Reducing Your Breast Cancer Risk - Other Dietary Guidelines

Reducing Your Breast Cancer Risk - Other Dietary Guidelines

Reduce the Amount of Fat You Eat 

Especially fat  from animal sources.  Environmental (and other) toxins accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals (especially red meat). Pesticides used on the food that animals eat, antibiotics that are injected to kill bacteria, and hormones that are injected for maximum growth, are all toxins that  can wreak havoc in a human body. These toxins can encourage the growth of cancerous cells.

 You should also avoid fast foods and junk food, as these contain many toxins in the form of transfats and preservatives.

Establish a Regular Exercise Program 

The biggest key to exercise is regular exercise, because it alters body chemistry in a favorable way to control fat deposits where excess estrogen is stored.

Maintain a Normal Weight 

Women who are of normal weight have a much lower risk of developing breast cancer.  If you are overweight, and especially if you have genetic factors that could pre-dispose you to cancer, consult with a nutritionist or dietician to help you plan a program to achieve permanent weight loss.

Eat  a diet rich in  B-Complex vitamin as it aids in the essential breakdown of female hormones (estrogen) by the liver.

Choline a  kind of B vitamin found in eggs, lean meat, fish, collards, and beans that has been shown to reduce cancer risk by 24% in women

Deficiencies in vitamin D have been found to possibly lead to cancer. You can increase your intake of vitamin D with a supplement, small amounts of sun exposure (with sunscreen protection), and by enjoying vitamin D fortified low-fat milk

CoQ10  Works as a powerful antioxident, increases energy at the cell level, and also boosts your immune system, which helps fight both the causes of cancer and the growth of existing cancer. It is produced in the body, but also found abundantly in organ-meats and tuna

Establish Healthy Eating Habits 

A good start would be to cut way down on fatty and/or sugary foods and drinks, replace the red meat you eat with fish, chicken or turkey, and up your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Your health depends on it!

Mrs Shilpa Mittal Nutritionist and Diet Consultant Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Hydrating veges for summer

Hydrating veges for summer

In such a hot climate include more of these vegetables, as they are mostly water, keeps you hydrated, you feel full, do not gain weight. Above all are SUPER HEALTHY

Reducing Your Breast Cancer Risk

The month of October is NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. The pink ribbon is an international symbol of  breast cancer awareness. 

Your risk of developing breast cancer is highest if you are post-menopausal and overweight (25% above your ideal weight).  If this is you, now is the time to make some serious changes in your lifestyle pertaining to diet and exercise weight loss.  If you gained weight at around age 30 of 10 pounds, your risk is increased by 23%, 15 pounds – 37% and an increase of 20 pounds – 52%.  This isn’t meant to scare you, just to open your eyes and take a good, honest assessment of your risk.  There are good ways of reducing your breast cancer risk – and feel better all around.

Foods to prevent breast cancer

·      Pumpkins, yellow peppers and cantaloupe melons: 
Orange or yellow coloured fruit and vegetables are a rich source of betacarotene - which is the precursor of vitamin A and a potent antioxidant which helps fight off highly-reactive molecules that can harm our body and lead to severe diseases such as breast cancer. 

Recommended dose: Five portions a day (80 grammes per portion) to help protect against breast cancer. Between seven and ten portions a day if breast cancer has already developed.

·         Oily fish: 
Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, trout and salmon have all been linked to a lower incidence of breast cancer. This is thanks to the presence of omega-3 fats. 

Recent findings have revealed that Omega-3 oils prevent or slow down the growth of cancerous tumours and also boost our immune system

Recommended dose: Three portions of fresh oily fish each week

·         Pulses, wholegrains: 
Fibre contained in pulses and wholemeal foods help excrete oestrogens out of our bodies. Too many oestrogens from our own hormones and hormone-like substances found in plastics and chemicals can trigger cell division in our breast tissue. Evidence shows that too much cell division can lead to breast cancer. 

Fibre can help keep breast cancer at bay because it helps eliminate excess oestrogens from our body and prevents reabsorption of oestrogens in our intenstines. 

A high fibre diet also helps maintain a healthy gut. This is because soluble fibres create 'friendly bacteria' needed to fight off bad bacteria - meaning that your body is less exposed to harmful toxins that could cause cancer. 
Recommended dose: A cupful - or around 7oz - of pulses a day.

    

·       Cabbage: 

Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and kale - all members of the cabbage family are said to be highly toxic towards cancerous cells. This is because they contain cancer-fighting compounds known as indole-3-carbinol which is thought to deactivate oestrogen, and in turn, help reduce the risk of breast cancer. folic acid has been found to prevent and destroy cancer cells.

The sulphurophanes found in broccoli, which are responsible for its bitter taste, have been shown to improve the performance of enzymes in the liver which help detoxify our body. Levels of this vital enzyme are found to be low in women with breast cancer. Radishes, swede and turnips are also believed to be effective cancer fighting vegetables. 

Recommended dose: Five portions a day (80 grammes per portion) to help protect against breast cancer. Between seven and ten portions a day if breast cancer has already developed.

Almonds

Eating almonds on a regular basis may have a positive effect in the fight against breast cancer for two reasons. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fat, which is considered to be healthy. They are also high in flavonoids. Flavonoids are implicated in the natural removal of cancer-causing agents in the body.

Flax seed  
Flax seed – contains the phytoestrogen lignan that shows promise in diminishing 
the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer

Garlic

Garlic is an herb that is integral to many delicious cuisines throughout the world, especially in Italian food. It gives food a distinctive flavor and also has the benefit of lowering rates of breast cancer. It contains dialyl sultides or allium compounds, which have been shown to enhance the activity of immune cells that fight cancer.

Green Tea

Green tea is loaded with Polyphenol antioxidants like Flavonoids, Bioflavonoids, and Isofavonoids

which have been found to enhance the activity of white blood cells and boost our bodies’ defenses against a broad range of illness, including many types of cancer (including breast cancer).