12 Oct CERTIFIED NUTRITIONIST NYC GIVES 5 TIPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR BODY AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Last week we discussed the importance of exercise to help protect our bodies against breast cancer. This week, to continue with breast cancer awareness month, I want to talk about how a healthy diet can give our bodies the defenses they need to reduce the risk of cancer.

There is no magic pill or formula to shield us from breast cancer. But there are things that put us at higher risk. So, naturally, by cutting these things from our diets and changing our habits we reduce our possibilities and increase our chances of not getting breast cancer.

Studies consistently show that Japanese women, for example, have a much lower rate of breast cancer until they move to the United States. So lifestyle and habits clearly have a stronger influence on getting breast cancer than inherited risk. And the easiest thing to point our fingers at is diet.

So how can we change our lifestyles and reduce our risks? Here are 5 tips to get healthier and, while doing so, just might build our bodies’ defenses against breast cancer:

• Lower saturated fat consumption and lower your risks of breast cancer:  An overview of 45 studies reported that after menopause, women with a higher fat diet had a higher risk of breast cancer. Find ways to cut saturated fats from your diet:
  • Replace red meat with chicken, fish or pork at least once/week. (especially fatty cuts of meat)
  • Replace processed, Frankenstein foods with healthier options.
  • Replace creams and sour cream with plain yogurt.

• Lower your sugars intake and lower your risks. A diet high in simple carbs and sugars increases your chances of developing breast cancer. Diets high in carbs are shown to increase the possibilities of developing oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer. So reduce consumption of sugars, cakes and pastries, replacing them with healthier options to sate your sweet tooth.

• Bump up your natural fiber intake to boost your defenses. A diet high in natural fibers – vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes – is a diet that keeps your body functioning better. Moreover, changing to a high-fiber diet automatically reduces the fats in your diet which helps you control your weight, another risk factor for breast cancer. Increase your fiber slowly, as this is what also makes us feel bloated and gassy. The Institute of Medicine recommends 25 grams of fiber per day for women 50 and younger and 21 grams, per day, for women over 50.  For men, it’s 38 and 30 grams of fiber respectively.

• Crank up the carotenoids! The beautiful colors of fruits and vegetables comes from carotenoids. So I always tell my clients to eat a rainbow diet – naturally colorful and healthy! Deep purple cabbages, bright orange pumpkins, dark green kale and spinach, bright red tomatoes, yellow zucchini. A prettier plate filled with natural colors is healthier. Add the fact that foods work together to be absorbed in the body.

• Cut back on alcohol. According to breastcancer.org, research consistently shows that alcohol consumption increases a woman’s risk of hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Cutting back even a few drinks per week can decrease your risk.

• Calcium from green leafy vegetables, dairy, soy beans, tofu, nuts, bread, and bony fish is essential to health. Soy, in fact, can help lower estrogen levels and be a great defense against breast cancer.

There is no panacea, cure-all to protect us from breast cancer. But by changing our diets, making adjustments to increase natural fibers, incorporate soy, decrease fats and processed foods, we’ll be making positive steps to getting healthy and decreasing our risks of breast cancer.

I’d say that’s worth it!