Health
How these foods can give you cancer
Cancer can affect anyone, and one of the ways is through the food that we eat, maybe even on a daily basis. So, you can lower the risks of getting cancer if you exclude the following cancer-causing foods from your diet completely:
Top on the list is microwave popcorn. It seems like a great snack: delicious, easy to make, but also high in fiber and low in fat. Unfortunately, microwave popcorn isn’t as great as it seems, and it can lead to cancer, among other negative health conditions.
The biggest problem with microwave popcorn isn’t the snack itself but the bags where it’s stored. These bags have chemicals that, when broke down, are believed to cause cancer. Once these chemicals are heated up, they make their way into the popcorn.
The most dangerous chemicals that were used in packaging about 10 years ago are now banned. However, you still can’t be completely sure that the chemicals that are used today are safe. So, to reduce the risk of getting cancer, exclude microwave popcorn from your diet.
Canned Foods
According to recent research, about 40% of canned foods that are sold contain preservatives that are linked to serious health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, as well as breast and prostate cancer.
If you, for example, buy canned tomatoes, it’s better to make a switch to fresh vegetables. They might not last as long in the fridge but they will be more delicious and also a lot safer than their canned equivalent.
Farmed Fish
You have probably heard a lot about the health benefits of eating fish. Indeed, fish is one of the best and healthiest foods you can make for dinner. Nevertheless, this doesn’t apply to farmed fish: instead of improving your health, it can lead to medical issues, cancer being one of them.
Farmed fish are fed artificial foods full of chemicals when growing up. It’s only logical that, if a fish has a diet full of carcinogens and then you eat this fish, you risk getting cancer, too. So, don’t exclude fish from your diet completely but, whenever possible, go for wild fish instead of farmed.
Potato Chips
Sadly, this snack, no matter how delicious it is, can be very dangerous. The problem is acrylamide: a carcinogen that can be found in the majority of potato chips. When you heat them up and cook for a long time, a bigger amount of this chemical is produced, increasing the risks of getting cancer for you and for your friends and family you share this snack with.
Sodas
Diet sodas even seem like a healthy option because they don’t have as many calories and, therefore, aren’t likely to lead to obesity. The truth is, sodas, no matter if they are diet or regular, should be avoided.
Sodas are full of artificial sweeteners and other chemicals. These can mess up your body’s metabolic processes, making you store fat instead of burning it, or want more sweet foods after drinking it. To make things worse, they can significantly increase the risks of various types of cancer. So, the less soda you consume, the better for your health.
Refined Sugar
This is one more food that can be difficult to give up. Even if you really try to find foods without refined sugar, you might find it challenging because it can be found practically everywhere. But refined sugar is dangerous. It leads to obesity and, together with that, to a variety of cancers, such as breast, colorectal, and prostate.
It’s best to have more unprocessed or minimally processed options in your diet, such as vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. These are very low in refined sugar and, therefore, are better for you.
Hydrogenated Oils
Trans fat, which is found in hydrogenated oils, is the worst kind of fat there is. It’s known to lead to many serious health problems, including problems with the immune system, heart disease, and cancer.
Vegetable oils aren’t the best choice either because of the many chemicals that are used to extract it and to make its smell and taste better. The option you can turn to is olive oil: it’s healthy, delicious, and it even has a cardio-protective effect.
Processed Meats
Hot dogs, bacon and ham are such delicious options for dinner or just for a snack. However, it’s recommended to remove all the processed meats from your diet completely. This is because they are full of chemicals and preservatives that make them carcinogenic.
According to researchers, for every 50 grams of salami, frankfurts, or other processed meats that you eat, the risk of you getting bowel cancer goes up 1.18 times. This is a convincing enough piece of evidence to stop eating processed meats and search for a better alternative.
Smoked meats should be avoided as well. In fact, they’re even worse than processed because the effect they have on your body is almost the same as the effect of cigarette smoke.
Grilled Red Meat
Studies have shown that when you grill red meat, carcinogens are created, thus putting everyone who eats it at risk. So, when you eat a lot of beef, pork, or lamb, these carcinogens damage the cells of your body and can be the cause of bowel cancer.
The good news is that, if you love red meat, you don’t have to forget about it completely: you just have to be careful with how much you eat. If you eat 1 serve (about 100 grams) per day or 2 serves 3 times a week, you should be fine, and the risks of getting cancer will be minimal.
