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There are many conflicting reports in the news on what you can and can’t do about cancer. It gets confusing when what is recommended in one report is not mentioned in another one. What you can be sure of is that by making small changes to your everyday life could help reduce the chances of getting cancer. Here are six steps to prevent cancer:

Step 1: Do not use tobacco

All types of tobacco can make you prone to. Rejecting tobacco or deciding to stop using can be one of the most important health decisions you can make. By avoiding tobacco in any form, you can reduce your risk of several cancers, including:

Lung

Esophagus

Voice box (larynx)

Mouth

Bladder

Kidneys

Pancreas

Cervix

Stomach

Acute myeloid leukemia

In the United States, cigarette smoking causes 90 percent of all cases of lung cancer. Smoking is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. Every time you smoke a cigarette, you inhale more than 60 substances which can cause your cells to become cancerous. Apart from that, the tar in cigarette smoke forms a brown layer on the lining of your lungs and air passages. This brown layer traps the carcinogens that you inhaled.

Smoking cigars and pipes, chewing spit tobacco is also not safe. As compared to nonsmokers, cigar smokers have higher rates of lung cancer. They are also more prone to cancers of the larynx, esophagus and mouth. Chewing tobacco also aggravates the risk of cancers of the mouth, cheeks and gums.

Even if you do not smoke, you can reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke. Every year, about 3,000 nonsmokers die due to lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.

Step 2: Eat a variety of healthy foods

Though eating healthy food during mealtime can reduce the risk of cancer. According to research, about 30 percent of cancers are related to issues of nutrition. This includes obesity.

The American Cancer Society recommends that you:

Eat abundant foods from plant-based sources. If you eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, it can reduce the risk. You can also eat other foods such as whole grains and beans, several times a day. You can eat green and dark yellow vegetables, beans, soybean products and cruciferous vegetables. This can help reduce your risk of colon and stomach cancers.

Limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-fat foods especially from animal sources. High-fat diets could lead to increase your risk of cancer of the prostate, colon, rectum and uterus.

Drink alcohol in moderation. Your risk of cancers like oral, esophageal and other cancers increases with the amount of alcohol you drink. It also depends on the length of the time you have been drinking regularly.