To increase your own health and happiness, learn how to avoid cancer causing foods.
Today’s modern world is bombarded more and more with synthetic, man-made, and unhealthy foods. Most foods found in convenience and regular grocery stores are more unhealthy than healthy! This is the same for many restaurants today who use food and food ingredients that are more health destroying than health promoting! While it can be difficult to completely avoid these toxic foods in our society, there is a lot we can do to reduce or eliminate the most toxic, harmful, and cancer-causing foods.
This is especially important when we stop to realize that cancer is one of the top killers in America today. Even decreasing our exposure to these foods can have a great impact on our health and greatly reduce our chance for cancer. The problem is that most foods today increase risk of cancer in more than just one way. Many foods come from poor soil and are grown using synthetic pesticide and herbicide chemical ingredients, then undergo heavy processing. Added to those foods are other harmful ingredients: trans fats, processed sugar, processed oils, coloring and flavoring chemicals, and preservatives, to name a few! The point is, these cancer-causing foods have multiple ways they can cause cancer!
While many foods found today can either lead directly or indirectly to cancer, there are a few foods in particular that are particularly linked to causing cancer and should absolutely be avoided where possible.
Processed and Packaged Meats
This includes bacon, lunch meats, sausage, hot dogs, and other processed meat products. Most processed meats, unless they are certified organic, contain man-made, synthetic preservatives. The worst offender found in most processed meats is called sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite. These chemicals not only help preserve the meat, but give the nice red-pink color that we expect to see when purchasing meat. The grayish color that naturally occurs isn’t as visually appealing and we are much less likely to buy the meat. Nitrates have been very strongly linked to cancer, especially colon cancer.
Microwave Popcorn
Microwave popcorn bags are lined with different chemicals that have been linked to cancer, especially cancer of the liver, testes, and pancreas. In addition, the chemicals found on the popcorn bags are strongly linked with infertility. Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes these chemicals as harmful, and have listed them as “likely” to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Additionally, lung damage has been shown to result from consuming microwave popcorn.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Many studies have linked GMOs with cancer. In fact, studies have shown that both GMO crops as well as the chemicals used to grow them are linked with rapid tumor growth. This can be difficult to avoid, as GMO food labeling is not required in the U.S. The best way to avoid GMO foods is to buy certified organic foods and foods that are certified non-GMO, especially from local sources. Some of the top GMO foods include soy, corn, canola, sugar beets, and papaya.
Soda Pop
Similar to processed meats, soda pop has been linked to cancer. Soda is loaded with sugar or non-nutritive, synthetic sweeteners such as Splenda or aspartame. In addition, it contains chemicals and food coloring, like caramel coloring. Soda pop is extremely acidifying to the body, which is a big issue because cancer cells can only survive and multiply in an acidic environment. In short, soda feeds and fuels cancer cells.
“Diet” Foods and Drinks
This includes diet soda and other diet foods that are sugar free or have other supposed health benefits. Studies have demonstrated that diet foods, such as diet soda, that contain non-nutritive sweeteners like aspartame are actually more toxic and harmful than the traditional sugar-laden soda. The synthetic sweeteners have been strongly linked to cancer, birth defects, and a number of other health issues such as migraine headaches or seizures.
Refined Flour
Refined flour, primarily white flour, is a common, everyday food ingredient. White flour undergoes excessive processing and is devoid of many, if not all, true nutrients. The heavy processing has an acidifying effect on the body. White flour is a high glycemic food that causes a steep rise in blood sugar, which directly feeds and fuels cancer cells. Instead, choose whole grain flour choices that have been minimally processed and contain all of the nutrients still intact.
Refined and Processed Sugars
This includes white table sugar, (high fructose) corn syrup, agave, and processed honey. Sugar directly feeds and fuels cancer cells but also causes an acidic environment in the body. The worst offenders of the sugars include high fructose sweeteners like corn syrup. Avoid processed sweets such as cookies, cakes, pies, soda, juices, cereals, or sauces that contain added sweeteners. Instead, only get sugar in natural, whole food sources such as fruit.
Non-Organic Foods (or the Dirty Dozen)
The pesticides, herbicides, and other man-made and synthetic chemicals used on non-organic produce is also linked to causing cancer. The most “dirty” or contaminated of the fruits include grapes, strawberries, apples, and peaches. Aim to at least purchase these foods organically to avoid exposure to the pesticide chemicals.
Farm Raised Salmon
For those who eat fish, farm raised salmon lacks the same level of nutrients as wild-caught fish, and is also usually contaminated by a number of chemicals that cause cancer. Some of these toxic chemicals include flame retardants, pesticides, antibiotics, or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Hydrogenated Oils
These man-made trans fats are synthetic and harmful to the body. They are used because they give food a much longer shelf life. The problem is that the hydrogenation process changes the structure of the fat and makes it toxic and acidifying. The change in protein structure causes major problems within the body, at the cellular level, and can lead to a number of diseases, including cancer.
Now that you know what’s bad for you, find out what’s good for you!
