Breast cancer awareness may be over for the month of October, but that does not mean women should forget important preventative measures year-round.

"Dietary habits, weight control and physical activity can lower the risk of breast cancer to at least 33 percent,'' Steven Pratt, M.D., tells AOL Black Voices. Dr. Pratt, a world-renowned authority on the role of nutrition and lifestyle in preventing disease and optimizing health, is author of 'SuperHealth: 6 Simple Steps, 6 Easy Weeks, 1 Longer, Healthier Life,'' a guide to ways to fight cancer, control heart disease, reverse aging and lose weight.

He offers AOL Black Voices readers 10 tips (also included in his book) to help prevent breast cancer:

Tip 1: Have a yearly mammogram starting at 40 and a clinical breast exam every year as well. Start breast self-exams at the age of about 20.

Tip 2: If you plan to have children, speak with your health care professional about strategies to keep your weight under control during the pregnancy and have a normal weight child at birth. Breast feed for six to 12 months to help ensure a lifetime of SuperHealth for your child and help decrease your risk of breast cancer.

Tip 3: If you have a positive history of breast cancer, avoid alcohol. If there is no family history and you choose to drink, have a maximum of three drinks a week.

Tip 4: Choose healthy fats (first-cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, fat from nuts and seeds, avocados, and whole grains, wild salmon and sidekicks like Alaskan halibut, canned chunk light or albacore tuna in water, sardines, herring, farmed trout, sea bass, oysters, and clams [farmed or wild]).

Tip 5: Watch your weight and your waist: the mirror tells all. Aim for a stable normal weight during your adult life.

Tip 6: Be physically active and burn those calories.

Tip 7: Eat cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussel sprouts, red and green cabbage, kale turnips, cauliflower, collard greens, bok choy, mustard greens, Swiss chard, rutabaga).

Tip 8: Between your multivitamin, diet and vitamin D3 supplements, aim for 1200 to 2000 IU a day of vitamin D, and don't forget to get sunlight for up to 20 minutes at least three to four days a week.

Tip 9: Eat 10 to 15 grams of soy protein (from whole food sources like tofu, soymilk, soy nuts, edamame, tempeh and miso) daily (breast cancer survivors should check with their health-care professionals) and 2 to 4 tablespoons of flaxseed meal. Also enjoy other legumes (such as lentil, chickpeas, black beans, green peas, and pinto beans) several times a week.

Tip 10: Choose whole fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and breakfast cereal.