Food, Food, Food and Breast Health: What To Eat
Today’s a fun day to write this blog because we’re talking about food. We LOVE food. Food is what powers our bodies so we can go, helps heal our bodies so we can rejuvenate, and tastes so awesome (if you do it right). We’d like to talk about doing it right.
There is no magic bullet.
First of all, we have to admit something: the jury is still out on what foods, if any, fight breast cancer specifically. To reduce the risk of cancer in general, there are some voids to limit specifically, like red meats and alcohol. Mostly, there are foods with key nutritional values that seem to keep cancer from rearing its ugly head. But there is no magic bullet.
The most important food-cancer link is overall health. If you maintain a healthy BMI, you are radically reducing your cancer risk. And to maintain good health is to eat well. For us, eating well doesn’t just mean eating nutritious foods, but eating delicious foods. Close your eyes, hold your nose and choke it down is not a good plan! Open your eyes and behold a feast of color and excellent ingredients – that’s a way to have, and stay with, a healthy diet.
Yum: A how-to guide
The purpose of eating is to power the body. Eating comes with the added benefit of being something you want to do. It eliminates the negative feeling of hunger and increases the positive feeling of, well, YUM. It bears repeating: the purpose of food is to power the body.
The pleasure of food is what you eat. Chomp on the good things: real fruits and veggies, nuts and beans and fishes. Eschew the bad: reduce refined sugar, reduce alcohol, reduce high cholesterol. This sounds like salads instead of frozen margaritas. Where’s the pleasure?
Pleasure comes from control. Eating veggies? Eat the ones you like. Prepare them how you want. Got a sweet tooth? Try a handful of cashews with an apple (seriously, that one will surprise you). Glass of wine? Have one – just one.
The simple truth is: there are lists of foods that are good for you everywhere. But the secret is: you don’t have to eat all of them, pick the ones you enjoy, and moderate.
Image credit: Smile at a Stranger by Nina Matthews Photography; Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Originally published 6/17/13 on mammographykc.com.
