7 Simple Ways to Help Keep Your Breasts Healthy

Breast health is a hot topic. And if we’re honest with ourselves, thinking about it can seem somewhat daunting. Hundreds of thousands of women each year are faced with new breast health concerns, making the topic feel overwhelming.¹

No one wants to face a breast health concern, and many women ignore the possibility because they don’t want to consider that something could be wrong. However, ignoring breast health while hoping for the best is not beneficial, especially when there are proactive steps you can take to maintain your health. Here are seven simple ways to promote breast health.

1. Know Your Body

Many experts now recommend breast self-awareness over the traditional self-exams.² This concept may sound less formal, but the goal remains the same—to thoroughly know your breasts.

Being familiar with your breasts and understanding how they change with monthly hormonal fluctuations can help you quickly identify any future changes. Most women experience natural variations in texture, density, and tenderness in their breast tissue, so knowing what’s normal for you is crucial.

The aim is to be so acquainted with how your breasts look and feel that you notice any changes early and can consult a doctor promptly. Do not procrastinate! It’s best to address potential issues as early as possible.

2. Watch Your Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight contributes to better overall health, including reduced risk of heart health concerns and increased energy, but it also impacts breast health.^3,4 Research indicates that women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher are at greater risk for serious breast health concerns compared to those with a BMI below 25.⁴

Unsure how to calculate your BMI? Use this handy calculator from the Mayo Clinic. For tips on maintaining a healthy weight, consider resources like Decide Your Diet: How to Determine Your Daily Diet and Be a Lean, Mean Body Machine.

3. Eat Real Foods

Your daily diet influences your weight, but it also plays a critical role in breast care. Consuming a diet rich in a diverse range of real, wholesome foods is the best way to meet your nutritional needs each day.

Diets like the popular Mediterranean diet, which focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, healthy oils and fats, and lean meats, provide a wide range of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols that support overall wellbeing.⁵

Eating a real food diet is associated with reduced risks of various health concerns—from heart health to cognitive function.⁵ A balanced diet is essential for the proper functioning of all body systems that keep you healthy.

Select Foods for Breast Health

• Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli
• Dark leafy greens like kale and collard greens
• Plant-based proteins like legumes in place of meat proteins
• Flax seeds or flax seed oil (rich in omega-3 fatty acids)
• Oily fish (also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients)
• Turmeric, for its antioxidant benefits

Avoid restrictive diets and focus on a broad variety of whole foods for optimal nutrition. If you can’t meet your nutritional needs from your diet alone, consider supplements sourced from real foods, like BubbForest Ultra Real Food Vegan Multi Women’s Daily.

4. Exercise Every Day

Women who exercise regularly are 25% less likely to have breast health concerns.⁴ Exercise also helps maintain bone mass and a healthy weight.⁴ The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that adults engage in at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Ideally, workouts should be spread throughout the week.⁶ Aiming for thirty minutes of exercise each day on five days of the week is a good target. The CDC also recommends muscle-strengthening exercises that involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

Consider including breast lifting and firming exercises in your routine. Strength training exercises that target the pectoral muscles include dumbbell bench presses, pullovers, pushups, shoulder or chest presses, and tricep dips.

For more ways to incorporate movement into your day, explore the article Move More: How to Move More Each Day for great ideas and mini workouts that suit every lifestyle.

5. Don’t Smoke

Millions of women in the U.S. smoke cigarettes.⁷ Quitting smoking is challenging for most smokers, but the rewards are significant. The challenges you face when quitting smoking are preferable to the health challenges that may arise later.

In addition to the many well-known risks of smoking, women face unique risks including fertility and hormonal concerns, harmful interactions with contraceptives, bone density issues, and heart and cervical health concerns.⁷ Women who smoke also face a significantly increased risk of complications related to breast health.⁷

If you are unsure where to start with quitting smoking, seek help. It’s one of the best things you can do for your health and wellbeing. Consult your doctor and explore the CDC’s Quit Smoking Resources.

6. Drink Less Alcohol

When paired with a real food diet and exercise, drinking a glass of red wine each day may benefit your health, but heavier drinking can lead to problems in many areas of health and affect your immune system.^8,9

More than 100 studies have investigated the effects of alcohol on breast health specifically.⁹ An expert analysis of over half of those studies concluded that drinking more than 45 grams (about 3 drinks) per day increases the risk of breast health concerns by 1.5 times compared to non-drinkers.⁹ In fact, for every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day, your risk of having breast health concerns increases by 12%.⁹

While an occasional glass of wine may not be detrimental, it’s best to keep your daily intake low for better health. Alternatively, you can obtain the benefits of resveratrol, a key antioxidant found in red wine, from resveratrol supplements instead.¹⁰ Try BubbForest Ultra Resveratrol, and learn more in Resveratrol Benefits.

7. Reinforce Your Diet with Breast Health Vitamins & Supplements

Certain nutritional deficiencies may contribute to a higher risk of health concerns, so if you aren’t meeting your daily requirements of key nutrients, use supplements to fill those gaps. Additionally, antioxidants are powerful free radical fighters that enhance wellbeing in various ways, so adding an antioxidant supplement can be beneficial. Here are a few supplements to consider for breast health:

• Vitamin D3: Low Vitamin D levels have been linked to breast health concerns.¹¹ Vitamin D is also vital for strong bones, immune health, and more.
• Folic acid: Studies indicate that folic acid may help combat damage caused by oxidative stress, which may play a role in various health concerns for women.¹²
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with better breast health and general health.¹³ Try our award-winning Plant Based Omega-3 supplement, named 2018 Omega Product of the Year by NutraIngredients USA.
• Curcumin: This potent antioxidant derived from turmeric is beneficial in many ways.¹⁴ Learn more in Turmeric vs Curcumin: What is the Difference?

Tips for Breast Health

The above tips for breast health, including knowing your body, watching your weight, eating a real food diet, getting plenty of exercise, avoiding smoking or heavy drinking, and supporting your health with supplements, should be part of every healthy lifestyle.

For more tips on living healthier and being your best self, read 11 Best Self-Care Tips for Mind & Body and check out 9 Best Vitamins & Health Supplements for Women.

Sign up for BubbForest Health emails to get even more healthy tips delivered to your inbox, plus you’ll be the first to know about exciting new products and our best promotions!

About Lindsey Toth, MS, RD

Lindsey is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and nutritionist with a soft spot for ice cream. She empowers people to take charge of their health by finding the balance between the pleasure and nourishment in food. Her philosophy is that you should take care of your body because it’s the only permanent home you have. It’s what inspired her to pursue a career in nutrition.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Sources

1. Breast Health & Disease. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/breast-health-and-disease

2. Why Monthly Breast Self Exams Are a Thing of the Past (and What's Replacing Them). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2011/08/15/why-monthly-breast-self-exams-are-a-thing-of-the-past-and-whats-replacing-them/#274dec3c3431

3. BMI Calculator. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/in-depth/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938#

4. 5 Ways to Boost Breast Health. Cleveland Clinic.https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-ways-to-boost-breast-health/

5. Science Compared Every Diet, and the Winner is Real Food. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/science-compared-every-diet-and-the-winner-is-real-food/284595/

6. Physical Activity Guidelines. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/prevention/policies_practices/physical_activity/guidelines.htm

7. The Dangers That Women Smokers Face. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/smoking-womens-health-perspective-3520429

8. A daily glass of red wine associated with lifestyle changes independently improves blood lipids in patients with carotid arteriosclerosis: results from a randomized controlled trial. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833853/

9. Alcohol’s Effects on the Body. National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body

10. Resveratrol. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/resveratrol

11. Vitamin D. Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

12. Protective Effect of Folic Acid on Oxidative DNA Damage. US National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912249/

13. Omega-3 Fatty Acids. National Institutes of Health. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/

14. Curcumin and Health. Molecules. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/21/3/264/html