Eat to Beat Cancer! (part 2)

Originally posted at Back to the Basics!

I planned to get started on this post several days ago but I was sidetracked by the recent Meningitis Outbreak due to contaminated steroid injections.  So, on to Breast Cancer Awareness!
(part 1 here)

I like food!  I also like my body and fitting into my jeans. We make choices every day the will potentially effect us for the rest of our lives.

Did you know that by avoiding certain foods you may be able to reduce your risk for cancer? Do you know that even men are at risk for breast cancer?

According to Breastcancer.org, (click the link for all of the stats)

• bout 1 in 8 U.S. women (just under 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• In 2011, an estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 57,650 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
• About 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2011. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30% of cancers in women are breast cancers.
• In 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the US.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
• About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age (before menopause). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations.
• In men, about 1 in 10 breast cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations, and even fewer cases to BRCA1 mutations.
• About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.

Breast Anatomy

Care2 (while I never don't always agree with their politics) has a great article about foods to avoid to reduce your risk.
1. All charred food, which create heterocyclic aromatic amines, known carcinogens. Even dark toast is suspect.
2. Well-done red meat. Medium or rare is better, little or no red meat is best.
3. Sugar, both white and brown–which is simply white sugar with molasses added. (See Care2′s Directory of Natural Sweeteners for great, healthy alternatives.)
4. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, which lead to higher rates of stomach cancer.
5. Sodas/soft drinks, which pose health risks, both for what they contain–sugar and various additives–and for what they replace in the diet–beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
6. French fries, chips and snack foods that contain trans fats.
7. Food and drink additives such as aspartame.
8. Excess alcohol.
9. Baked goods, for the acrylamide.
10. Farmed fish, which contains higher levels of toxins such as PCBs.

I cut out most of these items when I decided to live healthier and lose weight.  

-We don't grill anything because it creates carcinogens (like smoking a cigarette).  
-We recently switched to Agave or honey instead of sugar.
-Soda?  I had a diet coke habit and for the hubby it was Monster.  Not only is it expensive but it ruins your teeth, stomach, liver and health.  Save your money and drink water!
-Trans fats = Yuck!
-Asparatame = POOP!  Literally!  There is evidence that not only does Asparatame make you FAT by making you crave more sugar but also that it is from GMO E.Coli Excrement.  Yep, POOP!
-Alcohol, sorry folks but I'm not giving up my glass of wine here and there.  Moderation is key!
-Baked Goods?  OUCH!  If you make your goods from scratch they should not have the same chemicals as store-bought.  Remember my post 6 Ingredients you May Not want in Your Food! 

I hope you have enjoyed this informative post.  I learn something new every day!  Stay tuned for Food for Breast Health!