Eat Bright and Green to Help Prevent Breast Cancer

In honor of the 25th anniversary of NationalBreast Cancer Awareness Month, I decided to examine the simplest thing we can do to as an act of prevention: eat green. In fact, consuming more of anything brightly colored or leafy green can help add preventive carotenes to our diets. Here's a quick guide to carotene-rich and green treats to throw into your daily mix so this year you can not only think Pink, but also green.

Carotenoids, also called carotenes, are the naturally-occurring nutrients found in brightly colored vegetables and fruit, and are believed to have cancer-preventive properties. These are the nutrients that give vegetables and fruit their bright orange, green, red, and yellow pigments.

Researches have found those who eat the most beta-carotene have a 19% lower likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer than women eating the least beta-carotene.

1. In studies, women with the lowest breast cancer risk eat two or more servings of carotenoid-rich vegetables per day--as far as carotene rich food goes, the more the better.

2. For beta-carotene rich foods look to carrots, sweet potato, spinach, kale, collard greens, pumpkin, turnip greens, beet greens, cabbage, cantaloupe, broccoli, peppers, apricots, and peas.

3. You can get your alpha-carotene fix from carrots, pumpkin, squash, plantains, vegetables juice, beans, green leafy vegetables, corn meal, tangerines, plums, raspberries, and corn.

4. Lutein and zeaxanthin have also been identified as aiding in breast cancer prevention (and will keep your eyes healthy) think green: spinach, kale, collards, turnip greens, dandelion greens, Brussels sprouts, peas, broccoli, and lettuce.

Got any great green, carotene-rich recipes? Tell us about them in the comments!