Steps that you can take to protect your breast health
The breast is the most common place for women to get cancer. Breast tissue is unique and complicated and there are many opportunities for tumors and cancer to develop.
It is said that when it comes to breast cancer, "the best protection is early detection." However, taking care of your breast health starts long before you have a mammogram.
There is no secret formula to preventing breast cancer, but there are things that you can do in your everyday life to lower your risk.
Breast Cancer.org has created a step by step guide to help you take action for your breast health. This guide includes a mixture of big steps and small steps so you can make daily choices and plan for the future.
Here are some steps that you can take today to live healthier and also help lower your risk of breast cancer:
It happens to everyone. We vow to exercise every day or cut out junk food for a week. But by day 3, we don't have quite the same excitement that we started with. It takes time and practice to build healthy habits. It's especially difficult when we are busy and trying to juggle all of our other responsibilities!
Here are a few things you can do on Sunday to get your week off to a healthy start:
Nuts often get a bad reputation because they are high in calories and fat. Research shows, however, that a moderate amount of nuts can be very beneficial to your diet.
While all nuts are full of protein, fiber, and essential fats, different nuts offer a variety of vitamins and minerals. For example, almonds are a great source of calcium. Cashews have a lot of iron and zinc. Pistachios are rich in vitamin B6 and have relatively less calories and less fat per ounce than other nuts. Walnuts contain omega-3, so they are a great substitute if you do not eat fish.
Nuts are a tasty, easy snack. You can eat them plain or in home-made trail mix. Make baggies with one quarter cup of nuts or trail mix for perfect portion control. If you get tired of eating nuts by themselves, here are some ways to mix things up:
Add to hot or cold cereal for a filling breakfast.
Use nuts to replace croutons in salad or soup.
Replace bread crumbs with chopped nuts in meat dishes like baked chicken.
Add nuts to bread, pancakes, waffles, or muffins.
Mix nuts into light cream cheese for a more satisfying spread.
Toast nuts with seasoning for a low-sodium snack. Bake for 5-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. For more spice, try this recipe. You can substitute any sort of nut in for the almonds.
The Vermont Apple Festival will be happening this year on October 7th from 9am to 4pm at the Riverside Middle School in Springfield, VT. This free community event celebrates everything apple!
Be sure to stop by Springfield Medical System's booth where a Ladies First Champion will be spreading the word about Ladies First and encouraging women to get screened. Sign up for a breast cancer screening or pin a personalized pink ribbon leaf on the Tree of Hope. They will also have breast care quizzes, prizes, and a raffle!
