5 Of The Top Cancer Causing Foods You Must Avoid

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The Big C. Everyone wants to avoid it, but not everyone takes all the steps they can to do so. We all know a friend, co-worker, or family member that has been touched by cancer. More than one million people around the world get diagnosed with some type of cancer every single year according to the American Cancer Society.

Of course, there are long lists of possible causes including genetics, a sedentary lifestyle, tobacco and alcohol use, certain types of infections, and exposure to a variety of environmental chemicals and radiation. However, the number one cause continues to be diet related.

Everyone knows that we can eat large amount of organic fruits and vegetables and prevent cancer, so why do some people scoff at the idea that eating certain foods will cause cancer?

Let’s take a look at the top 5 major offenders that are well-known for their cancer causing capabilities.

1. Processed Foods

Why are processed foods so bad for us? It’s because of the multitude of substances that that are added to processed foods such as refined salt, refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.

2. Red Meat, Processed Meats or Charred Meats

Eating small amounts of organic, grass fed red meat is actually good for the body, however, few people do this. A diet high in red meat and processed meats, including charred meats, are well known for causing a higher risk of stomach cancer and bowel cancer. Processed meats include hot dogs, lunch meats, and bacon.

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3. Refined Sugar

There has been a great deal of debate lately about the role that sugar plays in in the formation, growth, and metastasis of cancer. The link between sugar and cancer is very complex and not completely understood but there is no denying that sugar stimulates some type of reaction in the body that sometimes leads to certain cancers. One thing that is well known is that a diet high in sugar causes weight gain and being overweight absolutely increases the risk of cancer. Obesity changes the hormone levels in the body, which increases the risk of breast, uterine, or colon cancer.

4. Junk Foods

When we talk about junk foods, we are referring to potato chips, French fries, fried foods such as onion rings or fried chicken, and many other types of snack foods. Fried foods in particular are dangerous since foods that are heated in oil at high temperatures form a substance called acrylamide, which is known to increase the risk of cancerous tumors. In addition to acrylamides, most junk foods are loaded with other cancer causing substances called trans fats and trans fatty acids. This is because of the oils that are either in the food or that the food is fried in.

5. Over Consumption of Alcohol

We aren’t talking about that one glass of wine that you enjoy with dinner, but excessive alcohol consumption. That is defined as more than one drink each day for women and two drinks each day for men. There is a great deal of evidence between alcohol consumption and several types of cancer. The more alcohol that a person drinks on a regular basis over time, the higher your risk of cancer. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to an increased risk of developing liver cancer, throat cancer, bowel cancer, and breast cancer.

As we mentioned earlier, there are several other factors that go into the development of cancer and some of these are out of our control. However, what we eat and drink can stimulate cancer or prevent it and THAT is 100 percent within our control.

References:

www.pcrm.org

www.oncologynutrition.org

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