Plant-based grocery shopping tips

A plant-based or plant-forward diet can be a powerful tool for cancer prevention and supporting your health following a cancer diagnosis, and during and after treatment.

Plant foods are a rich source of cancer-fighting compounds and fibre to protect against bowel cancer or cancer recurrence.

What is a plant-based diet?

Plant foods include fruit, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and seeds. These are excellent sources of fibre, vitamins, minerals, and good fats to support your health. A plant-based diet focuses predominantly on these types of foods, but can also include some animal-based foods, like poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy products.

Following a plant-based diet has a range of health benefits, including supporting fat loss, reducing cholesterol, improving blood pressure and insulin resistance, and decreasing the risk of many cancers. Plant foods contain compounds, like antioxidants, polyphenols, beta-carotene, sulforaphane, and of course fibre, which give them their cancer-protective properties.

Please note some vegetables and wholegrains are a high source of fibre which may not be suitable for all people living with bowel cancer. If you would like support introducing more plant foods into your diet, or are struggling to balance plant intake with a low residue diet, speak to one of our Bowel Care Nutritionists.

How much should I be eating?

A good plant-based diet includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and healthy fats. Research recommends eating 30 different plants a week to support gut health by encouraging a diverse, healthy gut microbiome.

Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend eating at least five serves of vegetables and legumes, two serves of fruit, and four serves of grains a day. Aim to fill two thirds of your plate with vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and nuts, with one third for protein from both plants and animal-based sources, like poultry, fish and dairy.

A serve of vegetables or legumes is:

• ½ cup cooked vegetables

• 1 cup of salad or raw vegetables

• ½ cup cooked, dried or canned legumes

• ½ a medium potato or other starchy vegetable

A serve of fruit is:

• 1 medium piece of fruit, e.g. apple, pear

• 2 small piece of fruit, e.g. kiwi, apricot

• 1 cup fruit salad

A serve of grains is:

• 1 slice of bread

• ½ cup cooked rice, quinoa, pasta, porridge

How do I increase my plant intake?

• Eat a savoury breakfast, e.g. eggs with spinach, mushrooms, avocado

• Add more vegetables to sauces, e.g. carrot, celery, zucchini

• Have fruit and vegetables as snacks, e.g. carrots and cucumber sticks with hummus

• Challenge yourself to make more animal-protein free meals, e.g. bolognaise made with lentils instead of mince

• Have a simple leaf salad to start every dinner

• Try a new fruit or vegetable every time you do a shop

Your grocery shopping list for a plant-based diet

Eat the rainbow: vegetables and fruit are excellent sources of vitamins and nutrients that help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, along with fibre for a healthy gut and regular bowel motions. Aim to eat a rainbow of colourful vegetables, including leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, berries, oranges, capsicum, and carrots.

If you’re buying on a budget, frozen berries, broccoli, spinach etc are just as healthy as fresh. Canned options (no added sugar) are also good. Shopping for seasonal fruit and vegetables will also help keep the weekly shop costs down. Cooking with herbs and spices adds flavour to your meals, as well as providing their own cancer-protective effects.

Getting your protein through plants: Lots of plants contain protein, the trick is making sure you’re eating enough and a variety of them to access all the essential amino acids we need from food. Good plant-based protein sources include beans, lentils, nuts, quinoa, chia seeds and soy-based products like tofu, tempeh and edamame. Hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, buckwheat, amaranth (all complete proteins). Beans, lentils with rice for complete protein.

Incorporating animal proteins: Adopting a plant-based approach doesn’t necessarily mean completely removing animal-based products from your diet; it is more about rebalancing to focus on consuming more plants. Animal-based proteins, like fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, milk and yoghurt can support health and help you hit protein and nutrient intake goals.

Eating too much red meat and consumption of processed meats, such as bacon, ham and salami, has been linked with an increased risk of bowel cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund International recommends eating very little, if any, processed meat, and if you eat red meat, consuming no more than three portions a week.

Plant-based sources of iron: Some people worry about where they’ll get their dietary iron from if they’re eating mostly plant-based foods. Plant foods like lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, spinach, oats, almonds, cashew nuts and iron fortified cereals provide excellent sources of iron to hit your daily goal. Boost your ability to absorb plant-based iron by gently cooking plant foods to improve the amount of available iron, and eating them alongside foods containing vitamin C.

Plant-based sources of calcium: Getting adequate calcium is important to protect against bowel cancer. Soy products like tofu, tempeh and edamame are naturally rich in calcium. Other plant-based sources include lentils and beans, such as black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas; some nuts and seeds, including almonds, brazil nuts, chia seeds and tahini; low-oxalate leafy greens, such as broccoli and kale; and some fruits including figs, oranges, blackcurrants and blackberries. If you are including animal protein in your diet, dairy is an excellent source to hit your goals.

Whole grains: Eating a diet rich in whole grain foods, like oats, rice, quinoa, and bulgur wheat, has been associated with a lower risk of bowel cancer. Look for bread, noodles, and crackers made from wholegrains.

Healthy fats: Nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats and protein, as well as cancer-fighting compounds. Aim to eat about a ¼ cup of nuts and seeds every day. Don’t forget other healthy fats – regular consumption of olive oil is associated with reduced cancer risk, while avocado is an excellent source of vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and phytochemicals with anticancer properties.

If you include animal protein in your diet, oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, and anchovies, are an excellent source of healthy omega-3 fats and nutrients and has been associated with a lower risk of bowel cancer.

Foods to limit: Be aware that just because it’s plant-based, that doesn’t necessarily mean it supports your health. Watch out for products with added sugar, high sodium, containing refined starches and sugars or trans fats, and highly processed convenience foods or ‘fake meat’ alternatives. Limit alcohol, as bowel cancer risk increases significantly with regular consumption.