Monitoring the food you eat -- and don't eat -- not only impacts your health; it can help protect you from cancer. Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, president of Gaynor Integrative Oncology, shares the key foods that can promote healthy habits and help ward off the disease.

Foods to Eat

1. Broccoli and Cauliflower
Up the amount of broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage in your diet. These cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, which rids the body of carcinogens.

2. Green Tea
A lower incidence of breast cancer has been found in women who drink the most green tea, according to studies. There is a substance in green tea that helps genes inhibit tumor growth.

3. Salmon and Cottage Cheese
Try food rich in vitamin D, such as salmon, cottage cheese, and other dairy products. Studies indicate that women with the lowest levels of vitamin D have an increased risk of breast cancer.

4. Flaxseed and Walnut Oil
The omega-3 fatty acids in walnut oil, flax and pumpkin seeds, and cold- and deep-water fish have been shown to help lower inflammation and turn off enzymes that promote cancer.

5. Rosemary and Turmeric
Add spices like rosemary and turmeric to your meals. They can inhibit the development of breast cancer by shutting down the enzymes which promote it, say studies.