Foods that potentially contribute to cancer can include chemicals, pesticides, preservatives and food additives. These are some of the factors that cause certain foods to be very unhealthy— not only potentially increasing your risk, but also causing ailments like allergies, obesity, and chronic inflammation:
- Food Additives: Nitrates, sulfites, food dyes and coloring and MSG have all been linked to free radical damage in the body. The best way to avoid these is to stay away from products that contain unknown and unpronounceable ingredients.
- Pesticides and Herbicides: Engineered farming practices have overburdened our produce, water, soil and animals with harmful chemicals. The best way to avoid consuming pesticides is to buy organic and ideally locally-grown foods.
- Animal Products with Hormones and Antibiotics: Conventional meat and dairy products are often produced using antibiotics and hormones which help increase production but can also cause effects such as estrogen disruption once consumed. Don’t be fooled by “natural” or “free-range” labels, which don’t always say much about how food is produced. Buy pasture-fed, locally raised animal products that are labeled as hormone and antibiotic-free.
- Added Sugar & Artificial Sweeteners: Studies have linked higher sugar diets to increased risk for certain types of cancer. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharine and sucralose may produce free radicals in the body. High fructose corn syrup, although manufacturers refer to it as a “natural” sweetener, is highly processed, artificial and capable of contributing to obesity and yeast growth, among other negative health effects.
To follow an anti-cancer diet you should support the body’s cleansing and detoxifying processes, lower your toxin intake, and increase the intake of nutrient-rich foods.