Breast Cancer Survivorship Nutrition - What You Eat After Treatment Matters

About this Webinar: Research shows that an average of 30% of early-stage breast cancers may eventually progress to Stage IV, often years beyond the treatment have ended. Yet most women are being discharged with little credible guidance on how to support their bodies long-term. In this webinar, Mina will cut through the confusion and share evidence-based strategies to strengthen your immune system, balance hormones, improve digestion, and protect long-term well-being, so you feel confident and supported well beyond treatment.

About this Presenter: Mina Yun is a two-time breast cancer survivor who recognized a major gap in cancer care: the lack of credible, detailed guidance on nutrition during and after treatment. The advice she encountered was often vague, conflicting, and even harmful. Determined to change that, she formalized her education as a certified Oncology Nutrition Consultant, and dedicated her career to closing that gap. Today, Mina combines her lived experience with evidence-based functional nutrition to support women who are newly diagnosed, in treatment, or navigating survivorship. She delivers clear, practical strategies that restore well-being and bring clarity to an overlooked stage of care.

2. A Note for Stage IV

3. Why Did I Get Breast Cancer?
“Because you’re a woman.”
1 in 8 women will be
diagnosed with invasive
breast cancer at some
point in their life*
*Canadian Cancer Society

4. Finished Treatments? Congrats!
Now the REAL work begins
Nearly 30% of women
diagnosed with early-
stage breast cancer will
develop metastatic
disease.*
*www.breastcancer.org

5. When weeds grow in your
garden, what do you do?
Pull them
Poison them
Nurture the soil
Seed vs Soil

6. You’ve Got One Busy Body
Your body performs 2 trillion cell
divisions per day
Each division requires 6 billion
“letters” of DNA to be perfectly
copied.

7. Even Perfection Has Typos
Every single cell will have a
minimum of 10,000 DNA
lesions per day*
The quality of our terrain may
influence whether damaged
cells are repaired, removed, or
escape detection
*Timmins J. Recognition of DNA Lesions. Int J Mol Sci.
2023 Jun 2;24(11):9682. doi: 10.3390/ijms24119682.
PMID: 37298630; PMCID: PMC10253669.

8. The Terrain
Genetics & Epigenetics
Inflammation
Blood Sugar Balance
Toxic Burden
Blood Circulation
Mental & Emotional Well-Being
Immune System
Hormone Balance
Stress & Biorhythms
Digestion / Microbiome

9. ...And the Winners Are
Blood sugar balance
Digestion / microbiome

10. Wait, What About Hormones?

11. Blood Sugar and Metabolic Mayhem
Women with Type II Diabetes are
50% more likely to die of breast
cancer.*
Consistently high blood sugar is
linked to increased obesity,
inflammation, stress, and hormone
imbalance - including estrogen
dominance
*Zhao, Xiao-Bo & Ren, Guo-Sheng. (2016). Diabetes
mellitus and prognosis in women with breast cancer:
A systematic review and meta-analysis.

12. But I Don’t Have Diabetes?
30% of Canadian woman have
diabetes or prediabetes
By the time a woman is pre-
diabetic, she may have been
experiencing insulin resistance
for over 10 years
The percentage of women with
insulin resistance is unknown,
but may be significantly larger.

13. Signs of Dysregulated Blood Sugar
Craving sweets, even after eating a
full meal
Inability to go without food for
more than 4 hours
Experiencing light-headedness,
shakiness, or irritability if you go too
long without eating
Feeling immediate relief when
eating sugar or simple
carbohydrates
Waking up in the middle of the night
to pee.

14. Digestion & Microbiome
70-90% of our immune system
resides in our gut
It plays a major role in digesting
and assimilating nutrients, as
well as excreting toxic waste
Essential for estrogen
metabolism and detox
A healthy microbiome has been
shown to improve the efficacy
of all cancer treatments.

15. Signs of Digestive Stress
Heartburn
Bloating / gas within an hour after
eating
Meats are difficult to digest
Feeling excessive fullness after
meals
Feel better without eating
Feel a gnawing pain on an empty
stomach
Less than one bowel movement
per day
Poor quality stool (Bristol Chart)

16. Estrogen: The Plot Thickens
There are 3 main types of estrogens:
Estrone (E1)
Estradiol (E2)
Estriol (E3)
The strongest one is estradiol (E2)
However, very little attention is paid
to estrogen metabolites, which can
have a profound effect on breast
cancers.

17. When Estrogen Goes Rogue
Estrogen is processed in the liver in
preparation for excretion through
intestinal tract
These estrogens become estrogen
metabolites
2-Hydroxy: generally protective
4-Hydroxy: can trigger DNA damage
16-Hydroxy: can drive the growth of
ER+ breast cancers.

18. A Word on Estrogen and
Hormone-Negative Breast Cancers Estrogen metabolites (especially
4-hydroxy) can cause DNA
damage and be involved in the
development and growth of all
breast cancers - even hormone
negative ones.*
*Samavat, H., & Kurzer, M. S. (2015). Estrogen metabolism
and breast cancer.

19. Nutrition Tips
Eat proteins, fibres and fats
with every meal:
3-4 ounces of animal protein
Generous serving of
vegetables (raw or cooked)
Healthy fats

20. Try to source pasture-raised,
grass-fed, wild-caught whenever
possible
Cook meats under 135°C (275°F)
Animal Proteins

21. Aim for a wide variety of
vegetables throughout the week
Herbs and spices count!
Tip: dried herbs are just as
healthy as fresh ones
Variety is more important than
volume
Lightly cooking vegetables may
be easier to digest.
Vegetables

22. Did the fat exist in your great-
grandparents’ days? If yes, then
it’s a healthy fat
Emphasize plant fats such as
extra virgin olive oil, avocados /
avocado oil, raw nuts and seeds
Limit saturated fats such as
butter, cheese, coconut oil, beef
tallow, lard, etc
Healthy Fats

23. Aim for 25g of fibre daily
6-8 cups cooked vegetables
10-12 cups raw vegetables
Fibre

24. Aim for 8 glasses of filtered water
daily
8 glasses = 64 ounces
Add a pinch of sea salt or trace
minerals to every glass of water
Recommended filters:
Reverse osmosis (ie. AquaTrue)
Zero water filter
MUST remineralize!
Hydrate

25. Drink a tablespoon of apple cider
vinegar 10 minutes before meals
(or digestive bitters)
Consume 1-2 heaping tablespoons
of fresh ground flax seeds daily
Add probiotic foods such as plain
yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi,
or miso to your diet.
Small Add-Ons, Big Impact

26. Avoid
Processed meats
Refined sugars and grains
Alcohol
Dried fruits
Fruit juices
Milk

27. Incorporate an active lifestyle
Walk for 10-15 minutes after meals
Replace personal and beauty care
products with paraben-free, sulphate-
free, pthalate-free ingredients
www.ewg.org
“Clean at Sephora”
Avoid strong home cleaning products
Consider replacing plastic food storage
containers with glass.
Lifestyle Tips

28. Time-restricted eating
Mediterranean diet
Ketogenic diet
Nutrition Approaches
Worth Exploring

29. Find Purpose

30. minaknowsbreast.com
[email protected]
minaknowsbreast
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