Nutrition

Nutrition—giving your body the nutrients it needs—is important for everyone. When combined with exercising and maintaining a healthy weight, eating well is an excellent way to help your body stay strong and healthy.

If you have a personal history of breast cancer or are at high risk for the disease, eating well is particularly important for you. In this section, you can read about healthy eating, how nutrition may help reduce your risk of a first-time breast cancer or breast cancer recurrence, and what and how to eat during and after treatment.

What Does Healthy Eating Mean?

Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health. Find out how to balance your diet and manage your portion sizes.

Nutrition and Breast Cancer

Current research findings suggest that physical activity, a healthy diet, and a healthy weight can help reduce the risk of getting breast cancer for the first time or having a breast cancer come back. Learn about foods that registered dietitians (nutrition experts) suggest.

Nutrition During and After Treatment

If you're recovering from surgery, or receiving chemotherapy, radiation, or other breast cancer treatment, your focus is on getting rid of the cancer. Eating well will help you stay strong for this fight by giving your body the nutrients it needs. Read about how you can eat to manage your weight, reduce fatigue, build your energy, and get enough fluids.

Dietary Supplements

Many women with breast cancer take dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs hoping to stay strong and fight off the cancer. Learn about suggestions for using supplements.

Food Production and Safety

The way your food is grown and prepared may affect your health before, during, or after breast cancer treatment. Learn about food production and get some tips on ways to keep your food as safe and wholesome as possible.

The medical experts for Nutrition are:

Cyndi Thomson, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona, with joint appointments in medicine and public health. She is a registered dietitian with more 15 years of experience in clinical nutrition. Dr. Thomson is also principal investigator at the University of Arizona College of Public Health on several diet-cancer grants. She is a member of the breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board, which includes more than 60 medical experts in breast cancer-related fields.

Diana Grant Dyer, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian with 20 years of experience, specializing in nutritional care for critically ill patients. She is the author of A Dietitian's Cancer Story: Information & Inspiration for Recovery & Healing from a 3-time Cancer Survivor (Swan Press, 2002) and is especially interested in how nutrition can influence cancer risk reduction and recovery.