BBN-It’s probably not something you think about every day, whether or not the foods you are eating could contain carcinogens, but with almost 1.5 million people diagnosed with some type of cancer just last year, perhaps it’s time to look at what is in our foods that could be causing such a huge number of new cancer patients, reports naturalon.com.
Here is a list of the top 10 foods that you most likely consume every day that may contain carcinogens or be suspected of causing cancer.
1. MICROWAVE POPCORN
Those little bags of popcorn are so convenient to just stick in the microwave, you wouldn’t think for a minute that they could be dangerous to your health, but they are.
The lining of the bags have chemicals that research has found leads to liver and pancreatic cancer, infertility, tumors, and are defined by the EPA as known carcinogens.
Also, applied to the popcorn itself, is a chemical called diacetyl. This is known to cause cancer and possibly damage to the lungs.
2. NON-ORGANIC FRUITS
Fruits that are non-organic are contaminated with pesticides and unsafe fertilisers.
Apples are probably the worst offenders with pesticides showing on more than 98 percent of all apples tested.
Fruits with a 90 percent positive rate of pesticide residue included oranges, strawberries and grapes.
Washing fruit does not remove 100 percent of the residue. Pesticides are toxic chemicals to insects as well as human beings.
3. CANNED TOMATOES
Actually, most canned foods are a concern because of what the can is lined with.
The lining of almost all canned foods are made with a chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA.
The studies on this compound suggest it can lead to infertility, heart disease, and many other illnesses.
Tomatoes are exceptionally dangerous due to their high acidity, which seems to cause BPA to leech from the lining of the can into the tomatoes themselves.
The level of BPA can be so high in fact; you should seriously consider not feeding them to children.
4. PROCESSED MEATS
This is a long list that includes, but is not limited to, sausages, hot dogs, bacon, most lunch meats like baloney or pimento loaf.
All processed meats contain numerous chemicals and preservatives, including sodium nitrates, which make them, look appealing and fresh but are well known carcinogens.
5. FARMED SALMON
Although fish sounds like one of the healthiest foods possible, farmed salmon is one you should avoid.
The fish are fed unnatural diets and are contaminated with chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, and other known carcinogens.
6. POTATO CHIPS
Besides being full of Trans fats and excessive sodium, potato chips have artificial flavors, numerous preservatives, and colors.
Potato chips are fried in high temperatures to make them crispy but this also causes them to make a material called acrylamide, a known carcinogen that is also found in cigarettes.
7. HYDROGENATED OILS
Let’s start from the point that all hydrogenated oils are vegetable oils.
Vegetable oils cannot be extracted naturally like butter is, vegetable oils must be chemically removed from their source, then they are changed to be more acceptable to consumers.
They are frequently deodorised and colored to look appealing.
All vegetable oils contain high levels of Omega–6 fatty acids.
An excess of Omega- 6 fatty acids cause health problems, such as heart disease and in increase in various cancers, especially skin cancer. You need a good balance of both Omega 3 and Omega 6.
Try to get plenty of Omega 3 every day. You can do this in the form of supplements and grass fed meats, also fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel are a very good source of Omega 3.
Hydrogenated oils are used to preserve processed foods and keep them looking appealing for a long as possible. Hydrogenated oils influence our cell membranes’ structure and flexibility, which is linked to cancer.
8. SODA POP
Loaded with sugar, artificial colorings and food chemicals like derivative 4-methylimidazole (4-MI), no wonder soda pop has been shown to cause cancer.
Soda pop succeeds in acidifying our bodies thus feeding cancer cells.
9. HIGHLY PROCESSED WHITE FLOURS
Refined white flour is in many processed foods.
It has a very high glycemic rate which quickly raises the blood sugar level and can be a direct cause of diabetes, not to mention it is believed that it spreads cancer cells by feeding the cells directly.
White flour also has a huge amount of carbohydrates which has been linked to breast cancer in women.
10. GMO’s
Genetically modified organisms, more commonly called GMO’s, are foods that have been modified by chemicals and grown with chemicals.
These chemicals are known to cause birth defects and rapid tumor growth in research animals.
Unfortunately, almost all grains, including soybeans, wheat, and corn, have been grown via GMO’s.
GMO’s do not have to be listed on food labels, so look for labels that state the food is GMO free.
11. REFINED SUGARS
Refined sugars are not only known to spike insulin levels, but also to be the most preferable food for cancer cells, thus promoting their growth.
In order to proliferate, cancer cells seem to prefer feeding on fructose-rich sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS); the reason is that HFCS is being metabolized by cancer cells most quickly and easily. Now it is clear why high-fructose corn syrup is considered the worst offender.
And since cakes, pies, cookies, sodas, juices, sauces, cereals, and many other extremely popular, mostly processed, food items are loaded with refined sugars and HFCS in particular, this helps explain why cancer rates are on the rise these days.
12. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Most people use artificial sweeteners to either lose weight or because they are diabetic and must avoid sugar.
The main problem in all this is that there are numerous studies that show people who consume artificial sweeteners on a regular basis, such as in sodas, or coffee sweeteners, actually gain weight.
Not to mention that artificial sweeteners inhibit your body’s ability to monitor its daily calorie consumption and make the body crave even more sweets. Well, we’ve already discussed how refined sugars can cause cancer.
There is mounting evidence that the chemicals that make up these sweeteners, especially aspartame, are deadly toxic to the body and can cause cancer.
13. DIET ANYTHING
Diet foods, including frozen foods, or prepackaged foods labeled as “diet” or “low fat”, including diet sodas, generally contain aspartame, which is a chemical, artificial sweetener. There are numerous studies showing that aspartame causes many diseases and sicknesses such as cancers, birth defects, and heart problems.
14. FOODS THAT ARE HIGHLY SALTED, PICKLED, OR SMOKED
These food items are known to cause higher rates of stomach cancer.
BBN/ANS/AD/08Apr14-4:15 pm (BST)