Foods for Healthy Breast Tissues.
Do you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Personally, I think Breast Cancer Awareness Month should be every month because we need every reminder to do better for our babies, aka breasts. So, I am excited to share with you, some foods that promote healthy breasts. You can eat these foods all year round to continually improve your breast health. Though we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October you do not have to wait until every October, to take care of your breast. Get all information and resources for breast health here.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I love good food, (I mean who doesn’t?).Good nutrition has long been man's best friend (move over dog). And in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here are some foods that promote breast health. Click To Tweet
1. Go Nuts; Some Nuts and Oil are Great for Breasts.
Nuts like peanuts, almonds, and walnuts. These nuts have several benefits, including a reduced risk of certain cancers. Specifically, a 2015 study revealed that “girls (women) who eat peanut, almond, and walnuts are less likely to develop breast cancer.”
In other words, eating nuts in large quantities (consistently), reduces breast cancer risk by up to 40%! To put this differently, nuts are natural foods for healthy breasts. Make my healthy and nutty granola bites or Vegan Cacao Cookies.
2. Olive oil.
One of the best oils for cooking is undoubtedly olive oil; (can we agree on this?) Also, extra virgin olive oil has powerful antioxidants that can decrease the growth of cancerous breast cells.
Next time you have a choice to make regarding cooking oils, please choose olive oil; it is one of the foods that promote healthy breasts. Check out my Berry Spinach salad with olive oil dressing.
Vegetables that Promote Healthy Breasts.
3. Leafy Green Vegetables.
Leafy Green vegetables are essential for maintaining good health. Packed with vitamins and nutrients such as carotenoid antioxidants, zeaxanthin, and beta carotene, all of which are linked to reducing the risk of breast cancer. All leafy vegetables are incredible breast healthy foods; you can’t go wrong with kale, spinach, collard greens, arugula, lettuce, etc. My shrimp lettuce wrap is a great recipe you can make with any leafy green.
4. Allium Vegetables.
Garlic, onions, shallots, scallions, leeks, and chives not only add flavors to food, they promote healthy breast tissues. Allium vegetables belong to the onion’s family; these are flowering plants and mostly have bulbs and are edible. Plenty ways to use all the vegetables that are part of the allium family.
Some health benefits of these vegetables include lowering high blood pressure, protecting the heart, and anti-cancer. Using garlic and onions in (almost) all meals is a necessity.
5. Cruciferous Vegetables.
Cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage may help lower the risk of breast cancer (according to cancer.com). This group of vegetables has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial powers.
Some other cruciferous vegetables may include kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Bok choy, arugula, Collard greens, Horseradish, Radishes, Rutabaga, Turnips, Watercress, and Wasabi. A great way to use fresh cabbage is hands down my red cabbage taco!
Healthy Fruits for Breast Health.
6. Apple, Peaches, and pears.
Fruits are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients; the fruits, as mentioned above, specifically protect the body against breast cancer.
According to research, as little as two servings of peaches per week can reduce breast cancer risk by up to 41%! You can eat an apple a day, make some easy peasy peach smoothie, or just add pears to your salad. There are plenty of ways to add these fruits to your diets in other to create breast-healthy meals.
7. All Berries.
Berries contain potent and powerful antioxidants that are notable for preventing cellular damage. Blueberries, in particular, may reduce DNA damage and protect against certain cancers. Check out my Berry spinach salad, peach strawberry smoothie, or blueberry smoothie; they all have an abundance of berries.
8. Herbs and spices are breast-healthy foods.
Excellent medicinal benefits are associated with the consistent use of herbs and spices. Parsley, celery, rosemary, oregano, thyme, turmeric, curry, ginger are great herbs and spices to start.
Apigenin, a compound found in parsley and celery, can prevent or limit the development of cancerous tumors in breast – (University of Missouri scientists). I encourage people that work one-on-one with me to make celery blend at least 3 times a week, and the majority of them love the result they get at the end. You can get my Power Blend recipe here; it contains both parsley and celery (plus other plants). There are tons of herbs and spices that promote breast health, do not limit yourself to the ones mentioned here.
Other Foods that Promote Healthy Breasts.
9. Eat More Beans for Breast Health.
Beans is cheap, easy to cook, and always in abundance. You can easily create tasty diets for healthy breasts using beans. A high intake of fiber may lower the risk of breast cancer. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition emphasizes the need for fiber in the fight against breast cancer. (*High beans intake decreased breast cancer risk up to 28% in a study of 1,260 Nigerian women! Beans remain one of the primary foods that promote breast health.
Also, chickpeas, barley, bulgur, lentils, peas, artichokes, and dates have a significant amount of fiber! We eat a lot of beans porridge around here. Grab my one-pot Nigerian beans porridge here. Also, check out my steamed Nigerian beans pudding.
10. Fermented Foods that Promote Healthy Breasts.
Fermented foods have a substantial amount of probiotic bacteria and enzymes, which benefits the body in several ways, such as in the gut, digestive, and immune system. The benefits of fermented foods also extend to reducing the risk of breast cancer.
Other wonderful fermented foods that are linked to breast health may include Miso, Kefir, Kombucha, Tempeh, and Lassi. These foods promote healthy breasts alongside healing our guts. Check out my frozen yogurt bars.
11. Fatty Fish Promotes Healthy Breasts.
Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel provide excellent nutrients to the body (Omega 3, selenium, and antioxidants) to protect the body against cancer.
8 ounces of fish a week is recommended; otherwise, take fish oil supplements to reduce breast cancer risk. Fish oil supplements are popular these days, as well as this super easy salmon with green sauce or this other salmon dish. Fatty fish are excellent for creating healthy diets for a healthy breast.
Which of these foods do you already eat regularly? Please share in the comments below. Be sure to check out my healthy recipe category before you leave.
Remember, these are not just the only foods for a healthy breast. Focus on healthy eating while also adding these foods, and more.
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Hi Nkechi,
Thanks for sharing all this breast healthy recipes!
I do eat a lot of beans, fermented foods and many others but I definitely need to eat more fish.
Haven’t done so lately. Thanks for sharing this and reminding me to do so and keep eating all this delicious healthy foods.
Girl, we need this reminder. Thanks so much for reading; feel free to share this post with anyone that may need it.