Ever wonder which foods should be strongly avoided by those at high risk
for cancer? We can begin identifying cancer-causing foods once we know
which ingredients in our food cause cancer. Some of those ingredients
are food additives and chemicals used to enhance taste, while others are
used strictly for appearance or to increase product shelf life. The key
to avoiding cancer-causing foods is knowing which ingredients are
carcinogens -- or cancer promoters -- and then reading food labels to
permanently avoid consuming those ingredients.
Cancer tumors
develop, in part, by feeding on sugar in the bloodstream. If you eat
lots of sugary snacks loaded with simple carbs, you're loading your
bloodstream with the chemical energy needed for cancer cells (and
tumors) to proliferate. No biological system can live without fuel for
its chemical processes, including cancer cells. Thus, one of the
strategies to pursue for any anti-cancer diet is to
eat low-glycemic diet.
That means no refined sugars... ever! No refined grains (white flour,
for example), no heavy use of sweeteners and the lifetime avoidance of
sugary soda pop. Aside from starving tumors, eating foods low in sugar
and avoiding simple carbs will also keep your weight in check while
helping prevent blood sugar disorders such as type-2 diabetes.
What to avoid on the labels:
high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, sucrose, enriched bleached flour,
white rice, white pastas, white breads and other "white" foods.
The dangers of hydrogenated oils
Hydrogenated
and partially hydrogenated oils -- another danger -- are developed from
otherwise harmless, natural elements. To make them hydrogenated, oils
are heated in the presence of hydrogen and metal catalysts. This process
helps prolong shelf life but simultaneously creates trans fats, which
only have to be disclosed on the label if the
food
contains more than 0.5 grams per serving. To avoid listing trans fats,
or to claim "trans fat free" on their label, food manufacturers simply
adjust the serving size until the trans
fat
content falls under 0.5 grams per serving. This is how you get modern
food labels with serving sizes that essentially equate to a single bite
of food. Not exactly a "serving" of food, is it?
Besides being a
cancer
factor, trans fats promote heart disease, interrupt metabolic
processes, and cause belly fat that crowd the organs and strain the
heart. The essential fatty acids that the hydrogenation process removes
are responsible for a number of processes in your body. When trans fats
replace these essential fatty acids, they occupy the same space without
doing the same job. The "anchor" portion of the fatty acid is in place
(which is how the body recognizes the fatty acid and puts it to work)
but the chemically active part of the fatty acid is twisted, distorted,
and missing vital parts.
After the hydrogenation process, the
fatty acid can't biochemically function in the same way. Things like
brain cell function, hormones, gland function, oxygen transport, cell
wall function (keeping things in or out of your cells) and digestive
tract operation (putting together nutrients and blocking allergens) are
adversely affected.
Food manufacturers don't tell you this on the
product label, of course. Your body needs essential fatty acids and you
are programmed to keep eating until you get them. If you're only eating
trans fats, you'll never feel fully satiated, because your body will
never get the fatty acids it needs for essential function. Since cancer
needs high blood sugar and low oxygen levels, a person with lots of
belly fat who just can't seem to put down those trans fat cookies or
crackers (also loaded with flour and simple sugars) presents the ideal
environment for the development of cancer.
The acrylamide factor
Since
trans fats are often formed during the frying process, we should also
talk about acrylamides. Acrylamides are not added into food; they are
created during the frying process. When starchy
foods
are subjected to high heat, acrylamides form. A Swedish study found
that acrylamides cause cancer in rats, and more studies are under way to
confirm the understanding that acrylamides also cause cancer in humans.
Sodium nitrite (and nitrates)
Food
companies add sodium nitrite into certain foods on purpose. This
carcinogen is added to processed meats, hot dogs, bacon, and any other
meat that needs a reddish color to look "fresh." Decades ago when meats
were preserved, it was done with salt. But in the mid 20th century,
food manufacturers started using sodium nitrite in commercial
preservation. This chemical is responsible for the pinkish color in meat
to which consumers have grown accustomed. Although today the use of
refrigeration is largely what protects consumers from botulism and
bacteria, manufacturers still add sodium nitrite to make the meat look
pinkish and fresh.
The nitrites themselves are not the problem.
People get more nitrites from vegetables than they do from meat,
according to research by the University of Minnesota. During the
digestion process, however, sodium nitrite is converted to nitrosamine,
and that's where the cancer problems begin. Nitrosamine is a carcinogen,
but since it is not technically an ingredient, its presence can be
easily overlooked on the packaging. Nitrosamines are also found in food
items that are pickled, fried, or smoked; in things such as beer,
cheese, fish byproducts, and tobacco smoke.
Knowing about all
these ingredients doesn't mean there is simply a "short list" of foods
that should be avoided. You have to vigilant and read labels constantly.
Here are the five worst offenders:
- Hot dogs: The
Cancer Prevention Coalition recommends that children should not eat more
than 12 hot dogs per month because of the risk of cancer. If you must
have your hot dog fix, look for those without sodium nitrite listed
among the ingredients.
- Processed meats and bacon:
These meats almost always contain the same sodium nitrite found in hot
dogs. You can find some without nitrites, but you'll have to look for
them in natural grocers or health food stores. Bacon is also high in
saturated fat, which contributes to the risk of cancers, including
breast cancer. Limiting your consumption of processed meats and
saturated fats also benefits the heart.
- Doughnuts:
Doughnuts contain hydrogenated oils, white flour, sugar, and
acrylamides. Essentially, they're one of the worst cancer foods you can
possibly eat. Reader's Digest calls doughnuts "disastrous" as a
breakfast food, and many experts agree it's probably one of the worst
ways to start the day.
- French fries: Fries are made
with hydrogenated oil and fried at high temperatures. Some chains even
add sugar to their fry recipe to make them even more irresistible. Not
only do they clog your arteries with saturated fat and trans fat, they
also contain acrylamides. They should be called "cancer fries," not
French fries.
- Chips / crackers / cookies: These
generally contain white flour and sugar as well as trans fats, but it's
not enough to simply look for these ingredients on the label; you have
to actually "decode" the ingredients list that food manufacturers use to
deceive consumers. They do this by hiding ingredients (such as hiding
MSG in yeast extract, or by fiddling with serving sizes so they
can claim the food is trans fat free, even when it contains trans fats
(the new Girl Scout cookies use this trick).
Besides
avoiding these foods, what else can consumers do to reduce their risk of
cancer? The main things are simple: Eat unprocessed foods and base your
diet largely on plants. Consume foods that have omega-3 fats and other
essential fatty acids. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables; many common
ones have known cancer-fighting properties. Get regular vigorous
exercise, since tumors cannot thrive in highly oxygenated environments.
Keep your blood sugar stable to avoid being an all-you-can-eat buffet
for cancer cells.
Eat foods high in natural vitamin C, a nutrient
that deters the conversion of nitrite into nitrosamine and promotes
healthy immune function. Make sure you get adequate amounts of
cancer-fighting vitamin D through exposure to sunlight -- about 10 to 15
minutes each day if you have fair skin, or ten times as long if you
have dark skin pigmentation. Stay well hydrated to ensure that your body
rids itself of toxins. Avoid smoking and don't use conventional
fragrance, cosmetics and personal care products -- virtually all of them
contain cancer-causing chemicals.
Preventing cancer is actually
quite straightforward. Even the World Health Organization says that 70
percent of all cancers can be prevented with simple changes in diet and
lifestyle. The truth is that
most people give themselves cancer
through the foods, drinks and products they choose to consume. In my
opinion, over 90 percent of cancers are easily preventable.
By
the way, don't you find it interesting that the cancer industry seems to
have no interest whatsoever in urging people to avoid eating sodium
nitrite, or to stop using cancer-causing skin care products, or to get
more sunlight on their skin so they can prevent cancer with vitamin D?
As you'll read in many other articles I've written here, it is my firm
belief that the cancer industry has no interest whatsoever in preventing
cancer, and it primarily interested in treating cancer for profit. This
view is generally agreed upon by noted cancer experts such as Dr.
Samuel Epstein and Dr. Ralph Moss. See
www.PreventCancer.com to learn more from Dr. Epstein.
