Tips for reducing the risks of Breast Cancer
Proper nutrition and practicing exercise play important roles in reducing the risks for breast cancer. To reduce breast cancer risks, the healthy and well-balanced meals should include the following:
- Nonfat or low-fat dairy products.
- Whole grains, unsweetened cereals and cooked legumes, including beans and lentils as they are rich in fiber.
- Minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, preferred fresh, in particular the ones with bright colors, includingoranges, sweet melon, watermelon, strawberries, red grapes, green grapes, grape fruits, squash, tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, green pepper and broccoli. These provide their bodies with antioxidants that reduce the risks of breast cancer in addition to other health benefits.
- Lean protein such as lean meat, fish, tuna and skinless poultry.
- Healthy oils such as olive oil and canola oil. Healthy oils should be used in moderation.
- Nuts in particular almonds and walnuts, as they contain anticancer nutrients.
- Some studies recommend consuming soy products such as soy milk and soy beans as they have protective role against breast cancer. Other studies recommended adding curcumin spice to food for the same reason.
- Avoidance of obesity: women are advised to maintain their healthy body weights through consuming well-balanced meals and practicing regular exercise as obesity increases their risks of breast cancer. It is important to limiting excessive intake of fat such as animal fat, butter, ghee, fatty meat, full cream dairy products, and fried foods. Steaming or baking or grilling foods is healthier than frying or charcoal grilling. In addition, women who practice regular exercise on daily basis for 30-45 minutes have lower risk for cancer than who have sedentary lifestyle.
- Limiting the intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates, such as sweets and sugary and sweetened drinks.
- Importance of vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency increases the risks of breast cancer. Women should consume low-fat or nonfat dairy products that are fortified with vitamin D. Other food sources of vitamin D are egg yolk, salmon fish and fortified cereals. Direct exposure to sunlight for 15 minutes a day is encouraged to support their bodies meeting vitamin D requirements. Exposure to sunlight through glass windows or clothes or after putting sun block creams does not help their bodies make Vitamin D when the sun light touches their skin.
- Importance of breast feeding:women who breast feed their babies have lower risk for breast cancer than women who do not breast feed.
- Limiting foods prepared at high temperatures’ cooking, as high temperature increases the risks of cancer in particular for the meat, fries and fried breaded dishes that take long time exposure to high temperature.
- Limiting the consumption of burned and charcoal grilled foods.
- Limiting excessive intake of red meat.
- Limiting the intake of canned meat, processed meat, sausages, pickled and smoked foods.
- Avoidance of alcohol.
- Avoidance of smoking (active or passive).
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