It's Breast Cancer Awareness month, my friends. Since this is a disease that affects one in eight women, it’s not only important to learn about the condition, but it's also crucial to consider what you can do to prevent your risk of developing it. While it's known that breast cancer is caused by damage to a cell’s DNA, it's not totally clear what necessarily causes that damage. There's evidence to support that lifestyle factors, genetics, and family history can all play a role in breast cancer, but the reasons why only some women develop it while others don't remain unclear. However, there is evidence showing that there are ways to reduce your risk — some of the obvious ones being to avoid things like smoking and excessive drinking. But another, possibly lesser known preventative measure involves how you eat. While your diet isn't going to cause or cure cancer altogether, there is research to support the notion that there are foods that prevent breast cancer, or can help reduce your risk.
A little research on what your food contains can go a long way in helping you add some nutrients into your diet, and lucky for us, they happen to taste totally delicious.
Blueberries are rich with antioxidants, which help maintain the health of the cells in your body. They also inhibit free radicals, which can damage those same cells.
FYI, other berries besides blueberries are good, too! Blackberries, in fact, are shown to reduce the growth of tumors. Add them to smoothies, sprinkle them on your oatmeal, or add some dried ones to your trail mix.
Eggs are a great source of vitamin D, and according to the American Association for Cancer Research, can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 50 percent.
Scramble up a big batch to start your mornings, and while you’re at it, go outside and get some sunshine to help you boost those vitamin D levels even more.
Beans, particularly of the black and navy variety, aid in the production of aponins, protease inhibitors, and phytic acid, all of which can help prevent or hinder the growth of cancer.
Work beans into your diet with yummy meals like burritos, rice and beans, or a grain-and-bean bowl filled with some wholesome veggies to top it all off.
The flavonoids found in teas (black, red, and green teas) have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer, specifically in postmenopausal women.
Psh, as if I needed another excuse to love tea.
Broccoli is apparently packed with something called sulforaphane, which is a compound that boosts protective enzymes and cleanses and flushes the body of cancer-causing chemicals, according to Health.com. Studies show that sulforaphane inhibits breast cancer cells in particular.
If you're not much of a broccoli person, pop a few on top of your pizza, or roast some in the oven with olive oil and salt. Trust me, it's absolutely delicious.
The part of garlic that makes your breath smell, phytochemical allicin, is the same thing that’s going to help you fight cancer when you add heaping piles of it to your pasta. It boosts immune response and aids in reducing tumor growth.
Hey, I'll take bad breath any day if it means reducing my risk of developing breast cancer. To me, that's just common sense.
Research says that walnuts have actually been shown to slow the growth of tumors. Crazy, right? A little thing called the phytosterols found in these magical tree nuts block estrogen receptors in cancer cells. Have a handful or two as a snack, or add to your oatmeal.
So get cooking guys, and feel free to share this empowering food knowledge with all of the lovely women in your life.
