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're currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer or have been treated for breast cancer in the past, eating well is particularly important for you. In this section, you can read about healthy eating and what and how to eat during and after treatment.

If you are at high risk for breast cancer, eating well also is important for you. On the Nutrition and Breast Cancer Risk Reduction pages in the Lower Your Risk section, you can read about how healthy eating may help reduce your risk of a first time breast cancer.

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.

Healthy Eating During 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.

Healthy Eating After Treatment

Healthy eating and physical activity after treatment are important as you recover from treatment and begin your life beyond breast cancer. Learn about eating to manage your weight and how to create a healthy eating plan that includes exercise.

Dietary Supplements

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

Nutrition Resources

In this section, you can browse a comprehensive list of links to nutrition web sites offering information on dietary guidelines, dietary supplements, research, nutrition labels, food safety, and more.

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.

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.

Both Cyndi Thomson and Diana Grant Dyer are members of the Breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board, which includes more than 60 medical experts in breast cancer-related fields.