Prostate Cancer Nutrition Recommendations

Step 1. Fruits and vegetables

• Eat 8-10 servings (about ½ cup=1 serving) of colorful fruits and vegetable daily
  (especially nutritious choices include: broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, arugula, garlic, leeks, onions, carrots, sweet potato, berries, melon, citrus fruits, grapes, herbs and spices)
• Consume adequate lycopene:
  • ¾ cup of tomato sauce or 12 oz of tomato juice or 6 T of tomato paste
• Consider drinking pomegranate concentrate 1 oz per day

Step 2. Grains and legumes

• Limit processed and refined grains, flours, sugars
• Achieve 25-35 grams of fiber from food daily
  • include 1-2 tablespoons per day of ground flaxseeds
• Avoid overconsumption of foods high in carbohydrates

Step 3. Fats and oils

• Limit intake of butter, sour cream, cream cheese, and whole milk/dairy
• Limit intake of linoleic acid found in corn oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil
• Instead, eat more olive oil, nuts & seeds (especially walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hempseeds, chia seeds, flax seeds), avocado, cold-water fish
• Eat 2 brazil nuts per day for adequate selenium (or may consume via halibut, sardines, and shrimp)
• Eat more wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds and hazelnuts for vitamin E

Step 4. Animal foods

• Limit red meat (beef, pork, lamb) intake to 18 oz of cooked weight per week.
• Avoid processed meats (ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs, sausages, pastrami).
• Limit intake of flame grilled meats (grilled veggies are a great alternative!). Instead, replace meats with soyfoods, try for 1 serving per day of soyfood (tofu, edamame, tempeh, soynuts, etc)
• Limit dairy intake to less than 2 servings per day, preferably lower fat versions (8oz of milk or yogurt, 1 oz of cheese, ½ cup of ice cream).

Step 5. Beverages

• Limit alcohol intake to 2 drinks per day.
• Increase consumption of green tea to 1-4 cups per day.
• Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks (like soda, juices, sports drinks, sweet teas).

Step 6. Other factors

• Consume adequate, but not excessive calcium.
  • Total intake from foods and supplements not to exceed 1200mg per day.
  • Only take calcium supplements if recommended by your doctor.
• Do not consume foods that were reheated in plastic containers in the microwave.

Step 7. Exercise

Try for 3 hours per week of vigorous activity such as biking, tennis, jogging, swimming, etc. Brisk walking can count, if it intense enough to increase your heart rate.

Step 8. Avoid gaining weight

(Unless you are underweight.) Lose weight if you are overweight.

Step 9. Quit Smoking, today!

Need help quitting smoking? Visit Stanford's Smoking Cessation Program to learn more.

Myths about nutrition and cancer

Dispelling some myths:

• Coffee does not increase your risk of cancer (but we are not talking Frappuccinos, here!)
• Lycopene, selenium, vitamin E supplements do not lower the risk of prostate cancer
• It's not as simple as "sugar feeds cancer"—Insulin is the key factor.

To control insulin levels in your body, choose minimally processed grains and include healthy fats; exercise nearly everyday; keep your body fat, especially belly fat low.

Major nutrition and prostate cancer studies and cohorts

• Health Professionals Follow Up Study
• CaPSURE Study
• SELECT Trial
• NHANES

Additional information

• Learn more about prostate cancer.
• View the NCI's Prostate Cancer, Nutrition, and Dietary Supplements guide.