Processed Foods Linked to Cancer – Should I Eat Trees?

Most people have heard that there is a link between processed meat and cancer, yet most of the population in the United States still eat hot dogs, sausage, cold meat, and bacon – any meat that has been salted, fermented, salted, or smoked to add flavor and to preserve it.

 

Cutting out red meat is a start, but chicken, fish, and other white meat present the same problem. You don’t hear about that much. “The other meats” are preserved and flavored in much the same way. So, what is are you supposed to eat.

 

It’s not that you shouldn’t eat any meat, just cut down on the amount of meat that you eat and be aware of the risks. You may hear of people saying their grandparents lived on red meat and lived to be 106. Everyone is unique and our genetics are all different. So, you may be able 100g or 200g of processed meat and be fine, but do you really want to take that chance? You could also smoke 10 packs of cigarettes a day and not get cancer or jump out of an airplane without a parachute and live.

 

What am I supposed to eat – trees and grass? Some may choose to go vegan and decide to eat a plant-based diet. It is my opinion that the first step is to begin to eat clean. Clean eating simply means eating whole foods – foods that are not processed or minimally processed so they are as close to their natural form as they can be. Finding whole foods for clean eating is really quite a chore at times. It doesn’t mean organic. Even organic foods are processed so don’t let that fool you.

 

Processing includes any kind of additives – salt, sugar, fat (for flavor), preservatives (so food lasts longer), vitamins, etc. So, it is anything that changes the form of natural food or foods manufactured in a lab (these you usually can not pronounce). That doesn’t include just hot dogs, but organic pasta sauce in a jar to instant oatmeal. Yes, even instant oatmeal.

 

Having a great looking body on the outside does not mean you have a great body on the inside. Thin and sick is not worth it.

Here are a few foods to eat to help you eat clean:

  • Nuts
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Dried legumes
  • Whole wheat bread, pasta, steel-cut oatmeal and brown rice
  • Unprocessed meat – (if you hunt – wild meat is best)
  • Hormone-free and pasture fed (not grain-fed) meat
  • Organic, pesticide-free food

Remember, just because you are eating clean doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want. You can still take in a ton of calories eating clean so be aware of portion sizes.

 

Bottom line, stay away from foods that are highly processed and you will likely avoid getting high blog pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. You may even notice that your hair and skin start to look even more healthy.

If you need any more motivation on why to stay away from processed foods and get healthy… keep coming back to this blog for more interesting articles.