The 10 Most
Cancer Causing Foods Try to Never Eat
Every day
there’s a new warning about another food causing cancer—and often, that advice
turns out to be bunk. We talked to oncologists to learn which foods may truly
put us at risk.
Processed
Meats
Most
processed meat products, including lunch meats, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs,
contain chemical preservatives that make them appear fresh and appealing, but
that can also cause cancer. Both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have been
linked to significantly increase the risk of colon and other forms of cancer,
so be sure to choose only uncured meat products made without nitrates, and
preferably from grass-fed sources.
Refined
sugars
The same
goes for refined sugars, which tend to rapidly spike insulin levels and feed
the growth of cancer cells. Fructose-rich sweeteners like high-fructose corn
syrup (HFCS) are particularly offensive, as cancer cells have been shown to
quickly and easily metabolize them in order to proliferate. And since cookies,
cakes, pies, sodas, juices, sauces, cereals, and many other popular, mostly
processed, food items are loaded with HFCS and other refined sugars, this helps
explain why cancer rates are on the rise these days.
Microwave
popcorn
Sure it’s
easy to pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave when you want a quick and tasty
snack, but is it really worth risking yourself for liver, testicular and
pancreatic cancer? The microwave popcorn bags you have in your cabinet are
lined with carcinogenic chemicals AND so is a chemical in the popcorn itself,
which creates the artificial butter flavor. If you can’t give up your favorite
movie-time snack, it’s time to switch to the old-fashioned stove top or a
kernel popping machine like you see at movie theaters.
Non-organic
produce
You’re not
alone in thinking ALL fruits and vegetables are good for you, but there are
actually many dangerous pesticides sprayed on non-organic fruits that are
linked to cancer. One example is Altrazine, a weed-killer used at many U.S.
farms, but banned in Europe for causing severe problems in humans, such as
infertility. Another problem with non-organic farmed produce is the use of
toxic fertilizers and hormones used to make fruits and veggies bigger. In case
you were wondering, the worst offenders are apples, followed by oranges,
strawberries and grapes. ALWAYS wash fruits and veggies to be safe, but know
that this doesn’t remove all pesticides.
Potato chips
They may be
cheap, easy and delicious, but these crispy, addicting snacks can also be
deadly. These fatty foods don’t only cause weight gain because of their high
trans-fat content, they also have excessive sodium levels, which cause high
blood pressure and artificial flavors, preservatives and colors. Another risk
is the presence of acrymalide, a known carcinogen found in cigarettes. Try not
to feed these quick snacks to yourself or your kids and choose pretzels,
air-popped popcorn or baked apple chips instead.
Hydrogenated
oils
Hydrogenated
oils are vegetable oils, which cannot be naturally extracted like olive oil,
soy or canola oil, they must be chemically removed. They are commonly used in
many foods in your pantry to preserve and keep their shelf life, yet they are
also linked to cancer, birth defects, heart disease and many other fatalities.
NEVER cook with hydrogenated oils and check your labels for healthy oils like
olive, soy and canola instead.
Farmed
salmon
Farmed
salmon is another high-risk cancer food, according to Dr. David Carpenter,
Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of
Albany. According to his assessment, farmed salmon not only lacks vitamin D,
but it is often contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals, PCBs (polychlorinated
biphenyls), flame retardants, pesticides, and antibiotics.
Diet’ foods,
beverages
Even worse
than conventional sugar-sweetened soda pop, though, is “diet” soda pop and
various other diet beverages and foods. A recent scientific review issued by
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of more than 20 separate research
studies found that aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners,
causes a range of illnesses including birth defects and cancer. Sucralose
(Splenda), saccharin and various other artificial sweeteners have also been
linked to causing cancer.
Soft drinks
Soft drinks,
soda, pop… no matter what you call it, it’s still detrimental to your health!
Soda is packed full of calories, sugar and artificial ingredients, and has ZERO
nutritional benefit. One can of soda contains about ten packets of sugar and
most popular diet and sugared sodas are nearly as corrosive to dental enamel as
battery acid. Think the occasional soda won’t hurt? Studies have shown that
only drinking two sodas per week nearly doubles the risk of pancreatic cancer.
There are plenty of alternatives out there, so next time you’re craving
something sweet, think about what you’re putting into your body. Your health is
an investment, never forget that!
Artificial
sweeteners
While many
people choose artificial sweeteners to lose weight, they are actually doing way
worse damage to the body. People who consume artificial sweeteners in soda,
coffee or diet-candy actually end up gaining weight and it does nothing to help
those with diabetes. Aspartame found in artificial sweeteners has been known to
cause convulsions, cataracts and gastro paresis. Also, artificial sweeteners do
nothing to inhibit the body’s ability to monitor its daily calorie consumption,
making us crave sweets even more. Another deadly toxin called DKP forms in the
body from these fake sweets that produces cancer-causing chemicals, especially
brain tumors. To sum it up, there is pretty much NEVER a good reason to ingest
artificial sweeteners.
