Three years ago this month my mother was told she was cancer free. The good news came after major surgery, months of treatment and a complete overhaul of her diet. My mom’s breast cancer diagnosis acted as a severe wake up call to our entire family.
As you likely know by now October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What you may not know is that breast cancer affects over 200,000 women in the U.S. each year and about 40,000 women die annually from the insidious disease.
As I mentioned earlier my mother is still with us, but as a result of her diagnosis and treatment she made some major dietary changes. My mom is 5’2 and weighs all of 92 pounds. She has been petite all her life and consequently was used to eating anything and everything her taste buds desired. From Funjuns to Doritos, chocolate to corn flake cookies she’d chow down on anything that caught her eye. So when she was diagnosed with breast cancer I immediately figured her high fat diet was partially to blame. (Keep in mind her meals were very well balanced, she was just a sucker for high fat snacks.)
Along with her oncologist and other doctors my mother employed the help of a nutritionist who made modifications to her diet. In the weeks following my mom’s diagnosis our entire family got a crash course in nutrition. Here are some of the lessons I learned:
DON’T BLAME FATTY SNACKS FOR EVERYTHING
Was I right in thinking that my mom’s high fat diet increased her risk of breast cancer? Not quite. Studies have been done that analyzed dietary fat and researchers found no correlation between high fat diets and breast cancer, but they found certain fats like trans fatty acids (hydrogenated fats and deep fried foods such as chips, candy bars, French fries, etc.) and omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (foods containing corn oil, soybean oil and safflower oil) did increase the risk.
The one study that did surprise me was done at Harvard where researchers found an association between diets high in carbohydrates and breast cancer. Doctors say the link is due to the elevated levels of insulin and 90% of breast tumors are insulin-receptor positive. So does that mean all women should cut back on carbs to reduce their risk of breast cancer? Not necessarily. My mom’s nutritionist recommended that she significantly reduce her consumption of sweets and refined carbohydrates (remember she ate a lot of these types of foods) while increasing her fiber. Insoluble fiber intake lowers breast cancer risk because it slows carbohydrate absorption and lowers insulin levels.
Our family was also schooled on the types of foods (besides those high in fiber) that help prevent breast cancer. I should note that certain foods may lower your risk, but no food has been found to prevent breast cancer 100%. The following foods are ones that we filled our parents’ refrigerator with soon after my mom got out of the hospital. They are the same ones my mom now eats on a daily basis:
Berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries. The ellagic acid and anthocyanins found in these fruits have been found to bind carcinogens, stop cell division, detoxify, and protect breast tissue.
Eggs. Eggs are a source of Vitamin D, which in some studies, helped reduce the risk of breast cancer in women.
Purple Grapes. The darker the better. Resveratrol found in grapes is said to prevent the formation of excess estrogen.
Cruciferous Vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale are known to have excellent cancer fighting properties. The sulphoraphane in them is supposed to prevent and halt tumor growth.
Spinach. The carotenes and antioxidants found in spinach help boost your immune system, and aids in removing dangerous chemicals.
Fish. Omega-3 fats and lignans found in fish are said to inhibit the growth of mammary tumor cells.
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