumers about  the foods that we eat. He also adds the kind of sane advice that we have heard many times: don't smoke, eat a varied diet; vary how you cook your food, eat products that are made by hand, are locally produced, and farmed by sustainable methods; and find your energy balance—which includes getting exercise. 

The Anti-Cancer Diet is a valuable tool for people who are concerned about their health and wellbeing. It will stay on my cookbook shelf. I really appreciated receiving it from the publicist.