Quotes from Margaret Cuomo

Between 10 P. M. and 11 P. M. is the optimal time to begin sleeping.

Anti-smoking education should focus on the young as well as adults, emphasizing that 'It's not cool to smoke, because there's nothing cool about cancer.'

Throughout the world, cancer affects the rich and poor, especially where cigarette smoking is rampant.

We should demand the enactment of the Prevention and Public Health Trust Fund, and commit as a nation to the prevention of diseases. America cannot afford to do less.

We have come too far, and battled far too long with the tobacco industry, to make the mistake of trusting the e-cigarette manufacturers to do what is right for America's children.

During the holiday season, try substituting a cranberry and club soda spritzer, or water with lemon or lime instead of an alcoholic beverage. You'll be saving calories, and reducing your cancer risk.

It's challenging to conduct studies of carcinogenic chemicals on humans, because it would be unethical to knowingly expose humans to high levels of potential toxins.

Government leaders, researchers, physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, cancer advocates, and many other stakeholders all have a key role in promoting a safer, healthier environment, better nutrition, increased physical activity, and a new emphasis on prevention in cancer research.

Without federal standards for school lunches, candy bars, packaged snacks and soda can be offered to our children in school.

Why have we settled for a medical system that allows cancer to be recast as a chronic and tolerable disease rather than one we should try to prevent? Why do so many scientists at the nation's drug companies and universities turn their backs on the possibility of prevention?

Simply stated, our bodies and mind are closely connected, and that which affects our state of mind will invariably affect the way in which our bodies function.

Whether we are Democrats or Republicans, all Americans can agree that our health care costs are unsustainable - and the sooner we acknowledge that, the better.

An abnormality on a mammogram can turn a woman's life upside down, even if no cancer is ultimately found. At the very least, she will have to undergo more tests, usually with a biopsy as a first step. The procedure takes its toll in time and money and even more so in the stress it introduces into a woman's life.

The system designed to study, diagnose and treat cancer in the United States is broken, and it is in urgent need of reform.

Attention to diet, exercise, avoiding or at least limiting alcohol, ending smoking, protecting our skin from the sun and avoiding stress are important to live healthier lives, with lower cancer risk.

Would we like to see our children lead long and healthy lives? If so, we should support the maintenance of the child nutrition bill, and strive to give our children the most nutritious food that America has to offer.

For years, I have been observing our 'cancer culture' and I have become convinced that it is not structured to do what we most need: to determine how to prevent cancer, and then implement our discoveries.

A 'healthy diet' includes meals rich in whole grains, vegetables, nuts and fruits. Lean protein such as fish and chicken are recommended, and processed meats, such as bologna or cured ham and bacon, should be avoided.

One good rule of thumb is to focus on those foods sold along the perimeter of a supermarket. Vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, dairy products, and bread are generally positioned along the outer borders of grocery stores.

Let's take a common sense approach to school lunches, and offer our children fresh, unprocessed vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and lean protein.

Learning that whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables can help prevent many cancers, including cancers of the prostate, breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, lung, colon, kidney, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder, and probably other cancer types is a powerful lesson that can have a significant impact on children's lives.

Teaching children to eat foods that will enhance their health, and offering them high-quality vegetables, fruits and whole grains in school lunches, have a profound effect on our children's futures.

While we support the women who bravely face breast cancer treatments, we should also promote the prevention of breast cancer from a very early age.

Whether we are adults or children, members of the media or medical community, government, industry, academia or cancer advocacy group, we can all contribute to a healthier environment, a stronger, more vibrant society, and ultimately, to a world where cancer is considered a preventable illness.