I promised you in the last post that I would share the practical list that I like to give survivors and the community on what to include in your diet to reduce risk of breast cancer. Remember that healthy eating is only one part of your cancer prevention strategy, along with daily physical activity, breastfeeding and drinking alcohol in moderation, or not at all. Here’s your checklist!
Breast Cancer Prevention Diet Checklist
I found this great list for breast cancer prevention from the UCSF Cancer Center oncology dietitians. This is just the summary. Their whole report is really great, especially for people who like to read! Check it out here: http://cancer.ucsf.edu/_docs/crc/nutrition_breast.pdf. It was revised in Sept. of 2008, but I find the information is still very current.
- Eat 8 to 10 colorful fruit and vegetable servings daily (or 4-5 cups). Do this by including:
- Two to three pieces of fruit
- One cup or more of vegetables with lunch and dinner
- 8 fl oz vegetable juice
- Consume 30 to 45 grams of fiber daily. (You will likely meet your fiber goal if you eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables plus one serving of beans/legumes or at least two servings of whole grains daily).
- Avoid processed and refined grains/flours/sugars.
- Limit meats and whole milk dairy products.
- Include healthy fats like cold-water fish, flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, olive oil, avocados.
- Eat 2 Tbsp ground flax daily. (There is some controversy over this, but I think the evidence is pretty clear. For more on flax, check out this fact sheet on flaxseed and breast cancer.)
- Limit alcohol consumption.
- Drink 1 to 4 cups of green tea daily.
- Drink plenty of fluids, water or non-caffeinated beverages, daily to help meet fluid needs.
Another Recipe to Try!
I ran across this recipe this morning on Semi-Sweet. It sounds tasty, quick and healthy and I always love a “one pot meal”. It will definitely help with the above recommendations as it has lots of colorful veggies in it and packed with protein in the lentils. It’s also great to help you meet your daily fiber goals!
Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Baby Kale
photo and recipe from www.semisweetonline.com
According to Sarah’s description, it only takes about 30 minutes to cook the recipe (after you’ve prepped the veggies). Perfect! Plus, lentils, leafy greens and winter squash (sweet potatoes count) are all on the list of Foods that Fight Cancer!
PrintCurried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Baby Kale
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 T. curry powder
- 1 T. minced fresh ginger
- 2 t. ground cumin
- 1 cup lentils
- 2 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 oz., peeled and cut into 1/4-in. cubes)
- 5 oz. baby kale or baby spinach
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- 1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- 28 raw almonds (chopped)
Instructions
- Spray a large skillet with an olive oil mister or cooking spray and place over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the curry powder, ginger, cumin and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the lentils and broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the sweet potatoes, cover, and cook for 10 minutes longer, until liquid is absorbed and sweet potatoes are just tender.
- Stir in baby spinach/kale and cook until spinach/kale is just wilted.
- Add salt and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Divide the mixture among four serving bowls and top each with 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 of the chopped almonds. Serve immediately.
Eat it and enjoy. I will be making it tonight!
– Julie
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