10/04/2025
NUTRITION
Excellent information on eating more plants and cancer prevention! Physical activity, restorative sleep, stress, reduction, and social connection also play key roles.
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Breast cancer changes lives forever.
October is breast cancer awareness month. And even with pink ribbons and bows, this month can be very traumatic for many breast cancer survivors.
Many people see October as an opportunity for creating awareness around this deadly disease, while others see October as a stark reminder of a very traumatic phase in their life.
One in eight women will hear the diagnosis.
One in 30 to 40 will lose their life to it.
Behind each number is a face, a family, a story.
As a doctor, I’ve had to deliver this news more times than I can count.
It never gets easier.
Over time, we learn to keep our hands steady while palpating a lump, to soften our voices, to carry calm even when our stomachs are in knots.
But in my early career, I wasn’t so composed.
I’ll never forget the first time I found a rock-hard mass.
She was young, in her thirties, and came in for a routine check because of her family history.
The moment I felt it, my face betrayed me.
She knew before I spoke.
Weeks later, the biopsy confirmed our fears.
She endured surgery, chemotherapy, hair loss, and yet somehow she smiled, pretending to be strong until, eventually, she was.
Cancer has a way of turning ordinary people into superheroes.
If you’re reading this and you recognize yourself, I want you to know that I’m sorry.
You needed a rock, and I was still learning how to be one.
That moment changed me. I literally have goosebumps typing this right now.
Since 2007, I’ve worked not just to ease the blow of a diagnosis, but to help prevent it in the first place.
In recent months, patients and colleagues have thanked me for making prevention practical.
And one year ago, halfway listening at the dinner table (earning the classic “earth to you” look from my wife), I realized something important. I could reach more people through education on social media than in any single exam room.
Again and again, what I see is that once someone is diagnosed, everything changes.
Diets get overhauled, exercise begins, stress gets managed, nature is rediscovered.
The tragedy is that most people wait until cancer forces their hand.
Now, imagine it’s 2026. A new pill hits the shelves.
It slashes breast cancer risk, prevents heart disease and diabetes, has no side effects, and costs pennies a day.
The only catch? It tastes bad.
Would you take it?
Anyone who has lost both breasts to cancer and everything that makes them a woman, wouldn’t hesitate.
That pill doesn’t exist. But for now, the best we have is food, movement, and healthy habits.
Whole plant foods and lifestyle choices can lower the risk of breast cancer, reduce recurrence, and even act on the same biological pathways as certain medications.
Not a cure, but a powerful shield.
Up to 80% of breast cancers are estrogen-receptor positive, meaning estrogen fuels the fire.
Current drugs fight this in three ways:
1. Blocking estrogen receptors (Tamoxifen)
2. Preventing estrogen production in fat tissue (Aromatase inhibitors)
3. Removing estrogen receptors from cancer cells (Faslodex)
These treatments save lives.
But what if we could start earlier, making them a little less necessary in the first place?
Nature provides its own pharmacy that can be useful and could possibly help us reduce the risk of ever getting diagnosed.
Certain foods can:
• Block estrogen
• Reduce aromatase activity
• Support detox and immune defenses
Here’s the prescription list:
• Soy foods: Milk, tofu, tempeh, edamame. Estrogen “decoys,” once unfairly demonized.
• Flaxseeds: Ground for full effect, rich in lignans.
• Cruciferous veggies: Broccoli, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts. Detoxifying and anti-inflammatory.
• Berries, tomatoes, apples, mushrooms, seaweed: Diverse phytonutrients.
• Alliums: Garlic, onions, leeks. Small but mighty.
• Citrus fruits: Limonene-rich, potential estrogen blockers.
• Whole grains and fiber: Reduce fat-driven estrogen.
• Cacao and amla powder: Tiny antioxidant titans.
• Green tea: Rich in EGCG. Add lemon to boost absorption five-fold.
Basically what I’m saying is eat the rainbow and count colours instead of calories.
Your body forms cancer cells every single day. Your immune system, antioxidants, and repair mechanisms work constantly to eliminate them, but they need reinforcements.
The Standard Western Diet provides almost none.
A cup of blueberries carries more antioxidants than 30 slices of pepperoni pizza.
The brighter and more colorful your plate, the stronger your protection.
Breast cancer touches 1 in 8 women. It could be your sister, your mother, your partner, or you. I’ve stood with women who fought bravely, cried quietly, and rose fiercely.
No single food cures cancer. But your dietary pattern, lifestyle, and daily habits can shift the odds in your favor.
Medicine offers treatments, but prevention begins at your table, with your fork, with your next bite.
Take control. Make small changes today so they can start accumulating.
And if you’ve already walked through the fire, know that you are not alone.
You are a survivor, and your story is saving lives.
💚 Dr. Jules
Share this information widely. It may literally save a life.
