You probably already know that if you’re under a lot of stress, or you are carrying around extra pounds, your risk of breast cancer is increased.

That’s the bad news.

Here’s the good news:

Increasing the variety of fruits and veggies you eat is an easy (and tasty) way to reduce your breast cancer risk and improve your health on all fronts.

Many studies show that it’s not only the number, but the variety of fruits and vegetables that you eat that helps to reduce your risk of breast cancer (or recurrence, if you’ve already had breast cancer).

In fact, one study showed that women with the BRCA gene mutation that dramatically increases breast cancer risk cut their risk by 73% by consuming 27 different fruits and vegetables a week!

This is not at all hard to do.

To prove it, here’s a list of the fruits and vegetables I ate just today.  In case you're wondering, I had berries at breakfast, salad and the stew at lunch (recipe below), and a casserole for dinner.

1. Raspberries

2. Blueberries

3. Blackberries

4. Spring mix (multiple types of lettuce)

5. Broccoli

6. Carrots

7. Red onion

8. Scallions

9. Lentils

10. Kale

11. Spinach

12. Sweet potatoes

13. White onion

14. Garlic

15. Raisins

16. Date

17. Ginger

18. Tofu

19. Edamame beans

20. Red bell pepper

21. Green beans

22. Brussels Sprouts

The recipe below for Lentil and Greens Curried Stew is one of my favorites. It’s (very) loosely based on a recipe I got from “Forks Over Knives” a while back. It’s super easy to make, stores well in the fridge, and has 8 different fruits and vegetables in it, getting you nearly a third of the way to your weekly 27 in one bowl!

Lentil and Greens Curried Stew

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large white onion chopped (about 1.5 cups)

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water

• 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed & chopped (about 3-4 cups) (no need to peel)

• 1.5 cup dry green lentils 

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 2 tablespoons curry powder 

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 3 (13.75 oz) cartons low-sodium diced tomatoes with their juices

• 16 oz kale, chopped

• 8 oz baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

1.   Combine all ingredients except spinach and garnishes in instant pot.

2.   Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes and do natural or quick release (your choice).

3.   Stir in kale and spinach until wilted

Notes:

1.   If you prefer you can prepare in slow cooker for 4 hours at medium or 6 hours at low heat, then go to step 3.

2.   You can use 3 x 13.75 oz cartons tomatoes instead of the two 15-oz cans

3.   Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Suggested adult serving: 3 cups

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