Beside chomping on moon cakes during the mid-autumn festival, one would also smell the mouth-watering barbecue parties in neighborhoods all around. However, when eating barbecued food, one should be careful of ingesting carcinogens as well. According to the cancer registry data of 2015, one out of 13 people will contract colorectal cancer, with a 7.7% possibility of contracting colorectal cancer in one’s lifetime. For a healthy digestive tract, the Health Promotion Administration advises the public to eat less barbecued red meat and processed meat and eat more vegetables with meat slices for lesser burden on your health. Take advantage of the gathering during festivities, and please remind your friends and family to take regular colorectal cancer screening and prevent the threat of cancer.

Add flavor with colorful vegetables for a healthy and delicious mid-autumn festival
Generally, when we are barbecuing, we lay the meat on the grill that is placed on top of the charcoal and add flavor to the meat with large amounts of barbecue sauce. During this process, the fat from the sauce and meat drip on the high-temperature flames that creates a carcinogen- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), that is attached to the surface of the food. Moreover, cooking at high temperatures (over 100 °C) will also create another carcinogen - Heterocyclic amines. Therefore, while indulging in your delicious barbecue, you are also increasing your chances of contracting colorectal cancer.
For mid-autumn barbecue party, it is recommended to replace red meat with white meat and eat less barbecued and processed meat. When eating barbecued meat, it is recommended to mix vegetables with high fiber and different colors such as water rice, mushrooms, green pepper, and baby corn, or alternatively enjoy your meat wrapped in lettuce to reduce the burden on your health when celebrating the festivities.

Healthy digestive tract starts from two-mores, one-less, and one-must
During the mid-autumn festival dinner parties, although it is important to catch up with friends and family, avoid binge eating that would affect the health of your digestive tract. Director General Ying-Wei Wang of the Health Promotion Administration advises the public to practice the four tips – two-mores, one-less, and one-must for a truly, healthy digestive tract.

●More vegetables and fruit: select fresh vegetable and fruits that are rich in fiber, color, and in season. Examples include broccoli, oyster mushroom, onion, and sweet pepper. Beside opting for foods that are filling and promote enterogastric peristalsis, it is recommended to eat in moderate amounts.
●More exercise: people who are overweight are one to two times more likely to contract colorectal cancer than the general public, and 21%-25% of colorectal cancer can be attributed to lack of exercise. Therefore, it is important to maintain a habit of exercising regularly. So, take a walk with your family and friends after your mid-autumn festival meal, not only to catch up, but to keep healthy as well.
●Less red meat: International Cancer Agency has stated that by ingesting over 50 grams of processed meat products or 100 grams of red meat (pork, lamb, beef  daily) would increase the risks of colorectal cancer by 17%.
●Must take screening: colorectal cancer often occurs in those who are over 50 years of age.The risk of colorectal cancer increases as people get older. Research has shown that by receiving the fecal occult blood test once every two years can effectively reduce the colorectal cancer mortality by 20%-30%.