I was at a conference last weekend where prevention of breast cancer was discussed at length. Although breast cancer awareness month is over, we need to prevent breast cancer all year long. Here are some tips.

1. Stop eating sugar and simple carbs- sugar feeds cancer. Simple carbs are “white” foods like bread, pasta, rice and crackers. These convert very quickly to sugar in the blood stream. Cancer cells thrive and grow in the presence of sugars.

2. Take B vitamins- B vitamins help with the way that estrogens are metabolized, or broken down, in the body. This is important for your body to get rid of estrogens safely.

3. Avoid overcooking meats. Chargrilling creates free radicals that increase your risk of cancer. Try eating meats medium rare to decrease this risk. Also, sprinkling the herb rosemary hs been shown to help decrease these free radical from charring meat.

4. Eat lots of broccoli. Broccoli contains sulforaphanes in studies has helped to slow the growth of breast cancer cells.

5. Avoid parabens. Parabens are known as xenoestrogesogens or environmental estrogens. These act like estrogens in the body and may increase our risk of breast cancer. Parabens are found in body lotions, shampoos and other personal healthcare products. Read labels and try to avoid using products with methylparaben and propylparaben.