Top 10 Most Unhealthy Cancer Causing Foods

Our health reflects what we eat. Balanced diet is highly essential to stay fit in our day to day lives. Our diet consists of different varieties of food items each prepared and processed with a different method. It is during the preparation, storage and processing various changes tend to occur to the basic property of food and might lead to damaged cells. Carcinogenic food items act as cancer causing agents and therefore should be strictly avoided. Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases today and is caused by factors such as genetics, exposure to chemicals and life style. But the factors do not end here. It is also linked to the kind of food to eat and the diet chart you follow.  Therefore, to stay away from cancer, it is highly essential that you remain aware of the different food that risks your life. Most of the mouth watering foodstuffs available in the market are actually carcinogenic and hence a careful selection of food is necessary to protect ourselves and our family members from the risk of developing cancer.

Unhealthy Cancer Causing Foods

Below is the list of the top 10 foods that is highly exposed to cancer.

1. Processed Meat

Processed meat uses different method during its preparation. Some of them are:

  • Some of the common methods used to preserve meat are smoking, salting, curing, pickling and adding chemical preservatives.
  • Processed meat items like bacon, hot dogs, sausages, packaged ham, pepperoni etc contains certain kind of harmful preservatives which make them appear fresh.
  • Sodium nitrite and nitrate are carcinogenic preservatives. They increase the chances of colon cancer and pancreatic cancer.

The World Cancer Research Fund also reminds consumers to avoid processed meats to protect them from cancer.

2. Smoked and Burned Food Items

Barbequed foods are loved by all, but it is fatal too.

  • Smoking and barbecuing leads to the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which increases the risk of cancer.
  • Researches say that eating burned or charred food items increases the chance of pancreatic cancer by about 60%.
  • Cooking food items at high temperature leads to the formation of chemicals such as hetero cyclic amines that increases the chances of bowel or gullet cancer.

3. GMO Foods

With the penetration of biotechnology, there has been a rapid production of genetically modified organisms for food purpose.

  • The genetically modified vegetables, fish and poultry promote rapid growth of tumors in humans.
  • Again the genetically modified corn, tomatoes, potatoes, soybeans, canola, salmons etc are carcinogenic too.

Select food items cautiously. Opt for non-GMO foods or organic foods as they are produced using natural methods.

4. Sweetened Beverages

Soda and other drinks that are sweetened and carbonated have high levels of refined sugar, color and preservatives added to it.

  • According to researchers, people who consume more than two servings of soda per week have 87% more chance of developing cancer in the digestive system.
  • The excess sugar in these beverages acts as a fertilizer for the cancer cells to grow. It also provides all the nourishment for the tumor cells.
  • Caramel color and its derivative 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) present in soda causes cancer too.

5. Foods with Artificial Sweeteners

People have become health conscious today and therefore depend on various diet foods and beverages that are sugar free.

  • Artificial sweeteners are more dangerous than the refined sugar and hence should be avoided at all aspect.
  • Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, Saccharin and Sucralose cause cancer too.

6. Contaminated Produce

  • The naturally produced fruits and vegetables are also contaminated by the use of pesticides.
  • Apples, grapes strawberries, oranges and potatoes are a few of such examples. However, more than 90 % of the samples tested are found to contain pesticide residue.
  • The chemicals in the pesticides increase the risk of cancer and lower the IQ level in children.
  • Always buy fruits and vegetables that are organic or have pesticide-free label.

7. Fried Food Items

Acrylamide, a cancer causing agent is found in fried food items like chips and other crisp.

  • French fries are cooked in trans-fat oils which attacks the heart.
  • Reheated oil releases toxic aldehydes causing cancer and other neurodegenerative diseases.
  • However, majority of the fast food outlets uses re-heated oil to fry potatoes and other fast food items.

8. Microwave Popcorn

This too should be avoided to prevent cancer.

  • The lining of the microwave popcorn bag contain perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA), a great promote of liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer.
  • This is because when the bag is heated,  the chemicals are vaporized and is absorbed by the popcorn which in turn will reach our body.

9. Canned Food Items

  • Canned food items contain harmful preservatives for the body that may react with the can material.
  • Bisphenol-A present in the lining of the cans disrupt the normal hormonal activity of the body causing cancer.

10. Hydrogenated Oil

Hydrogenated oils longer the shelf life of food.

  • Researchers opine that hydrogenated vegetable oils change the structure of the cell membrane thereby making it more susceptible to cancer.
  • Since, these trans-fats are used by commercial food manufacturing units, always check the food labels before buying them.