TOP TEN FOODS TO AVOID

There's a very popular statement going around that states, "everything causes cancer, so just eat whatever you want".  I think people just use this to excuse their own ways of eating.  But the truth of the matter is that many common food items have been scientifically PROVEN to increase cancer risk and some more than others.  Here are 10 of the most unhealthy, cancer-causing foods that you should never eat  again:

1. Genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).  GMOs have no place in any cancer-free diet, especially now that both GMOs and the chemicals used to grow them have been shown to cause RAPID tumor growth.  But, GMOs are everywhere, including in most food derivatives made from conventional corn, soybeans and canola. However, you can avoid them by eating certified organic, certified non-GMO verified, and locally grown foods that are produced naturally.  
2. Processed meats.  Most processed meat products, including lunch meats, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs contain chemical preservatives that make them appear fresh, but that can also cause CANCER.  Both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have been linked to significantly increasing the risk of colon and other forms of cancer.  
3. Microwave popcorn.  They might be convenient, but those bags of microwave popcorn are lined with chemicals that are linked to causing infertility, liver, testicular and pancreatic cancers.  The EPA recognizes the chemicals in the bags as carcinogenic, and several independent studies have linked the chemical to causing tumors.  Also, the chemical itself in the popcorn is linked to causing both lung damage and cancer.  
4. Soda.  Just like processed meats, soda has been shown to cause cancer as well as its loaded with sugar, food chemicals and colorings. Soda acidifies the body and literally feeds cancer cells.  
5. "Diet" foods and beverages.  Even worse than conventional sugar-sweetened soda, is "diet" soda and other diet beverages.  Recent scientific evidence  shows that aspartame, one of the MOST common artificial sweeteners, causes a range of illnesses including birth defects and CANCER.  
6. Refined white flours.  Refined flour is a common ingredient in processed foods, but its excess carbohydrate content is a serious cause for concern.  A study published in the Journal of  Cancer Epidemiology, found that regular consumption of refined carbohydrates was linked to a 220% increase in breast cancer among women.  
7. Refined sugars.  The same goes for refined sugars, which cause a rapid spike in insulin levels and feed the growth of cancer cells. Sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are particularly offensive as cancer cells have been shown to quickly and easily metabolize them in order to multiply.  And, since cookies, cakes, pies, sodas, juices, sauces, cereals and many other popular, mostly processed food item are loaded with HFCS and other refined sugars, this helps explain why cancer rates are on the rise.
8. Conventional apples, grapes and other "dirty" fruits.  Many people think they are eating healthy when they buy apples, grapes or strawberries from the store.  But unless these fruits are organic or verified to be pesticide free, they could be a major cancer risk.  The Environmental Working Group found that up to 95% of all conventional produce, and particularly the type found on its "dirty" list, is contaminated with cancer-causing pesticides. 
9. Farmed salmon.  Farmed salmon is another high-risk cancer food according the director of the Institute for Health and Environment at the University of Albany.  According to their assessment, farmed salmon not only lacks Vitamin D, but it is often contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals, PCBs, flamed retardants, pesticides and antibiotics.
10. Hydrogenated oils.  They are commonly used to preserve processed foods and keep them shelf-stable.  But hydrogenated oils alter the structure and flexibility of cell membranes throughout the body which can lead to cancer.  Some manufacturers are phasing out the use of hydrogenated oils and replacing them with palm oil and other safer alternatives, but trans fats are still widely used in processed foods.

Remember my 4 Rules for Shopping?  In a previous blog I gave tips to follow while grocery shopping:

• Buy at least 80% of your food in the fresh produce aisle with one exception--whole grains, oatmeal and legumes
• Don't believe anything on the FRONT of the package...that information is solely for selling the product.
• Read the nutritional labels--check out % of fat from calories, sodium content, and avoid any cholesterol, saturated fat and sugar.
• My 5 ingredient rule--no more than 5 ingredients listed and you must know what the ingredients are.

If you can follow these basically simple rules and buy organic whenever you can, (check out my previous blog regarding the "dirty" dozen list of produce) you will be in very good shape.  

The closer you can eat to nature, foods in their natural "whole" state, nothing added, nothing taken away, the healthier you will be eating.  

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