The common phrase, “everything causes cancer” is becoming hyperbolical, and virtually everyone use it as a scapegoat to excuse their lifestyle and dietary failures especially pertaining to cancer risk.
However, most of the common foods we consume today have been scientifically proven to increase the risk of cancer substantially. Here are the ten cancer causing foods that you should never eat.
1. Microwave Popcorn
Most of us enjoy signing off the day by curling up and watching our favorite movie or show, with a bag of freshly blowup popcorn.
They might be convenient and fast to prepare, but those bags of popcorn have chemicals that are linked to causing not only testicular, liver, and pancreatic cancers but also infertility
These claims have been seconded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Microwave popcorn bags linings have perfluorooctanoic acid, a carcinogenic chemical that has been linked to causing tumors in several independent studies.
Additionally, the diacetyl chemical in popcorn is linked to causing cancer and lung damage.
You can enjoy the taste of popcorn by preparing your own at home. This will be healthier as you’ll be using organic popcorn grains.
Avoid buying them at the theaters because they may contain buttering agent that could also be carcinogenic.
NOTE: cancer causing agent in microwave chemical is the perfluorooctanoic acid which becomes active during the microwave process when a substance inside the bags is heated.
2. Canned Food
The debate on whether canned foods have BPAs can cause cancer is not yet concluded, and whether or not the BPAs in the cans get transferred to the food is yet to be concluded.
Each side of the debate can justify their claims by producing studies that support their claims.
Why would you want to be a specimen for the experiment? To be on the safe side, simply eat frozen or fresh food, or buy canned foods that are BPA-free.
When you see such a heated debate, just be sure that it’s a battle between the Big Food companies wanting to maintain their status quo and profits margin and consumer protection advocates fighting for the health of consumers. It’s true that Bisphenol-A (BPA) is carcinogenic.
3. Beef Jerky
Dubbed as a portable protein-packed snack that is healthy, most commercially produced jerky has nitrites that have been found to be a cancer-causing culprit.
Though present in most foods, the amount of nitrites in beef jerky is much more per ounce than in other foods.
To make a convenient beef jerky that is free from carcinogenic gents, use ground-fed ground beef that is rolled out thin with a rolling pin, and bake it in the oven for several hours at the lowest temperature.
Nitrites in beef jerky have been found to cause cancer, and they’re added to the beef jerky to give it an aromatic color, and act as a preservative to keep it fresh for months on the store shelves.
4. GMO Foods
The term GMO is not a new name, but what is not clear is the danger of consuming genetically modified organisms. Again, why do you want to be a specimen in experimenting whether GMO foods are healthy or not?
After they were introduced in 1996, the number of Americans with 3 or more chronic diseases rose from 7% to 13% in 9 years. Autism in children and allergies skyrocketed, as well as digestive and reproductive disorders.
The biggest culprit was the GM bovine growth hormone present in milk. Keep off from these silent killers and opt for certified non-GMO verified, certified organic and locally-grown foods that have been produced without biotechnology.
GMO seeds have herbicides and pesticides built right into them and, therefore, the conventional produce will have these chemicals as inherent substances.
This means that you can’t rinse them off before eating like you’d have done with sprayed crops.
Why be at the center of the debate over the dangers of GMOs when you can just avoid them?
Before you sip the refreshing cola to cool your body, you may need to stop and consider its core ingredients. In order to give it the golden color, cola manufacturer adds a dye that contains a cancer-causing chemical.
The High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is an ingredient in the cola, will feed the cancer cells that might be in your body.
Avoid drinking cola and don’t even wait around for the cola manufacturers or the food industry to find a substitute for this dye. By avoiding cola and other energy drinks, you’ll start seeing a drop in your weight as you’ll have cut the High Fructose Corn Syrup.
NOTE: 4-MI (4-methylimidazole) is the coloring agent in the cola and has been directly linked to cancer in several independent kinds of research.
6. Diet Foods
You might be deceived to think that you’re doing your body a favor by choosing the foods labeled “low-fat” or “diet” but what you’re actually doing is harming yourself more.
The chemical synthetic sweetener aspartame is a big culprit here, causing heart problems, birth defects, and cancer. Think about anything “low-fat” or “diet” as synthetic and not real food.
These foods contain additives similar to those in cocaine to make you feel good and be addicting. Be conscious and consume natural foods that are organic.
7. Potato Chips
They may be delicious, easy, and cheap, but these addicting snacks can also pose deadly symptoms. These fatty chips not only cause weight gain because of their high content of trans-fat but also have excessive sodium levels which can increase your blood pressure.
Also, the additives, preservatives, and coloring present in the potato chips might be toxic to your body.
Another risk chemical in these fatty foods is acrylamides, a carcinogen also found in cigarettes. Opt for the baked apple chips or air-popped popcorns instead of these quick snacks
8. Processed White Flour
Oprah Winfrey famously cut down a lot of weight by just cutting out on anything white, especially the white flour which is the biggest culprit.
You may have heard about its dangers, but you probably haven’t known what makes it toxic to your body.
The processed white flour contains chemical-bleaching chlorine gas that kills all the healthy nutrients in the flour.
White flour also has a high glycemic rate that raises your insulin and blood sugar levels and can be diabetic as well. Cancerous cells and tumors fed on sugar in your bloodstream, and, therefore, you need to avoid refined grains such as processed white flour.
9. Hydrogenated Oils
Hydrogenated oils refer to the vegetable oil that cannot be extracted naturally like canola oil, soy, or olive oil; they must be removed chemically. They are commonly added to many foods as a preservative to keep their shelf life.
They have been linked to birth defects, cancer, heart diseases, and many other health disorders. Avoid cooking using the hydrogenated oils, and instead, opt for healthy oils like canola, olive, and soy oils.
10. Farm-raised Salmon
Fish, especially salmon, is known to be one of the healthiest foods to eat, but unfortunately, more than 60% of the salmon in the U.S. market is farm-raised.
Farm-raised fish are fed with contaminated and unnatural diets that contain pesticides, antibiotics and other carcinogenic elements like asbestos. Farmed salmon is also fattier than the fresh salmon; meaning that it retains more toxins.
Next time you’re looking for a healthy source of Omega-3, treat yourself to a fresh Alaskan salmon instead
Try as much as possible to avoid packed foods, synthetic foods, energy drinks. Keep it natural, Keep it healthy.