PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 to 70 at time of diagnosis Sex: Female Menopausal status: Not specified Performance status: Not specified Life expectancy: At least 10 years (excluding breast cancer) Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: No cirrhosis Renal: Not specified Other: Not pregnant Accessible geographically and by telephone Able to communicate dietary data via 24-hour food recall Able to commit to the intervention schedule No comorbidity requiring a specific diet or taking a medication which contraindicates consuming a high fiber diet (e.g., systemic scleroderma, other digestive malabsorption syndromes, and insulin dependent diabetes) No other primary or recurrent invasive cancer within the past 10 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix