Lindsey Nair

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Leading a healthy lifestyle can get downright frustrating when the messages are mixed.

Case in point: soy.

For a while, studies seemed to indicate that consuming soy reduced a woman's risk of breast cancer. Then the pendulum swung, and eating too much soy could speed the development of tumors.

So which is it?

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I decided to find out what nutritionists and dietitians believe to be the best cancer-preventing and fighting-foods in the market.

What they had to say may not surprise you.

Maintaining a healthy weight for your height and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption are particularly powerful ways to fight the chances of getting breast cancer.

"I think that is the best [scientists] know," said Nancy Robbins, who teaches nutrition at Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

But there are other tools to keep in the prevention kit, and if anyone remembers what Mom used to fuss at them to eat when they were youngsters, they've already got a pretty good idea what those not-so-secret weapons are.

Fortunately, with maturity comes a more sophisticated palate. What was yucky when we were 5 can be oh-so-delicious now.

'Fight-o' chemicals

In the war against cancer, whether it be from a preventive or a treatment standpoint, phytochemicals may be your most dependable soldiers.

Robbins explained that many cancers are thought to be caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules that bond to normal molecules in body tissue and can cause damage to cells or DNA. Phytochemicals fight free radicals in the body.

Scientists have identified thousands of phytochemicals in the food we eat, especially plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Some phytochemicals, such as antioxidants, flavonoids and carotenoids, have been studied extensively.

Robbins and Sheri Knecht, a Virginia Beach-based dietitian with the American Cancer Society, said there's really no such thing as a bad fruit or vegetable. Even iceberg lettuce and celery contain some vitamins, provide the body with water, and help you to feel full.

It's prudent to remember that raw vegetables provide more fiber and that it's way better to eat whole pieces of fruit than to remove the skin or drink fruit juices. Juices, while still more nutritious than soda, generally contain more calories than the whole fruit -- especially cranberry juice, Knecht said.

But if any products in the market should be wearing little superhero costumes, these are the ones:

• Cruciferous vegetables -- members of this plant family include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, turnips, radishes, horseradish and rutabagas.

• Berries -- those lovely red, purple and blue fruits pack a phytochemical punch. Go for blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or cranberries.

• Citrus fruits -- Robbins says citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes are "really powerful in terms of antioxidants." It is best to eat the flesh of the fruit, and many recipes also call for the zest.

• Legumes -- members of this family include all beans (i.e. kidney, navy, black, pinto, fava, mung, garbanzo and black-eyed peas) as well as lentils and split peas. They are loaded with plant estrogens.

• Whole grains -- oats, wheat, quinoa, rice and more. But note that these must be unhulled and unbleached to retain beneficial phytochemicals and fiber, so white rice and white bread do not count. Look for the word "whole" on packaging.

Robbins lamented the fact that fresh vegetables can be expensive for low-income families.

"We need inexpensive, healthy food," she said. "Then again, you can do well with frozen products in terms of cost, and you can do well with canned beans."

Frozen vegetables are much healthier than canned, she said, and sometimes even healthier than fresh vegetables that have been on the shelf for too long. That's because frozen veggies have usually been blanched and frozen on the very day of harvest.

Soy story

So, what is the down and dirty on soy?

I took that question to Young Hwa Ju, an assistant professor and researcher in the department of human nutrition, food and exercise at Virginia Tech. She and her colleagues have been studying the effects of soy, which contains estrogenlike properties, on cancer cells.

Ju explained that there are several different kinds of breast cancer, some of which are actually fueled by estrogen. These are called estrogen-dependent cancers, and some ovarian cancers also fall under this classification.

Ju also told me that in its whole form, soy is a bean. But those beans have been manipulated in many different ways to create an array of soy-based products. When the oil, protein and carbohydrates are stripped away from soy, only the soy isoflavin remains.

Research at Virginia Tech showed that estrogen-dependent breast cancer seemed to be fueled by soy isoflavin, but not by whole forms of soy.

Ju believes that means that consumption of whole forms of soy, which can be found in the beans themselves, tofu, tempeh and soy sauce, is actually beneficial to women.

But soy milks and soy-based veggie burgers are not whole forms of soy, she said, and women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer should avoid soy isoflavin altogether, Ju said. Knecht agreed, saying breast cancer patients should particularly stay away from soy supplements.

So, if you enjoy eating edamame or roasted soybeans, using soy sauce in your foods and incorporating tofu and tempeh into your diet, enjoy away.

But if you have a high risk for breast cancer or have already been diagnosed, be sure to have a discussion with your doctor about soy products.

Lindsey Nair's column runs Wednesdays in Extra.