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Health, Life

Steps You Can Take To Help Reduce Your Risk Of Breast Cancer

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This time of year is always hard for me. My Grandmother’s birthday is in October too. My Grandmother had colon and breast cancer. She lost her battle and passed away in 2012. It was so hard to lose her. I think about her every day.

My Grandmother was strong and loving. She had over 20 Grandchildren and even more Great Grandchildren. Her smile was beautiful and she was a great story teller. We loved her very much.

grandma

My Grandmother is the reason why I love bacon so much. She practically raised me and cooked lots of crispy bacon when I was younger. She loved to cook and taught me how to make a few dishes including  her Cornbread Dressing and Sweet Potato Pies.

SWEET POTATO PIE

I say pies because she taught me how to make three at time. I can’t make just one no matter how hard I try.

When my Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer it was difficult to deal with. She was doing Chemotherapy. She lost weight, energy and hair. My family definitely made the most of the days when she had a little energy. A cancer diagnosis is a scary thing. Unfortunately my family did not start to really discuss breast cancer until after my Grandmother passed away. I think that something all parents have in common is wanting their children to grow up healthy. This includes talking about ways to stay healthy. However, the environment around our girls may change the way their body develops.  To help protect daughters from developing breast cancer later in life, it is never too early to begin taking steps.

Because cancer has hit so close to home for me, I pay more attention now. Research is very important so of I course I agreed when the opportunity came up for me too work with the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program to raise awareness. Scientists, physicians, and community partners in the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP), which is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), study the effects of environmental exposures on breast cancer risk later in life. They created a mother-daughter toolkit  that Moms can use to talk to their daughters about steps to take together to reduce risk. 

BCERP Infographic

Since research is still being done, it is too soon to say with certainty whether avoiding certain foods or chemicals may lower the risk of breast cancer.  The Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program has resources to help families learn about potential ways to reduce risk.

My family has been taking steps to reduce the risk of breast cancer. We are trying to eat fruits and vegetable. We all love drink smoothies. I use big handfuls of spinach with a mixture of fresh and frozen fruit. We are also trying to pay more attention to the chemicals used in products, especially phthalates.

To help with the important work the researchers are doing, please take a few moments to take this survey. More information, resources, and downloads can be found at the BCERP website

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29 Comments

  • Reply KIMBERLY CLEVEN

    My Dad died from cancer a year ago, he was the latest in a long string of cancer deaths in my life and it near broke every bit of me. My family and friends keep me going. Research helps too. It is a dark path though, specially when you know people who “did everything right” and still didn’t make it. As of late I have been looking into intermittent fasting and KETO diet and it’s possible effects on cancer. There are some real and interesting studies actually. Wishing us all luck!

    October 27, 2017 at 2:01 am
  • Reply Alli Rutherford Smith

    Your grandmother sounds like an amazing woman and I know you must have so many beautiful memories of her. Thanks for sharing steps we can take to reduce the risk. I don’t know why so many of these chemicals were ever given the green light in the first place. It makes me mad!

    October 27, 2017 at 3:22 am
  • Reply kage2015

    Cancer has hit our family. Start talking about breast cancer to all males and females in the family. Everyone needs to be educated.

    October 27, 2017 at 5:30 am
  • Reply notjustpaperandpaint

    I was diagnosed last year and had a double mastectomy. It was found only a mammogram. There’s been so much progress on treatments it’s amazing.

    October 27, 2017 at 5:47 am
  • Reply Amber

    This is so important to talk about. I always do checks just in case. You just never know. Thank you for sharing your story.

    October 27, 2017 at 6:16 am
  • Reply marysa

    These are great tips, and a good way to be healthier in general. Breast cancer is definitely a concern these days and it is nice to take some steps to help reduce your risk.

    October 27, 2017 at 6:19 am
  • Reply Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh

    I had no idea about a couple of these ways that could help reduce the risk of breast cancer. I’m all about preventing as much as I can for anything related to cancer.

    October 27, 2017 at 8:00 am
  • Reply 3boysandanoldlady

    Thanks for sharing memories of time spent with your grandmother. It’s so important we share stories about family health with our family members. Think about it every physical asks if you have a family history of such and such and oftentimes we skip through those questions without really thinking about them. Your grandmother’s legacy is that your family is making changes to stay healthier and that’s a blessing for generations to come.

    October 27, 2017 at 11:36 am
  • Reply Tara Pittman (@momknowsbest15)

    Your grandma sounds like a fantastic lady. I need to make sure to follow these tips.

    October 27, 2017 at 11:41 am
  • Reply Liz Mays

    Your grandma sounded so sweet! I definitely think it’s important to improve your health to reduce your risk of breast cancer. Having conversations about it can make a big difference.

    October 27, 2017 at 6:24 pm
  • Reply Brittany Nicole

    It’s so important to do what you can to reduce your risk of breast cancer. My aunt actually passed away from it.

    October 27, 2017 at 8:37 pm
  • Reply Tim B

    There is a lot going on in October to promote cancer awareness and supporting research along with people fighting the disease. My wife is fond of the NFL players wearing pink cleats and gloves during their football games. She is a cancer survivor herself. Been cancer free two years now but it is something always keeping an eye out for.

    October 28, 2017 at 4:30 am
  • Reply nmetolen75

    I am so sorry to hear that you lost your grandmother to cancer. I love my aunt last year to brain cancer, and it’s just so hard. It is important that we understand our risk factors and do everything we can to lower them.

    October 28, 2017 at 6:20 am
  • Reply Sarah Bailey

    This is such an important topic and one which should be spoken about more, we should all work towards reducing our risk of breast cancer for sure.

    October 28, 2017 at 10:27 am
  • Reply Kita Bryant

    I can’t imagine how hard it was to lose your grandmother. Thank you for raising awareness on this subject.

    October 28, 2017 at 11:56 am
  • Reply Adaleta Avdić

    What an amazing post, this is something that I think everyone should learn and be aware of, it could saves loved ones.

    October 28, 2017 at 11:59 am
  • Reply Claudia Krusch

    It is so important to get your Mammograms and do self exams. Early detection is key to fighting cancer. I was surprised when I had my first Mammogram. It was not as bad as all the stories I had been hearing.

    October 28, 2017 at 12:39 pm
  • Reply Dogvills

    Thank you for this informative post. I think we should be more aware of those dangerous chemicals in plastic bottles and cans. Little do we know these chemicals get in our body and wreck havoc later on.

    October 28, 2017 at 3:43 pm
  • Reply Jennifer L

    My cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and the toll it has on her is heartbreaking. But she’s so strong and courageous. Creating awareness is so important for prevention.

    October 28, 2017 at 4:04 pm
  • Reply Meryland Cuevas

    These are great health tips, breast cancer is such a terrible disease that affects so many, even man suffer from it!

    October 28, 2017 at 7:56 pm
  • Reply Becky Willis

    Thank you for sharing these great health tips. It is such a tough disease and it seems like no one is really an exemption.

    October 28, 2017 at 8:19 pm
  • Reply Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz (@paulabendfeldt)

    It’s so important to bring awareness about how harmful some products that we use everyday can be for our health. Cancer is such a terrible disease and it takes so many lives.

    October 30, 2017 at 4:12 am
  • Reply Bobbi

    Breast cancer is such a real thing to have worry over. You never know who may get it. These steps are so important.

    October 30, 2017 at 6:59 am
  • Reply TColeman

    I love that you are sharing ways to help reduce the risk. So many times you just hear about breast cancer after the fact.

    October 30, 2017 at 7:00 am
  • Reply Garf

    Your grandmother sounds like an amazing woman. Thanks for sharing these great health tips.

    October 30, 2017 at 7:09 am
  • Reply Brett Martin

    Your grandma has left quite the legacy behind. A huge loss for all of those she left behind, but it’s nice to read stories about families who are so close!

    As for cancer- it’s so prevalent. My friend’s husband had a breast cancer scare two years ago. I didn’t realize before then that men could even GET it. Awareness is key, for ALL of us.

    October 30, 2017 at 7:23 am
  • Reply Natasha

    Spreading the word is the most important. Awareness is definitely key…very special memories shared here.

    October 30, 2017 at 8:32 pm
  • Reply Blair Villanueva

    Am sorry for your lost, she is a sweet Grandma. Breat cancer might be detected easily or not. But what is more important is that we have an active awareness.

    October 31, 2017 at 12:08 am
  • Reply Rebecca Swenor

    This is a great post about steps to take to reduce the risks breast cancer. I really haven’t heard about phthalates before. Thanks for sharing this amazing information.

    November 2, 2017 at 1:55 am
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