October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to encourage early detection, raise awareness, and support those affected by breast cancer. Explore the importance of screenings, everyday habits that support...
Every October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings attention to a disease that affects millions of individuals and families. It's a time to encourage early detection, raise awareness, and support those navigating a breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, or recovery.
At Arden's Garden, we know our everyday choices shape our well-being. What we eat, how we move, how we rest, and the routines we build all matter. But taking care of our health also means understanding our risks, recognizing when to seek care, and making time for recommended screenings.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we're encouraging our community to prioritize every part of their health by sharing information, resources, and everyday ways to care for ourselves and those around us.
Since its beginning in October 1985, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has grown into a worldwide effort to educate communities, encourage early detection, reduce stigma, and support those affected by breast cancer.
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. While that statistic shows how many lives are affected, meaningful progress has also been made. Since 1989, breast cancer death rates have declined by 44%, according to the American Cancer Society.
But that progress hasn't been experienced equally. Although White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, Black women have the highest breast cancer death rate in the U.S. The reasons are complex, including differences in access to timely screenings and quality treatment. These disparities are an important reminder that awareness must also include making information, resources, and care more accessible.
But awareness goes beyond statistics. It's about understanding personal risks, recognizing warning signs, accessing care, and supporting those facing breast cancer, survivors, and their loved ones.
When life gets full, routine healthcare appointments can be easy to put off, especially when you're feeling perfectly fine.
But breast cancer doesn't always cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages. That's why recommended screenings are such an important part of breast health. Mammograms can help detect breast cancer before symptoms develop, when treatment is often more successful.
Understanding your personal risk factors is important, too. Some, including age, genetics, and family history, are outside our control. Knowing your family health history on both sides can help you have more informed conversations with your healthcare provider about when to begin mammograms and how often to get screened.
Access to preventive care isn't always easy, but local organizations are working to help bridge that gap. YWCA Greater Atlanta's ENCOREplus program provides breast health education and helps connect eligible uninsured and underinsured women with free clinical breast exams and mammograms.
Becoming familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel can help you recognize changes worth discussing with a healthcare professional. These might include a new lump, changes in breast shape, skin dimpling, or unusual nipple discharge.
Not every change means cancer, but new or unusual symptoms deserve attention. It's also understandable to feel nervous or uncertain about bringing up a concern or getting screened. Having open conversations about breast health can help make those steps feel less intimidating and ensure you have the information and support you need.
For additional guidance, the National Breast Cancer Foundation offers information on breast self-exams and breast self-awareness.
While we can't control every factor that influences breast cancer risk, there are everyday habits that can support our overall health and may help lower the risk of developing certain cancers.
Whether it's walking, biking, dancing, or taking a fitness class, regular movement benefits your health in many ways. Research from the National Cancer Institute links physical activity to a lower risk of breast cancer, partly through its effects on weight management, hormones, and inflammation.
The American Cancer Society recommends adults aim for 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, or 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity.
You don't have to do it all at once. A walk after lunch, a weekend bike ride, or a few minutes of movement between meetings can be a starting point. Find activities you enjoy, work at a pace that's appropriate for you, and build from there.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is about more than taking care of our own health. It's also about recognizing and supporting everyone affected by breast cancer, whether they're navigating a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, living beyond cancer, or caring for someone they love.
During treatment or recovery, even everyday tasks and routines can become overwhelming. Sometimes support looks like helping with a meal, offering a ride to an appointment, checking in without expecting an immediate response, or simply being there to listen. There's no one right way to show up for someone, but kindness, patience, and following through on offers of help can make a meaningful difference.
For those seeking additional guidance, the National Breast Cancer Foundation offers free educational resources for patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones. Closer to home, Cancer Support Community Atlanta provides support programs and resources for people affected by cancer and their families.
Nutrition is another important part of supporting long-term health. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds provide fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and naturally occurring plant compounds that support everything from digestive health to normal cellular function.
At Arden's Garden, helping people find convenient ways to enjoy more fruits and vegetables has been part of our mission since 1995. A few of our favorites highlight the nutritional benefits of different plant-based ingredients:
Cruciferous Cabbage: Cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates, compounds studied for their role in cellular health. Strawberries provide antioxidants, while flaxseed contains lignans being researched for their relationship to breast health.
TLC: Turmeric contains curcumin, studied for its anti-inflammatory properties, while carrots and oranges provide antioxidants that help protect cells from oxidative damage.
Multigreen: Kale provides glucosinolates, while spinach contains folate and carotenoids that support normal cell growth and help protect against oxidative stress.
Couscous Protein Bowl: Packed with 26 grams of plant-based protein and 15 grams of fiber, plus minerals and beneficial plant compounds from chickpeas, mushrooms, and seeds.
While these ingredients offer valuable nutrients, no single food, juice, or supplement can prevent breast cancer. A varied, balanced diet supports long-term health, alongside physical activity, recommended screenings, and preventive care.
More than 30 years ago, Arden Zinn founded Arden’s Garden with a mission of making good health accessible to everyone. While we’re passionate about helping our community enjoy more fruits, vegetables, and plant-based foods, we know good health goes way beyond what’s in the bottle.
So this month, we’re asking you to do one thing for yourself and one thing for someone else:
For you: If you’re due (or overdue) for a mammogram, put it on the calendar today. Not sure when to start? Bring it up at your next appointment with your healthcare provider.
For someone you love: Check in on a friend going through treatment, or share YWCA Greater Atlanta’s ENCOREplus program with someone who may need a free screening.
Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, and showing up for each other is what Good Health for All has always been about.
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