Breast cancer is a terrifying fear among women, and along with self-checks and seeing a gynecologist regularly, there are many things women can do to help keep their breast health in tip-top shape. Learn the many easy things you can do to help lower your risks of breast cancer and stay in overall good health! It can be as simple as taking a 15 minute walk every now and then!
Breast feed instead of bottle feeding, if this is an option for you (or applies to you). Breast feeding lowers breast cancer risks in mothers with babies of nursing ages. If not pregnant or able to breast feed, there are other ways you can lower your risks of breast cancer. Maintain a healthy weight and exercise at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. A nursing momma may be losing a lot of calories breast feeding, but any woman can lose extra calories by keeping a healthy weight. Even 15 minutes of light walking lowers a woman’s breast cancer risks.
In fact, all a woman needs to do to help lower her breast cancer risks if she doesn’t want to eat right or maintain her weight is to just stay active. Even if a woman were to not lose weight and not change her diet in any way, shape, or form, staying active (even parking further away in the parking lot at work helps) can lower her breast cancer risks overall throughout life.
However, if a woman wants to really reduce her weight, keep her overall health, and reduce her breast cancer risks all at once, she can eat the right foods. Estrogen balancing foods are foods that are rich in fiber. Eat a diet high in whole grains (think brown instead white for your bread, pasta, and rice to stay on track) and fruits and veggies. Not only do you lower your risk of breast cancer this way, but you also help regulate your menstrual cycle, stay at a healthier weight, and reduce your risk of ovarian cysts. Lean meats are advised as well, to keep your testosterone levels (yes, women naturally have some testosterone in them) in check.
The more you drink, the more you raise your risk of not only breast cancer, but colon cancer, liver cancer, and even lung cancer in addition. Alcohol in moderation is fine, like a half glass of wine a day, but binge drinking or drinking excessively not only isn’t good for your waistline (alcohol doesn’t metabolize well and goes straight to the belly) but ups your chances of all sorts of cancer. Limit your alcohol intake to a single beer or glass of wine, or don’t drink at all.
Quit smoking, and stay away from second-hand smoke. Women are at higher risk for lung cancer due to second-hand smoke, and smoking doesn’t help your chances of not getting breast cancer by any means. Not only does smoking age your skin and cause a host of unwanted health issues, but it ups your risks of breast and lung cancer far beyond that of a non-smoker. Quitting cold turkey is the most effective method of quitting smoking, and quitnet.org can help you out, so put out that cigarette and don’t look back!
And finally, don’t forget your self-checks and your visits to your gynecologist. You can go to a health clinic and be checked twice a year or yearly on a sliding pay scale, so there is no excuse not to make sure that you are in the best breast health. Some hospitals do yearly free mammograms (call your local hospital to see if they participate) as do some Planned Parenthood facilities. There is no excuse not to get that tiny lump or bit of painful sensation in your breast checked out.
Sources:
quitnet.org
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/womens-health/WO00014