Diet

What fats to eat 

The World Health Organisation suggests that less than 30% of our total energy intake should come from fats.  Foods containing a high content of unsaturated fats (mono or polyunsaturated) can be a major source of energy and some are even essential, since the body cannot make them, and they must be obtained through diet. 

You can find these in vegetable oils (for example olive oil), seeds, avocados, nuts, but also fish. These fats are much healthier and, in many cases, provide key benefits. If you have a diet high in saturated fats, try to replace these fats with unsaturated fats, which can also lower blood cholesterol levels. 

Fats with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperature. 

What to avoid

Try to avoid saturated fats and limit your intake of trans fats of all kinds. Your intake of saturated fats should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake and trans fats to less than 1% of total energy intake. 

Trans fats are often found in fast food, cakes, and biscuits. They have no known health benefits and even small amounts of trans fats can harm health, so you should try to avoid them. Eating foods rich in trans fats promotes inflammation, which is linked to many diseases.  

Saturated fats are normally found in animal and dairy products such as red meats, butter, and cream. Fats with a high content of saturated fatty acids tend to be solid at room temperature. 

What to eat 

If you eat red meat, the World Cancer Research Fund recommends limiting consumption to no more than about three portions – about 350–500g (12–18oz) cooked weight per week. If you want to eat meat, try pure organic poultry meat. 

Although meat is a source of protein, which is an important part of your diet, you can easily replace it with other sources of protein, including certain legumes, nuts, eggs, fish, tofu, or mycoprotein (a meat substitute). A vegetarian diet can be healthy and balanced too.  Just ensure you are getting enough protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, and omega-3-fatty-acids.  

What to avoid 

Try to avoid processed meat altogether and if you can’t, consume only a little, and infrequently.

Though red meat isn’t specifically linked to breast cancer, the health drawbacks of eating red meat are well known. 

What to eat

The World Health Organisation recommends eating at least three portions of non-starchy vegetables and two portions of fruit (in total 400 g) each day.

Fruits and vegetables provide a mixture of health-promoting ingredients such as fibre, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. No single fruit or vegetable provides all the nutrients we need to be healthy, so we should eat plenty of different varieties every day. Vegetables, with their usual high water and low sugar content, are a great low-calorie substantial dish and can help to control body weight.  

Put special emphasis on consuming: 

• Vegetables high in Carotenoids – These can be found in green leafy vegetables (e.g. kale, spinach, collards, mustard greens), yellow and orange vegetables (e.g. carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins), and coloured fruits (e.g. apricots, papaya, mango) amongst others.  

♦Tip  They are usually best absorbed when mixed in an oily base or eaten together with an oily accompaniment (such as egg yolks, or a bit of olive oil) and if the preparation (mixing, heating) destroys the cell walls of the plant.  

• Non-starchy vegetables – Examples include cabbage, leeks, asparagus, aubergine, mushrooms, onions, and peppers.  

What to avoid

Any excess calories can lead to being overweight and fruit usually has more calories than vegetables, so emphasis should be placed on eating more vegetables than fruit. It’s also important to pay attention to the preparation of fruit and vegetables. Vegetables shouldn’t be deep-fried but steamed with tasty spices or lightly fried in olive oil at low temperatures.  

What to eat 

When it comes to carbohydrates it’s best to consume higher amounts of “complex carbohydrates”, rather than “simple carbohydrates” such as sucrose and fructose. Although simple carbohydrates can be found in fruit and, to a lesser extent, in vegetables, you shouldn’t leave them out completely as they supply vital nutrients like vitamins, as well as fibre. Try to make these part of your five-a-day (see more in the fruit and vegetable section above). 

Complex carbohydrates – may be digestible or indigestible. 

Digestible complex carbohydrates (e.g. starch) are found in foods like potatoes, cereals, legumes, tubers, fruits, and seeds.

When you eat digestible complex carbohydrates they are released more slowly into the bloodstream, so the blood sugar levels rise more slowly after eating these and you stay full longer. This is because they need to be broken down before they can be absorbed. So you end up eating less and are more likely to stay at a healthy weight.  

Indigestible complex carbohydrates are found in whole-grain foods, vegetables, fruit, and pulses.

Because your body is unable to digest indigestible complex carbohydrates like fibre, this helps you feel full, meaning you are less likely to over-eat. It’s also good for your gut health. The recommended amount of dietary fibre is 30 grams per day.  

What to avoid 

Because soft drinks, biscuits, and cakes are high in simple carbohydrates (like sucrose), they are missing the vital nutrients you find in fruits and vegetables, and therefore contain ’empty calories’. Try to only have them as a treat, or on special occasions. 

What to eat  

In order to get the maximum benefit from dairy products, try to opt for natural products with no added sugar. Organic natural yoghurt, cottage cheese, and reduced-fat milk contain high-quality protein and lots of calcium, zinc, and iodine, as well as vitamins B2 and B12, vitamin A and D. Yoghurt, also contains beneficial bacterial cultures, making it a source of probiotics which are beneficial for gut health. You can make your own sweet-tasting yoghurt by adding some berries and a little bit of honey.  

When buying milk, try to buy organic grass-fed cow’s milk since it contains a better omega-6/omega-3-fatty-acid balance and a higher amount of total omega-3-fatty-acids. 

What to avoid 

Try to avoid sugar traps, such as puddings, colourful yoghurts for the children, and milk drinks. They are high in calories and can be heavily sweetened.

What to eat 

Soybeans are a good source of unsaturated fats, vitamin B, iron, calcium, zinc, and other compounds beneficial to your health. They are easily digested. Soy is the only available plant protein that has been shown to contain protein of high quality. It is similar to protein found in cow’s milk and eggs, traditionally used as standard references and considered a complete protein source, as it contains all nine essential amino acids that must be obtained from the diet. 

Moderate consumption of soy products is considered positive for our health – especially if it replaces unhealthy meat meals. Soybeans are mainly processed into tofu, soy sauce, soymilk, and soy yoghurt, but can also be bought as dried or tinned beans and are also consumed as edamame (young soybeans). Because soy is consumed in a variety of different ways, it’s useful to consider how much isoflavone content you are eating (see table below). Approximately 25 – 50mg of isoflavone per day is considered safe for everyone, including those who have or have had, breast cancer.  

Try to aim for natural soy products such as tofu, edamame, and tempeh (fermented soybeans). They are often low in fat as well as high in protein and nutrients, compared to red and processed meat, or other animal sources of protein that are higher in saturated fat.

It is always advisable to seek medical advice before taking isoflavone supplements.

What to avoid 

Aim for natural, rather than highly processed soy products that may contain additives. Even highly processed soy is preferable to unhealthy processed meat. Keep an eye on the fat and salt content though.  

How much alcohol is harmful?

Drinking any amount of alcohol increases breast cancer risk. There is no lower limit. The higher the intake the greater the risk. The more alcohol a woman drinks, the more likely breast cancer will come back after initial treatment. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy may raise the lifetime risk of breast cancer in your female child.

UK government guidelines recommend drinking less than 14 units of alcohol per week for both men and women and suggest you limit the amount you drink on any one occasion. If possible, try to follow these guidelines as a minimum, and aim for less if you can.

What are 14 units?

• 6 pints of beer (based on an average pint of 4% Alc/vol )
• 6 glasses of wine (based on 175 ml glass of 13% Alc/vol )
• 6 pints of cider (based on an average pint of 5% Alc/vol)
• 14 single shots of spirits (based on a 25 ml shot of 40% Alc/vol)
• 12 bottles of alcopop (based on 275 ml bottle of 4% Alc/vol)

Look at our key fact sheet for more information and tips on alcohol and breast cancer risk.

Ensure you are getting a healthy amount of vitamin D. Some can be obtained from your diet (for example oily fish and egg yolks), but most is made by your body during exposure to sunlight. If you can not get sufficient vitamin D levels through sunshine and diet, vitamin D supplements are recommended to help restore vitamin D levels to a healthy level.

If you have any concerns ask your doctor to check your levels.

See the NHS for advice on vitamin D.

Use this online calculator to work out how much time you need in the sun to get any dose of vitamin D₃.  It lets you enter all the factors that could influence your UVB exposure.

Look at our key facts sheet for more information on vitamin D and breast cancer and tips on how to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D.