The ultimate gift guide for breast cancer prevention

Our gift guide will make this gift-giving season a breeze.  The pressures of finding a present that perfectly suits the needs and desires of our favourite people can be stressful.

If you’re scratching your head about what to get your loved one, why not help them on their prevention journey? Take a look at our gift guide for inspiration.

There are many ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer, and everyone’s journey looks different. For this reason, we’ve organised the recommendations into four key areas to help you personalise your gifts.

Pick up a different bottle

The festive season is a time of celebration, but it doesn’t always need to be marked with an alcoholic drink. Introducing your loved one to their new favourite drink could be a cause for celebration.

While drinking alcohol doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get breast cancer, studies have shown a link between the two. Simply put, the more alcohol you drink, the higher your chance of developing breast cancer at some point in your life.

Nowadays, for every alcoholic drink, there is a non-alcoholic equivalent. This includes award-winning options ranging from champagne and wine to spirits such as tequilas and gins. Your loved one won’t be in bad company either; celebrities like Lewis Hamilton, Tom Holland, Adele and Lily Allen have all embarked on a sobriety journey in the last few years and have spoken widely about its benefits.

The sweet taste of prevention

Eating is one of the greatest joys in life. But there is also something to be said about the satisfaction of cooking your own meal. As the famous saying goes, if you give a person fish, they will eat for a day; if you teach them to fish, they will eat for a lifetime.

With that in mind, sign your loved one up for an organic fruit and vegetable box subscription so they have all the ingredients at their disposal. There are lots of national or local organic box schemes which deliver directly to your door.

Eating organic will reduce their exposure to pesticides, which may be harmful. Taking more control over their portions and ingredient selection can also help them manage their weight, which can help reduce their risk.

You can also download our free Organic Flavours cookbook for inspiration on what to cook.

Make fitness fun!

When it comes to breast cancer prevention, exercise is the gift that keeps on giving. In fact, physical activity has been proven to reduce your risk of breast cancer by around 20%. It can be a lot easier to find a gift for a sports fanatic friend or family member, whether a smartwatch to track their progress, stylish bamboo activewear or tees for their next session at their favourite class.

It can be a little bit trickier to find the perfect gift for that friend who thinks “sports aren’t for them”, but the reality is much more likely that the sports they have tried aren’t for them.

So, instead of just signing them up for a standard gym membership, consider signing them up for some specific classes. If you’re loved one is known to shake and shimmy when their favourite song comes on, sign them up for dance classes such as Bolly Bhangra Fit? Group settings are a great way to keep active and meet people on the same journey.

Be a natural beauty

Unsurprisingly, perfume and cosmetics are some of the most popular gifts given during the festive season. Let’s face it: most of us want to smell nice and occasionally wear some makeup. However, many perfumes and cosmetics on the market can contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as parabens or phthalates, which may increase your risk of breast cancer.

For this reason, we suggest looking at ingredient lists and avoiding products with EDCs. Our Chemicals iGuide, or scanning products using the Yuka app, can help identify these.

You can also look for the COSMOS or Soil Association logo when shopping for cosmetics and fragrances. For a beauty or well-being product to carry the COSMOS Organic symbol or COSMOS natural symbol, the product must meet strict requirements restricting non-natural ingredients.

So that’s our ultimate gift guide to help you with your festive giving – we would love to hear yours, too! Please send through any of the best gifts you received or given to someone who has helped open the door to a healthier lifestyle. We’ll share them with our supporters to help inspire them.