Focus on a healthy diet!

• Here are some food choices that can reduce the risk of breast cancer

Dr Rajul Matkar, Head of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health, held a unique event to raise awareness about breast cancer. As part of the event, participants were invited to prepare either a main dish or dessert of their choice that would convey their pink story.

Dr Matkar said, "I organised the Breast Cancer Awareness event, along with a Pink Cooking Challenge so that it could inspire women to think creatively in the kitchen and understand how the ingredients ?and methods of cooking can affect our body."

The event further focused not only on signs and symptoms, but also on the screening and management of breast disease, as well as the risk factors, and how food and lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Dr Matkar has a keen interest and passion towards increasing awareness about prevention of diseases. A good portion of her practice is also devoted to the management of women's menopausal symptoms and infertility.

She said, "In the last three years I have been on a food journey and have continued spreading awareness on the importance of recognising and eating clean and healthy food, as I believe food has a huge role to play in prevention of diseases.

"While on this path, I started to blog on topics related to food and lifestyle in order to share my experiences so that people who follow me could learn from them."

Dr Matkar has won numerous cooking awards in Dubai, and was a participant in Kitchen Killadi. She was also among the top three in Foodshala Season 5 and was the 1st runner up in the Hershey's Chocolate World Bake Off Finale 2015.

Eating healthy
A hormonal imbalance can easily be managed and reversed with the help of food, supplements, herbs and lifestyle choices, according to Dr Matkar.



Tips to ensure a healthy lifestyle

- Eat a mix of different seeds such as flaxseed, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame.
- Vegetables are packed with phytonutrients that have powerful cancer-fighting properties like kale, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, the tiny, tender and crunchy broccoli sprouts - super foods to balance your hormones.
- Put a rainbow on your plate. This ensures you are getting a wide variety of different vitamins and minerals, which support your immune system.
- Add parsley, flaxseeds, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice to improve a sluggish liver and help clear toxic waste products. Minimise your intake of alcohol, sugar and processed oils like trans fatty acids, which all put a load on the liver.
- Reduce chemical exposure. Use ingredients like lemon, oil of cloves and vinegar when cleaning your home.
- Eat fish at least three times a week - it is high in omega 3s, which help fight inflammation.
- Alternate some cycling and swimming with yoga and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), so that you include exercises to boost aerobic capacity, flexibility and stamina.

Dr Matkar said, "You are unique and so are your health needs, instead of just eating healthy, the trick to hormonal balance is to eat right for your body's individual healing needs. Once you do, your diet can work like powerful medicine to nourish and heal."

SAFETY FIRST

Dr Matkar says that to find any abnormality you must know how your breast normally looks and the best place to examine them is in the shower or by looking in the mirror so that you can detect any changes. Things to look out for include:

- A lump or thickening.
- Changes to the nipple such as a change in shape, crusting, a sore or an ulcer, redness or an inverted nipple (that turns in).
- Changes to the skin of the breast such as dimpling of the skin, unusual redness or other colour changes.
- Change in the shape or size of the breast.
- Unusual discharge from the nipple without squeezing.
- Swelling or discomfort in the armpit.
- Persistent, unusual pain - not related to your menstrual period - and occurs in one breast only.