There are foods out there that can help prevent breast cancer will not completely guarantee that you will never have contact with the disease or know someone affected by it. Fill your diet with these healthy foods to lower your risk.
Plums and Peaches- These tasty treats contain antioxidants, similar to blueberries, that can help fight breast cancer cells while keeping healthy ones intact.
Walnuts- Researchers have found that walnuts have a anti-inflammatory properties, including omega-3’s and antioxidants, that can help fight a tumor.
Broccoli- Broccoli contains Sulforaphane which when fed to mice injected with breast cancer cells reduced the number of breast cancer stem cells.
Fish- Many fish contain omega-3’s that can reduce your risk of getting the most common form of breast cancer. It is thought that the omega-3 in them can reduce inflammation in a tumor cell. Try salmon, tuna, and sardines.
Olive Oil- When it comes to fats, EVVO (extra virgin olive oil) is the way to go. The oil is thought that the antioxidants and the presence of oleic acid will help to maintain the healthy cells in your body.
Parsely- Adding parsley to your food every day can help inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Coffee- Go to Starbucks and get whatever you want. Studies show that coffee has anti-oxidants that will protect your cells from invading diseases.
Beans- By eating more fiber, 10 grams a day, you can reduce your risk of breast cancer by 7%.
By just eating these foods, you cannot completely eliminate the risk of breast cancer. While most cases only happen in women ages 50+, 7% of all cases occur in women under 40.
Knowing your family history will be beneficial to you and the ability to early breast cancer detection. Other factors that contribute to breast cancer include, heavy drinking, eating lots of red meat, and even your weight. Diagnosing breast cancer in young women is more difficult as their bodies are still growing and treatment towards the disease is harder. Just because we are young does not mean we are invincible, it is important to check your self and if you feel a lump to go to a doctor immediately. If a woman in your family has had breast cancer, get checked, there is a chance that you could have the gene too. When detected early, women have a 90% survival rate, and while it is rare, you are never too young to have breast cancer.
Want to get involved in the fight? The easiest way is to simply wear pink, through t-shirts and ribbons, in support or the many women fighting breast cancer, even better would be to encourage others to get checked and get checked yourself.