6 Meal Tips for Breast Cancer Risk Reduction

If you’re a busy woman at high risk of breast cancer, meal planning and choosing the best foods can be challenging. I get it! You’re busy, but you also want to decrease your risk of breast cancer. Well, here are some simple tips to help your meals better support decreasing your risk of breast cancer:

1. Buy organic when possible.

I know organic food is more expensive, but it does make a difference (especially if you live in the U.S. where there are less restrictions on what toxins are used in pesticides). If you cannot buy all your food organic, then try to prioritize the following:

• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Kale/ Collards/ Mustard Greens
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Pears
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Bell & Hot Peppers
• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Green Beans

These items are part of the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Dirty Dozen, which means these food items are highest in unhealthy pesticide residue.

2. Fill 50% of your plate with vegetables

Great options are:

• Leafy greens (kale, collards, spinach, mustard greens)
• Purple cabbage
• Legumes/ beans (these are good sources of lean protein too)
• Cruciferous vegetables (ex: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
• Alliums (onions)
• Tomatoes  

 3. Fill 25% of your plate with lean protein

Great options are:

• Fish (anchovies, cod, mackerel, salmon, sardines, sea bass, shrimp, trout)
• Animal protein (chicken, turkey, eggs)
• Plant protein sources (beans, chickpeas, hemp hearts, lentils, tofu)

4. Fill 25% of your plate with whole grains or starchy vegetables

Great options are:

• Quinoa
• Carrots
• Squashes
• Brown Rice
• Parsnips
• Plantains
• Oats
• Millet

5. Add 2 tablespoons of a healthy fat to your meal

Great options are:

• Olives/ olive oil
• Avocados/ avocado oil
• Coconut/ coconut oil
• Seeds (flaxseed, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds) 
• Nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, almonds, hazelnuts)

6. Remember that you're human

EVERY meal doesn't have to be perfect. We're striving to make the best food choices that we can most of the time. 

As a Breast Health and Women's Wellness Coach, my goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to adopt behaviors and lifestyle changes that can decrease your risk of breast cancer. The meal tips above will help you plan meals that can decrease your risk of breast cancer without having to measure anything (okay, except maybe 2 tablespoons of healthy fat--but even then, you could just use a regular-sized spoon and guesstimate!). It is possible to make small, simple changes that can lead to a big decrease in your risk of breast cancer!