Breast Healthy Diet Recommendations

The core principles of diet currently recognized in the field of evidence-based medicine and nutrition as the most friendly to breast health are to control the intake of refined sugar, alcohol, highly processed red meat and trans fat, and to balance the intake of whole grains, high-quality animal and plant proteins, unsaturated fatty acids and fresh fruits and vegetables. No single food can "prevent breast cancer" or "dissolve knots", and there is no need to deliberately avoid natural soy products.

Last week, I accompanied my 32-year-old best friend to a breast surgery review. Last year, she was diagnosed with grade 3 breast hyperplasia. She was so panicked that she stocked half a cupboard of kudzu powder, dandelion tea, and imported gummy candies known as "breast care" at home. She also stopped drinking soy milk for more than ten years. As a result, after half a year After the reexamination, the nodules were not small at all, and because I drank sugar-added kudzu granules every day, my weight increased by 6 pounds. The first thing the doctor said after reading the report was, "First stop your messy supplements, and stop drinking one cup of pearl milk tea every day. Drinking soy milk normally is more effective than this."

When it comes to soy milk, I guess many people have heard the saying that "drinking soy milk will increase estrogen and cause nodules." Here we need to explain the different research conclusions: the current guidelines of the Breast Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association clearly state that the soy isoflavones in soybeans are phytoestrogens and can affect both sides. Regulate the estrogen level in the body - when the estrogen in the body is insufficient, it can be lightly supplemented. When the estrogen in the body is too high, it will seize receptor sites and reduce the estrogen effect. Drinking 1-2 cups of soy milk and eating some tofu daily will not aggravate the nodules, but can reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, there are indeed some niche clinical studies that suggest that patients who have been diagnosed with estrogen-dependent breast tumors should avoid taking large doses of purified soy isoflavone supplements. Daily normal dietary intake is completely fine, and there is no need to panic.

If you really want to make a "eat less list", alcohol is at the top of the list. This is a carcinogen identified by the World Health Organization. Even drinking a small amount of so-called "health red wine" will increase the risk of breast cancer. There is currently no controversy about this. There are also highly processed red meats, such as bacon, sausages, cured meats, as well as shortened bread, non-dairy creamer in milk tea and other foods containing trans fat. Long-term consumption will increase the level of inflammation in the body and has no benefits for breast health. Oh, and there’s also refined sugar. A previous follow-up study showed that women who drink more than two cups of sugary drinks a day have a 30% higher risk of breast cancer than those who don’t. I used to eat fried chicken and drink cola every day while working on a project, and my breasts were so swollen that I couldn’t touch them before two consecutive menstrual periods. Later, I changed all sugary drinks and ate deep-sea fish twice a week to supplement Omega-3. I almost no longer felt the swelling and pain in about three months.

Many people have asked me whether dandelion and prunella vulgaris can dissolve knots. In fact, different medical systems have quite different views on this: in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, these medicinal materials are indeed used to regulate breast swelling and pain during menstruation caused by liver qi stagnation. Many people drink it and it is indeed true. It has a relieving effect, but evidence-based research in Western medicine currently does not have enough evidence to prove that this type of food can directly eliminate breast nodules. Moreover, if you have a constitution with a weak spleen and stomach, drinking cold dandelion tea every day will cause diarrhea, so there is no need to force it.

A while ago, a fan told me that she ate steamed papaya every day in order to enlarge her breasts. After three months of eating, her breasts did not get bigger and her waist became thicker. I couldn't even laugh or cry. The papain in papaya is decomposed and inactivated by gastric acid when it enters the stomach. It is impossible for it to affect the breast glands. I think that if you eat papaya and your breasts get bigger, it is most likely that you eat too much and gain weight all over your body, which is just for the breasts. There is really no need to eat fruits that you don’t like for this reason.

I have talked with a nutritionist in the breast department before, and her usual diet is nothing special: oatmeal with a spoonful of flaxseed in the morning, and an occasional cup of sugar-free soy milk. At noon, she either eats steamed sea bass or skinless chicken breast with brown rice and green leafy vegetables. She drinks milk tea at most once a week to relieve her addiction, and basically avoids alcohol. She has been a nutritionist for 10 years, and most of her colleagues with breast health follow this diet, and no one relies on supplements to maintain their health.

In fact, breast health is really a holistic matter, and diet only accounts for one part of it. Staying up late less often, not sulking all the time, and having regular physical examinations are more effective than any magical food. If you really find nodules or swelling and pain, see a doctor first to determine the nature. Don’t just buy a bunch of folk supplements and eat them randomly, which may cause problems.