Hypnotherapy for diet change: Diet and cancer risk

There are things we know cause cancer, like smoking, for example. We know it doesn’t cause cancer for everyone, but it increases the risk. Other things such as obesity, hormones, lack of exercise, radiation, and carcinogens also increase your risk of cancer. Not subjecting yourself to cancer-causing situations will keep your risk of cancer lower, however, you can reduce your risk more by making beneficial food choices.

A meta-analysis of 95 studies found that 600g per day of fruit and vegetables reduced the risk of cancer, although the World Cancer Research Fund recommends only 400g, as does the WHO. One study found that 5.6 – 7.8 million premature deaths are due to a deficit in fruit and vegetable intake.

Cancer.net recommend the following foods to reduce the risk of cancer:

• plant-based foods
• whole grains and seeds
• whole grain bread and pasta
• legumes and pulses
• fish and shellfish
• poultry
• dairy products
• eggs

Foods that increase the risk of cancer include:

• red and processed meat
• alcohol

There is more depth to the discussion because obesity also increases your risk of cancer. Therefore, eating foods that cause excess fat in your body will indirectly increase your risk of cancer.

A nutritional professional will help you know the foods to eat so you live your healthiest life. However, knowing is not always enough. I have a story from a friend which I recount every now and then. She was grocery shopping online but every time she clicked checkout it took her back to the chocolate section. She couldn’t work out what was going wrong until she realised that she had so much chocolate in her basket that it looked like the chocolate section. This is what it might feel like when you go to the supermarket and find yourself surrounded by foods you do not want to eat. You must go through the depths of the supermarket to find the ones you need.

The effort it takes to avoid foods and choose others is sometimes so exhausting it’s easier to pick whatever you fancy and leave. Or you might find it too difficult to maintain the commitment to healthier foods. If this is you, hypnotherapy can help.

Hypnotherapy for diet change

I never want to work with someone to change their diet based on image. Sure, we all want to look our best. It’s an evolutionary desire. However, I’m a firm believer in body positivity and do not think anyone needs to feel ‘lesser than’ because of their image. But we cannot negate the fact that obesity links to poor health and is generally caused by an insufficient diet. Not giving your body the nutrients it needs will also lead to ill health. Hypnotherapy will help you lose weight and choose different foods to improve your health, thus reducing your risk of cancer.

Hypnotherapy sessions

I always offer a free initial consultation before working with anyone. I have a list of questions to ask that give me a great insight into your life, your difficulties, and what you want to achieve. From here I can ascertain the best way to work. It's important to me you have an awareness of the reasons you might find healthy eating difficult through no fault of your own.

Although I don’t have the deep knowledge of a nutritional therapist, I can let you know why you will crave processed foods after eating them, the same with dairy and gluten. How sugar is possibly addictive and what you need to do to break the addiction. To try and stop something engineered to make you want more is tough, and many people feel their morale fall when they can’t do it.

Consider hypnotherapy - the helping hand you need to make the changes to change for life. If you need to stop all sugars for eight weeks to break the addiction, as recommended by Sarah Wilson of 'I Quit Sugar', hypnotherapy will help with this. Hypnotherapy can help you search out the fresh, crunchy vegetables before the sticky, chewy sweets. Hypnotherapy can help you revitalise your motivation to cook meals from scratch, rather than grabbing the quick, easy processed foods.

Hypnotherapy for diet change is generally solution-focused, looking ahead. However, some people have disordered eating from trauma. If you use food to disassociate, your hypnotherapist might look back into your past and help you process previous experiences and emotions, so you no longer need to use food to deal with them.

Your hypnotherapy sessions will help you get everything clear in your mind so that you can take control of your food choices going forward with ease.