cover image Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk with Foods You Love

Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk with Foods You Love

Robert Pendergrass. Penstokes Press, $24 trade paper (184p) ISBN 978-0-9844769-0-9

Pendergrass, a pediatrician and educator, packs this slim volume with simple, sensible advice about reducing breast cancer risk that is clearly explained and easy to follow. There are no magic bullets, miracle cures, or guarantees. Instead, Pendergrass%E2%80%94who studied under physician Andrew Weil and believes in eating a variety of real, whole foods%E2%80%94argues that every choice we make moves us in the direction of either lower or higher risk. Sections include "General Guidelines for Cancer Prevention," "Top 10 Foods for Breast Health," "Foods to Avoid," "Eating for Healing," and "Integrative Medicine." Pendergrass takes a holistic approach, asking readers to "think of human health as a vegetable garden" where different produce represent kinds of health, invasive weeds represent cancer, and one's lifestyle choices amount to tending the garden. The author is realistic about the difficulty of making lifestyle changes and provides useful suggestions for readers of various backgrounds and incomes. Appendixes include a breast cancer action plan and resource list; helpful Web sites are provided throughout the book. There's nothing revolutionary, but in a world of cookie diets and quick-fix cures, this compendium of sound advice is refreshing and provides a primer for those beginning to take action against breast cancer risk.