Carl von Clausewitz, the famous Prussian military strategist, once noted that “the best form of defense is attack.”

Von Clausewitz was not a urologist.

When contemplating the long game against prostate cancer, defense in the form of prevention trumps anything your doctor can do to treat the disease once it has taken hold. One of your best defenses – and even one of your best attacks if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer – is your diet.

Most of the bullet points for a diet plan effective in preventing prostate cancer are ones with which you are already familiar:

• Eat more fish, which is high on alpha omega-3 fatty acids. Top of the fish list are those found in cold waters, such as salmon, sardines, trout and mackerel. When possible, enjoy your fish baked, poached, or grilled – not fried.
• Minimize consumption of animal fat. The excess fat found in red meat and high-fat dairy may stimulate the growth of prostate cancer.
• Eat more plants. It seems like every day we are discovering more anti-cancer agents within botanicals. You can almost be certain that you don't have enough fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, nuts, berries, and seeds in your diet. Cruciferous veggies – cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage – are particularly effective allies in keeping cancer at bay, as is lycopene, a compound found in tomatoes.
• Drink less milk. Too much calcium in a diet has been shown to stimulate prostate cancer growth.
• Increase your vitamin C consumption anyway you can, but avoid zinc supplements. B complex and folic acid should be a big part of your muliti-vitamin rundown as they are both anti-cancer nutrient stars.
• Avoid salt, but enjoy a glass of red wine regularly.
• Flax seed oil Bad. It stimulates prostate cancer growth (although flax seeds themselves are okay).
• Olive oil Good. It is full of vitamin E and antioxidants.
• ...and of course, drink a lot of green tea.

Sure, this is all a lot to take in. But if you are looking for some all-in-one unified-field-theory of prostate-cancer-dieting, than try either the Mediterranean diet or the Japanese diet.

The Mediterranean diet, often ranked as the healthiest diet in the world, incorporates many of the anti-prostate cancer bullet points into real-world meal plans that are both tasty and compatible with a modern lifestyle. The Japanese diet, although not as well known as its western rival, with its focus on seafood, green tea, and smaller portion sizes is a proven prostate cancer disabler. 

Because when you go to war against prostate cancer, your best offense is a good defense.

Sorry, Clausewitz...