Research has time and again shown that breast cancer is preventable with the right foods and exercise! Eating healthy with half your plate covered with colourful fruits and vegetables and a balance of all other foods is the key to reducing your risk of breast cancer.

Here’s a list of 10 best foods to lower the risk of breast cancer

1. Color the plate: Color, color and more color…think colors of fruits and veggies to beat cancers of all kinds, including breast cancer.  Colors are imparted to the fruit or vegetable by pigments like chlorophyll that gives the green color, and xanthins that give other bright colors.  These pigments are storehouses of powerful antioxidants that get rid of disease causing free radicals in the body.  Besides, fruit and veggies contain both soluble and insoluble fiber that have a host of health benefits, including protection from cancer. Go for deep dark colored fruits and veggies like purple cabbage, deep red tomato and grapes, the purple jamun, green leafies …the list is endless.
2. Olive oil: Rich in monounsaturated fats, olive oil is the core of the heart healthy Mediterranean diet.  Try and add fresh, cold pressed olive oil to your plate of salad. Olive oil not only improves blood circulation but can detox your body from waste products of digestion and pollution.
3. Omega 3 fats: These are a type of healthy fats that are absolutely essential since they cannot be manufactured in the body.  Omega 3 fights inflammation which is the root cause of diseases such as breast cancer.  Walnuts, flaxseed, seaweeds, and oily fish are rich sources of omega 3 fats.
4. Turmeric: The all too familiar spice that gives our Indian curries and dishes the beautiful yellow color contains a chemical called curcumin. Lab studies using curcumin supplements have shown that it could play a role in helping fight breast cancer tumors because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is better absorbed in the body when combined with black pepper, so this is a good combination to have in your everyday glass of milk or in as many dishes as possible.
5. Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips fall into the category of cruciferous vegetables that are rich in compounds that help block breast cancer cells and also prevent spread of any other type of cancer.
6. Onion and garlic: These very popular everyday roots are rich in allyl sulfides that not only help improve blood circulation, but also play a role in breast cancer prevention.  Add more of these in your seasonings!
7. Tomatoes: The ever present ingredient in most Indian cuisines, tomatoes pack in a strong dose of lycopenes, another class of antioxidants.  Lycopenes destroy substances that cause cell damage leading to breast cancer.  Since lycopenes are best absorbed in cooked form and in presense of some healthy fats, use tomatoes in cooked form, as in soups, and add a dash of olive oil for a double dose of health!

Besides the above, it is also important to remember the list of “donts” when it comes to breast cancer prevention.   Stopping smoking and alcohol, and cutting down drastically on high fat, high sugar foods will also go a long way in breast cancer prevention.  Try to maintain an ideal body weight with regular exercise, sunlight exposure and a healthy balanced diet that includes food from all major food groups.

Getting the right nutrients in the right amounts helps in these ways:

1. Prevent and correct any nutrition deficiencies
2. Enhance natural immunity: A weakened immune system is unable to fight disease causing viruses and other toxins.  The right foods help enhance your innate immunity
3. Reduce risk of breast cancer by increasing the supply of antioxidants. Antioxidants are disease fighting substances found in many wholesome and healthy foods that prevent damage to cells.
4. Fight depression: Many nutrients such as omega 3 fats, vitamin B 12 and iron are known to be very helpful against depression. Stress and anxiety are known to promote a host of inflammatory responses in the body leading to diseases like breast cancer
5. The right foods will help maintain a well-planned fitness regime that helps you maintain your ideal body weight and fat percentage

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