When it comes to colorectal cancer, Tennessee has made progress — nearly 70% of residents over 50 have been screened. Still, the largely preventable disease takes far too many lives each year: 1,200.

Fortunately, there are easy habits you can adopt to lower your risk:

1. Get screened
2. Limit alcohol
3. Exercise and maintain a healthy weight
4. Eat more colon-friendly foods

In Tennessee, an average of 7.5 potential years of life are lost to colon cancer

When it comes to colon-friendly eating, the rules are simple:

Eat more:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Fiber-rich foods

And less:

• Red meat (beef, lamb)
• Processed meat (hot dogs, deli meat, sausage)

Here are 5 colon-friendly recipes to try this month

Lentil burgers

Full of flavor, fiber and protein, these burgers are delicious grilled or pan-seared. Bonus: they’re vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

Greek stuffed chicken breasts

Spinach is a good source of fiber and minerals including potassium, iron and folic acid. Lean, white chicken meat is also a great way to add protein without red meat.

Grapefruit and avocado salad

Simple and surprising, this salad has only 5 ingredients but is full of vitamin C and fiber. Grapefruit also contains flavonoids, which have been shown to slow the production of cancer cells.

Pesto penne pasta with Brussels sprouts

This recipe uses whole-grain pasta, green vegetables and a zesty sauce to create a hearty, fiber-rich dinner that will keep you feeling full.

Zucchini chocolate-chip muffins

Equally delicious for breakfast or dessert, this riff on zucchini bread uses chocolate for sweetness and walnuts for texture and fiber.

Get more information about specific health terms, topics and conditions to better manage your health on bcbst.com. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members can access wellness-related discounts on fitness products, gym memberships, healthy eating and more through Blue365®. BCBST members can also find tools and resources to help improve health and well-being by logging into BlueAccess and going to the Managing Your Health tab.