Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Program Features Free Virtual Plant-Based Nutrition Courses With Esteemed Surgeon

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Renowned breast cancer surgeon Kristi Funk, MD, is hosting free, live, virtual classes during October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The four-week series is part of the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer campaign, sponsored the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a national nonprofit with more than 17,000 doctor members.

Dr. Funk is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon who co-founded the Pink Lotus Breast Center in Los Angeles. She has helped thousands of women through breast cancer treatment, including a host of celebrities. While writing the national bestseller Breasts: The Owner’s Manual, Dr. Funk’s research led her family to adopt a plant-based diet.

The virtual courses, which are at 8 p.m. EDT on Thursdays, kick off on Oct. 6 with an introduction to plant-based eating with Dr. Funk and Neal Barnard, MD, president of Physicians Committee. On Oct. 13, participants can “cook along” with Food for Life instructor Evelisse Capó. A week later, on Oct. 20, Mayo Clinic dietitian Joseph Gonzalez will present “Mocktails and Myth-Busters.” The virtual series concludes on Oct. 27 with Donna Green-Goodman sharing her own compelling story of surviving breast cancer for more than two decades, and Karen Crisp and Darrell Crisp, MD, who recently authored Banish Breast Cancer: How We Used Lifestyle Medicine to Help Obliterate Breast Cancer.

The courses and events are part of the national Let’s Beat Breast Cancer campaign, which is based on a science-backed strategy with four key components:

• Eating a whole food, plant-based diet. Healthful foods from plants (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans) lower breast cancer risk.
• Exercising regularly. Physical activity, especially vigorous exercise like running and fast cycling, lowers risk of breast cancer.
• Limiting alcohol. Alcohol increases risk of breast cancer.
• Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Excess body weight increases odds of getting breast cancer after menopause.

Participants who want to dive into the four-week challenge, can sign up here. In addition to the free courses and other resources, those taking part will be entered into a weekly drawing for a variety of special prizes, including a Vitamix blender, a do-it-yourself mocktails kit, and swag, including T-shirts, yoga mats and cookbooks.

The events are open to all and more details can be found at PCRM.org/LetsBeatBreastCancer.  

Invisible Vegan, Mamasezz, Mary’s Gone Crackers, Pink Lotus, Soup Girl, GreenFare Organic Café, Imerman Angels, and Vitamix are among the dozens of organizations that are partnering with the campaign. 

For those interested in more hands-on opportunities to learn about a plant-based diet, during the month of October, the Food for Life: Let’s Beat Breast Cancer class series will honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month with courses that will be taught in two dozen states across the country.

Reporters/Producers: Contact Kim to schedule an interview with a Physicians Committee expert. Kim Kilbride 202-717-8665 or kkilbride [at] pcrm.org (kkilbride[at]pcrm[dot]org).