Nutrition and Breast Cancer

Can you prevent breast cancer with a healthy diet? If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, can a healthy diet help you recover?

Many studies are currently looking at how diet and cancer are related. Here's what the experts know: Good nutrition reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and improves our quality of life. And although it’s not a magic bullet, a healthy diet may reduce breast cancer incidence and recurrence.

While certain elements of wellness are out of our control, making healthy lifestyle choices is something we can do – and it feels empowering.

Healthy diet guidelines

The goal is not to follow an "anticancer diet" but to adopt healthful habits and fuel your body with nourishing foods.

Choose a plant-based diet

A plant-based diet consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as beans), nuts and seeds, whole grains and other plant protein sources. You can still eat dairy, eggs, fish and other seafood – but they should make up a small portion of your total food intake.

Use color as your guide

Brightly colored vegetables and fruits are rich in phytochemicals, natural substances in plants that may reduce cancer risk.

Build a healthy plate

An ideal plate is filled with:

• One-half or more vegetables and fruits
• One-quarter lean protein sources
• Up to one-quarter starchy vegetables (such as sweet potatoes, winter squashes and corn) or whole grains (such as brown rice and oatmeal)

Include healthy fats

Aim to get at least one daily serving of a healthy fat. For example:

• 1 ounce of nuts
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• One-third of a medium avocado

Limit or avoid alcohol

Studies have consistently associated alcohol use with an increased risk of breast cancer.