To help people prevent colon polyps and intestinal cancer, a nutritionist has offered five healthier alternatives to foods that often cause health problems.

People can substitute whole grains for refined starch, soybeans or soybean products for red meat, a diversity of vegetables for a single kind of vegetable, fresh fruit for juice and water for sugary beverages, Cathay Healthcare Management nutritionist Wang Ying-ti said.

Unhealthy diets are closely linked to colorectal polyps, Wang said, adding that people today consume too much fast food, fried foods and red meat, but not enough greens.

Such dietary habits result in poor gastrointestinal motility and polyps, Wang said, citing the case of a 52-year-old man, who came to the healthcare center and complained about gastrointestinal disorders, such as constipation and flatulence.

A colonoscopy found that he had colon polyps, she said.

He worked in the finance sector and often had to drink alcohol with clients or coworkers and stay up late, Wang said, adding that he did not exercise.

After adjusting his dietary habits and lifestyle, the man’s gastrointestinal condition improved greatly, and three years afterward, had no polyps, she said.

In summer, people tend to replace water with other beverages or tea, but some of them contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, eventually resulting in people not absorbing enough water, Wang said.

Many people also replace fresh fruit with juice, but some juice contains extra sugar, and no pulp and fiber, so eating fresh fruit is ideal, she added.

The suggested water intake per day is a person’s “weight in kilograms multiplied by 30 to 35,” Wang said, adding that, for example, a 60kg person should drink at least 1.8 to 2.1 liters of water per day.

An additional 500 to 800ml per day is needed if a person increases their outdoor activities, she added.