October is breast cancer awareness month. There are many events going on this month to bring awareness of this disease. At the high school football game on Friday night, it was pinkout day and everyone wore pink, including the football players who wore pink socks. There probably aren’t many people who have not known someone who has had breast cancer or struggled with the disease themselves. I have a friend right now who is currently going through breast cancer treatments.
I am always looking for healthy ways to try and combat any illness, either as a prevention or to heal. I have been reading about nutrition and diet and how it affects our health and recently found the article below. I thought Breast Cancer Awareness month would be a good time to pass it on.
Studies show that a diet low in fat is best because high fat diets have been linked to more aggressive types of cancer. Also plenty of fruits and vegetables help promote breast health as well as overall health. The 10 top breast-cancer fighting foods are:
Broccoli is number one on the list. Broccoli contains isothiocyanates which have the ability to break down breast cancer cells by activating genes that fight cancer and turning off others that fuel tumors.
Beta-Carotene Loaded Foods such as carrots, pumpkin, apricots and other bright orange fruits and vegetables. These antioxidants can neutralize the free radicals that are damaging the cells in your body.
Mushrooms – Studies found that women who eat at least a third of an ounce of fresh mushrooms every day were 64 percent less likely to develop a tumor.
Red-Purple Cabbage – Red cabbage contains a chemicals called glucosinolates. Specifically, glucosinolates are able to block dangerous substances that can cause cell damage and tumor growth, as well as help eliminate carcinogens from the body.
Garlic contains allyl sulfur which helps reduce the risk of cancer cells in the body. However, for this to work, you need to chop the garlic and then let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking it (or eating it if you like it raw).
Wild Salmon – The omega-3 oils in salmon help protect against breast cancer. However, it is recommended that you eat wild caught salmon. Most farm raised salmon contains chemicals such as dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These may increase your risk of other diseases as well as counteract the benefits of the omega-3.
Vitamin D and Calcium – These vitamins help protect against the most aggressive kinds of breast cancer but seems to benefit only premenopausal women.
Red Grapes contain resveratrol which may work to prevent cancer in breast cells. This has not be confirmed yet in clinical trials.
Tomatoes contain carotenoid lycopen which neutralizes free radicals which then prevents oxicative damage to the cells. Cooked tomatoes have more lycopen, so be sure to cook your tomatoes.
Berries are full of flavonoids and may decrease the proliferation of breast cancer cells.
Most of these foods are easily obtained and if you only like a few of them, then eat the ones you like. The important thing is that you eat the right foods to help prevent breast cancer or any other cancer or disease.
For more in depth information on these ten foods, click here