We’ve gone through so many fad diets and fad fears. Remember the low-fat decade? We were told a low-fat diet would prevent heart disease, so we ate gallons of low-fat ice cream.

We’re now in the low-sugar diet era. Everyone who reads knows that sugar fuels cancer — so let’s cut out sugar.

Well, when you cut out an ingredient in your diet, you have to replace it with some other chemical, unless you eat natural, fresh, and healthy foods.

We know red meat is full of carcinogens, but we have a thriving meat industry that teaches us from our young years that eating meat tastes good. It might, and you may be OK for a couple of decades, but as you get older and cancer and heart attack risks go up because of aging, we cannot process the red meat anymore.

It needs to go the route of chemical-laden foods, alcohol, and coffee.

Some people don’t like fish, so they skip it. If this is you, instead eat beans, chicken, veal, and pork in moderation.

One trick to keeping your diet protective is to change things up a lot. Eating the same thing all the time will sensitize you to the food, and you will stop processing it well. If you do like fish, then salmon, mackerel, sardines, and freshwater fish are great. Again, too much of anything too often is not OK.

Also, many people like sushi, which is great, but the risk of heavy metal poisoning and overload should give you pause when you head for the sushi bar the third time in a week.

Staying away from high-mercury fish such as tuna and swordfish is a good way to tip the scales in your favor when it comes to being a fish-eater.

One more thing: Flash-frozen fish may be OK, but again, don’t eat it too often.

Remember, fish contain their own hidden contaminants, which may be seriously harmful to you if you eat too much