October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and while I did not participate in the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation, I still think it's important to get a mammogram every year. It's how I found the cancer in the first place.

Statistics show that every 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. I used to think of cancer as a death sentence. After all, everyone I knew who had cancer died from it. I didn't want that to be my fate, and I don't want it to be yours either.

Cancer is thought to occur as a result of a combination of factors, including heredity, genetic damage, environment, lifestyle and diet. The immune system's inability to repair damage caused by outside forces such as cigarette smoke, chemicals, asbestos, radiation (X rays and ultraviolet sunlight), smog and other environmental carcinogens, as well as excessive alcohol consumption, can cause normal cells to mutate into precancerous cells.

Even if you do have some of the risk factors associated with the development of cancer, you can start to tip the odds in your favor by selecting healthful foods.

Studies show a reduced incidence of cancer among people who eat a diet that is low in fat. Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil can also protect against cancer. Other research shows that omega-3 fatty acids may provide protective effects against breast, colon, and prostate cancers by stopping cell growth.

Many other compounds in foods are thought to contain hundreds of beneficial phytochemicals that help to prevent the onset of cancer or to prevent cancerous tumors from growing. Clearly the best way to ensure that you are benefiting from a diverse array of cancer-fighting nutrients and phytochemicals is simply to consume a large variety of fruits and vegetables.

These foods include the following:

Garlic and Onions - Provide allium compounds or sulfur compounds that may stimulate the immune system's natural defenses against cancer, and they may have the potential to reduce tumor growth.

Apples, Berries, Cherries, Red Grapes & Wine - Contain the nutrient anthocyanins, which are plant pigments classed as flavonoids. They may have antioxidant potential to reduce the risk for developing cancer by neutralizing free radicals.

Apricots, Carrots & Sweet Potatoes - Contain the nutrient beta-carotene. Studies suggest that this carotenoid may function as a powerful antioxidant and protect cells from free-radical damage.

Dark Chocolate, Green Tea & Pomegranates - All contain catechins. Green tea contains EGCG, a catechin that may help to fight cancer in three ways: It may reduce the formation of carcinogens in the body, increase the body's natural defenses, and suppress cancer promotion.

Asparagus, Beets & Lentils - Contain folate. This B vitamin is crucial for normal DNA synthesis and repair; low levels of folate are thought to make cells vulnerable to carcinogenesis.

It's so important to include a variety of these foods in your diet each day. Consuming high quality antioxidant vitamins and trace minerals daily can help to neutralize free radicals in the body, and help to prevent cells from becoming cancerous. Some of the principal antioxidant nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin E, and the trace mineral selenium.

Sugar is one of those foods that have a big impact on cancer. To find out if sugar has a hold on you, take the Sugar Struggle Quiz below.