A Simple Tool to Help Manage Weight and Decrease Risk of Breast Cancer

Want a simple tool to help manage your weight and decrease your risk of breast cancer?

Studies have shown that higher weight and/ or BMI in adulthood as well as weight gain during adulthood increase the risk of breast cancer.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t know many women that haven’t gained weight during adulthood (myself included), especially during perimenopause, menopause, during or after being treated for breast cancer, and while taking estrogen-blocker medication (like anastrozole) for the treatment of breast cancer. Just maintaining weight during adulthood is really hard! 

And if you’re like me, you’d love to lose a few pounds in order to be healthier and decrease your risk of breast cancer or a recurrence, but you don’t want to feel deprived while doing so.

This is where MINDFUL EATING can be such a helpful tool for weight control.

Mindful eating involves the practices of paying attention to the physical sensations of hunger, stomach fullness, taste satisfaction, and food cravings as well as the identification of emotional and eating triggers. It has been shown to reduce visceral fat (the fat that’s stored around your organs, which is the type of fat that’s a risk factor for multiple other chronic diseases), and it can help reduce cortisol (the stress hormone).

By reducing visceral fat and cortisol levels, you also decrease your risk of breast cancer or a recurrence. Plus, mindful eating helps you to better absorb and digest the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals from the foods that you eat!

If you want to give mindful eating a try, do this:

1. SLOW DOWN while you eat–like actually chew each bite thoroughly before taking another bite.
2. Focus on the color, texture, scent, and flavor of the food that you’re eating.
3. Minimize distractions while you eat–yes, this includes turning off the TV, computer, phone, etc. while you eat so that your focus is on your food only. 

By doing these things you may find that you notice the sensation of feeling full sooner or that you don’t feel so “stuffed” when you finish eating–so you end up eating less during your meal. You may also find that you snack less after you’ve eaten a meal mindfully. 

I know that slowing down while you eat or turning off your computer, phone, or favorite show might be difficult, especially these days when multitasking is sometimes the only way to get everything done, but I challenge you to give mindful eating a try–even if it’s just for 2 or 3 meals each week–and see if it makes a difference for you.