Fermented food

Cancer is a disease that affects millions of people every year. Since 2012, the disease has taken the lives of more than 8 million people. Although several types of cancers are just ticking time bombs waiting for their moment, most types can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle. Although there are treatments, prevention is the only truly effective way of living a cancer-free life. Consider living healthily as an investment for a brighter future, and it all begins with what we put in our bodies.

You may not be aware, but the foods we can pick off of the shelves or from counters can actually contain carcinogens packaged in confusing or misleading names. This list contains the 20 most consumed foods with known carcinogens that you should avoid starting right now.

1. Margarine

Margarine has been regarded as the healthier alternative to butter for spreading and shallow frying, but the opposite is true. Butter from grass-fed cows provides beneficial nutrients to their milk supply, something that you won’t get from the vegetable or animal fat used to make margarine. During the production process, the ingredients used to make margarine are heated to extremely high temperatures which lead to the occurrence of free radicals.

2. Canned Goods

It’s not that the contents of a can that are dangerous but rather the lining of the can which contains bisphenol-A (BPA), a compound known to trigger brain cancer. Nowadays, you can purchase canned goods from the store that are BPA-free, but you should always double or triple check to make sure you’re getting a safe container. The most dangerous type of canned food in a BPA-lined can is tomato products.

3. Microwave Popcorn

Both the paper bag and the popcorn can lead to lung cancer. The kernels used in popcorns are most likely GMO, and the “butter” that gives it its iconic flavor is nothing more than an artificial flavoring with high traces of diacetyl. Consider popping your own corn the old fashioned way without the inclusion of fake butter, questionable kernels, and hazardous packaging.

4. Deli Meats

Nothing pairs better with a glass of wine than a thin slice of cheese and deli meat. Unfortunately, consuming the sandwich meat you purchase over the counter can severely increase your risk of colon cancer. Most deli meats are jam-packed with preservatives to give them that “healthy” look for weeks on end before being picked up by an unsuspecting carnivore.

5. Grilled Red Meat

Grilling your meat is arguably one of the best ways to enjoy the natural flavors and juiciness of a thick steak, burger, or hot dog, but it’s the heat and residual char marks that could potentially increase your risk of cancer. The char marks contain heterocyclic aromatic amines, a known carcinogen. You’re better off preparing your steak or hot dog in a skillet than on a grill.

6. Smoked Meat

It’s not the smoking process that can lead to cancer but rather the preservatives injected into the smoked meat at your local butcher shop or grocery store. The additives can add up over time and produce toxins that encourage the growth of cancerous cells. Consider purchasing a slab of raw meat and smoking it yourself.

7. Refined White Flour

Refining white flour removes all nutritional value. Bleaching flour is done to make it look more appealing to customers. What you may not know is that chlorine, a hazardous chemical to humans, is used to whiten flour. Furthermore, consuming refined white flour on a regular basis can create an insulin resistance by converting carbs to sugar. The resulting sugar is fuel for cancer cells.

8. Hydrogenated Oils

Hydrogenated oils are oil extracted from vegetable (so far so good) but are then chemically treated to alter how they taste and smell (no longer good). The resulting product is chock full of omega-6 fats – something that we consume way too much of – that can modify the structure of our cells and support the growth of cancerous cells.

9. Farmed Fish

Fish can be one of the healthiest forms of protein we can consume. However, the farmed-raised variety of fish will do nothing for your body. Because fish are raised in a bacteria-filled environment, they need to be given antibiotics, pesticides, and other carcinogenic chemicals to control the growth of viruses and parasites. The resulting fish have most of their nutrients removed and replaced with cancer-causing compounds.

10. Alcohol

They say that the poison in food and drink is in the dosage. There’s a fine line between moderate drinking and overconsumption of alcohol. A glass of red wine a day will help keep your brain sharp, but more than that will exponentially increase the risk of contracting cancer.

11. Refined Sugar

We all have a sweet tooth, but indulging in sugary treats is a main contributor to the growth of cancer cells. Sugar has been proven to be one of the most addictive substances which is unfortunate since cancer cells thrive when abundant levels of sugar is present. Perhaps the next time you feel a sugar crave coming, it’s time to go cold turkey and nibble on a carrot instead.

12. Carbonated Beverages

Soda has never been good for us. Considering the high levels of fructose corn syrup and mysterious food colorings, it’s amazing that the drink is even allowed to be sold in stores and even in school cafeterias. The carcinogen in carbonated drinks can be found in the refined sugars used to give it the sweet taste we’ve grown to love.

13. Potato Chips

Although our bodies require sodium to function properly, having too much of it can destroy our bodies and increase the risk of stomach cancer. Apart from being way too salty, potato chips get their crispiness from acrylamide, a carcinogen used in cigarettes.

14. Artificial Sweeteners

Since sugar can cause cancer down the road, what is the healthier alternative to keeping our teas and coffees sweet? We can tell you right now that the answer does not lie in a packet of artificial sweetener. Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener, can wreak havoc on your organs and cause cancer.

15. “Diet” Food and Beverages

healththoroughfare.com

The problem with diet foods is that they eliminate sugar by replacing it with artificial sweeteners that are low in calories but are carcinogenic. Don’t be fooled the next time you see a diet cola or low-cal package of cookies in the store. Replacing one carcinogen for another is never a good idea.

16. Bread

alphabaking.com

Many of the baked goods we find in grocery stores or chain bakeries add potassium bromated to their dough. The additive increases the bulk of the dough and speeds up the manufacturing process, but ultimately it’s the customer that pays the price. Potassium bromate has been linked to various disorders of the nervous systems and the occurrence of cancer.

17. Low-Fat Yogurt

livestrong.com

Even though this can also be categorized as a “diet” food, it’s still worth mentioning separately. Yogurt has recently been hailed as a superfood, but what we must remember is that the full-fat Greek yogurt variety is really what’s good for you. Most other types of yogurt, including the low-fat type, are full of artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and have most of its probiotic properties removed. Basically, they’re a vehicle for transferring fuel to potential cancerous cells.

18. Dairy

georgiandairy.org

A grass-fed cow will produce high-quality milk. Unfortunately, most dairy cows in the US and Europe are injected with antibiotics that go straight through the cow and is expelled through its udders. The resulting milk – later converted into buttermilk, butter, cream, and other dairy products – goes into our bellies and bodies as possible carcinogens.

19. GMOs

non-gmoreport.com

The debate about whether GMOs are harmful or not has lasted for several years now without an end in sight. Without modifying our foods, we probably wouldn’t have enough produce to go around, but this comes at the cost of accelerating the growth of tumors and cancer cells. The only surefire way to avoid this risk is by purchasing certified non-GMO produce.

20. Fermented Foods

barnraiser.com

Pickles and other fermented foods are undoubtedly delicious and add a refreshing crunch and tanginess to a rich dish. The problem is that store-bought pickles are packed in a preservative nitrate which has been linked to the growth of cancerous cells. Try pickling your own cucumbers for a fresh crunch instead of purchasing the stuff sitting on the shelves.

I actually did not know that foods that have gone through fermentation are powerhouses of nutrients until my father shared a research done on locust beans (Irú) with me. He said that locust beans was spread on some cancer tissues and the locust beans killed all the cancer cells! Apart from killing cancer cells, locust beans also promotes good eyesight, aids digestion, the water and alcoholic extracts of fermented locust beans are used to reduce blood sugar. Locust bean does more but it’s so unfortunate that most of us hate this wonder food.

Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food and creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics.

Some foods are not safe for human consumption; it is only through fermentation that the plant toxins in them are removed and it is this process that brings out the best in such foods. A good example of this is soyabeans . It is less harmful when fermented. The Japanese eat Miso, Tempeh, Natto and Tofu which are all made by fermenting soyabeans. Now, guess what? When it comes to living healthy and long lives, the Japanese are good in that department! If you still take soya milk, I advise that you try to be fermenting it before drinking or, better still, use your soyabeans to make soya locust beans .

Fermentation has also been shown to preserve nutrients in foods and break the food down to a more digestible form. This, along with the bevy of probiotics created during the fermentation process, could explain the link between consumption of fermented foods and improved digestion.

Apple cider vinegar is also a good example. It is made from fermented apple. It is loaded with a lot of health benefits. Women who have met me for their menses to be induced naturally would testify to the fact that this wonder drink is part of the treatment.

Yogurt is another fermented food. It is made by adding bacterial cultures to milk, transforming the milk sugar, lactose, into lactic acid. Here is why yogurt is better than milk. As a matter of fact, it is healthier to take yogurt than milk because, like I have discussed before, the cows that produce the milk we drink are given hormonal injections so that they can produce more milk and also become fleshy on time. While we take milk, we ingest all those hormones too! Fermentation reduces all these. However, not all brands of yogurt are healthy; some have preservatives and that is why they have a long shelf life. This is why I advise people to make their yogurt at home. I know a particular brand that has a shelf life of three weeks because it doesn’t have any preservatives. It is made here in Nigeria. I can be consulted to give the name.

Besides the fact that they taste great , there are several great reasons to start making and eating fermented foods:

1. Eating fermented foods will introduce beneficial bacteria into your digestive system and help the balance of bacteria in the system. Probiotics have also been shown to help slow or reverse some diseases, improve bowel health, aid digestion, and improve immunity!

2. Having the proper balance of gut bacteria and enough digestive enzymes helps you absorb more of the nutrients in the foods you eat. Pair this with your healthy food diet, and you will absorb many more nutrients from the foods you eat. You won’t need as many supplements and vitamins, and you’ll be absorbing more of the live nutrients in your foods.

3. Incorporating healthy foods into your diet can get expensive, but not so with fermented foods. You can make them at home. Adding these things to your diet can also cut down on the number of supplements you need, helping the budget further.

4 Fermentation allows you to store these foods for longer periods of time without losing the nutrients like you would with traditional canning.

5. Fermentation brings out some amazing health benefits in foods.

6. Fermentation removes anti-nutrients from foods .

So, when next locust bean is added to your soup, I want you all to eat with so much relish. In fact, you can eat it raw without adding to soups!

20 FOODS YOU EAT EVERYDAY THAT ARE BAD FOR YOU