Adopting a Plant-Based Diet
Cancer experts agree that eating a variety of colorful fruit and vegetables, grains and legumes
(dried peas and beans) aids in the fight against cancer. By making simple diet and lifestyle
changes, you may reduce your risk for cancer recurrence as well as your risk for other
chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes mellitus. A plant-based diet emphasizes
vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. These foods are good sources of protein,
carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. They are also naturally lower in calories than foods
made from animals. Colorful plant foods are also good sources of phytochemicals.
Phytochemicals are naturally present in plant foods and they can help to protect our body’s cells
from damage by cancer-causing agents. They also help support overall health. Eating a plant-
based diet does not mean that you have to become a vegetarian; it just means that you should try
to select most of your foods from plant sources. The American Institute for Cancer Research
(AICR) recommends these guidelines for adopting a plant-based diet using their New American
Plate*:
◆ Plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans should cover two thirds or
more of the plate. Fish, poultry, meat, or low-fat dairy foods should cover no more than one
third of the plate.
◆ Include substantial portions of one or more vegetables or fruits on your plate—not just grain
products like pasta or whole-grain bread.
◆ Eat five or more servings every day of a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits.
◆ Eat more than seven servings a day of a variety of grains (breads, cereals, pasta and rice),
legumes, and tubers (potatoes and sweet potatoes).
◆ Choose minimally processed foods and limit consumption of refined sugar.
Plant Foods That Are Good Sources of Protein
◆ Legumes and lentils (peas and beans, such as kidney, great northern, pinto, and black beans)
◆ Nuts and seeds
◆ Foods from soy, such as soy milk, tofu, tempeh, and edamame (soy beans)
Note: Grains, rice, cereals and vegetables contain some protein and contribute to total protein
intake.
Plant Foods That Are Good Sources of Complex Carbohydrates and Fiber
◆ Cereals made from whole grains
◆ Cornmeal
◆ Fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit
◆ Fresh, frozen, dried and canned vegetables
◆ Nuts and seeds
◆ White converted, brown and wild rice
◆ Pasta, preferably made with whole grains or vegetables
◆ Whole-grain flour tortillas
◆ Whole grains such as wheat, oats, barley, rye and corn
*The New American Plate® is available from the AICR by calling 800/843-8114 or through the
Web site http://www.aicr.org.
Plant Foods That Are Good Sources of Fat and Calories
◆ Nuts and seeds
◆ Olives and olive oil
◆ Soybeans and soybean oil
◆ Vegetable oils, such as canola, safflower, sunflower or flaxseed oil
◆ Vegetable oil margarines
Resources
Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet, by Brenda Davis, RD and
Vesanto Melina, MS, RD (Book Publishing Co., 2000). Becoming Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Adopting a
Healthy Vegetarian Diet, by Vesanto Melina, MS, RD, Brenda Davis, RD, and Victoria Harris, RD
(Book Publishing Co., 1995). Cooking Vegetarian, by Vesanto Melina, MS, RD, and Joseph Forest
(Book Publishing Co., 1996). What Color Is Your Diet?: The 7 Colors of Health, by David Heber, MD, PhD, with
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD (Regan Books, 2001). Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies, by Suzanne Havala, MS, RD
(John Wiley and Sons, 2001).
Color Code System for Fruits and Vegetables
Color Examples of Colorful Foods
Red Tomatoes, tomato products,
Phytochemical: lycopene pink grapefruit, and watermelon
Red/Purple Grapes, grape juice, prunes,
Phytochemical: anthrocyanins cranberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples and red wine
Orange Carrots, mangos, apricots,
Phytochemical: carotenoids cantaloupe, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter squash and sweet
potatoes
Orange/Yellow Orange juice, oranges,
Phytochemical: beta cryptothanxin tangerines, peaches, papaya and nectarines
Yellow/Green Spinach; collard, turnip, and
Phytochemicals: luetin and mustard greens; yellow corn; zeaxanthin green peas; avocados; and
honeydew melon
Green Cabbage, broccoli, brussels
Phytochemicals: indoles and sprouts, and kale sulforaphanes
White/Green Leeks, onions, garlic, chives,
Phytochemicals: allicin, quercetin, white grape juice, and white and flavinoids wine
Add Color to Your Diet
Consider adopting a plant-based diet for better health. Plant foods are truly rich sources of
important nutrients, and by eating fruits and vegetables of different colors, you will get a wider
range of phytochemicals.
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