Disease enters through the mouth, a common saying. If the disease caused by eating is cancer, it is even more alarming. In fact, many delicious foods hide the culprit of cancer. We must be cautious and take preventive measures against cancer-causing foods. Let's take a look at the blacklisted cancer-causing foods and keep them away from our dining tables.
Moldy food
Representative foods: moldy corn, peanuts, rice, beans; improperly stored fermented tofu, bean paste; poor quality peanut oil.
Various grains and legumes, especially corn and peanuts, can produce aflatoxin when they become moldy. Aflatoxin is a highly carcinogenic toxin that is the main cause of liver cancer in some regions. Similarly, some soy products (such as bean paste, fermented tofu) can also produce carcinogenic aflatoxins if improperly stored.
In addition, there are some illegally produced edible peanut oils on the market with outdated production techniques and poor sanitary conditions. The raw materials are prone to mold, resulting in substandard peanut oil that may contain carcinogenic aflatoxins.
Tips
Do not eat moldy peanuts or corn (discolored or with strange odors).
When purchasing fermented tofu and bean paste, do not buy products with damaged packaging or swollen caps. Consume them within the shelf life and store them properly to avoid mold.
When buying peanut oil, try to go to reputable supermarkets or stores and choose brands produced by regular manufacturers. Look for the "quality and safety" and "QS" marks on the packaging. Do not trust street vendors selling unlicensed "freshly squeezed" peanut oil.
Pickled food, leftovers, repeatedly boiled water
Pickled food and leftovers have high nitrite content, which can be converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body.
Tips
Eat less pickled food. Do not eat leftover vegetables. Store green vegetables (especially cabbage) at low temperatures and in dry conditions to prevent spoilage. Do not repeatedly boil drinking water.
Smoked, grilled, fried food
Representative foods: smoked meat, smoked fish, smoked liver, smoked eggs, smoked tofu, cured sausages; various grilled meats (such as lamb, beef, goose, duck, suckling pig, lamb skewers); fried stinky tofu, fried dough sticks, oil pancakes, pork cracklings, crispy rice, etc.
Smoked food has a unique flavor and is commonly seen on festive occasions. However, smoked foods contain a lot of nitrites, which can be converted into nitrosamines and absorbed by the stomach. Nitrosamines are a major cause of cell carcinogenesis.
In addition, meat and fat produce another carcinogen called benzo[a]pyrene during high-temperature smoking, frying, or grilling. The longer they are fried or grilled, the higher the content of benzo[a]pyrene. Street vendors often reuse cooking oil to fry food, resulting in a higher content of carcinogens produced at high temperatures. It has been reported that benzo[a]pyrene increases 20 times when coffee is burnt; the content of benzo[a]pyrene in cured sausages and other smoked products can be 60 times higher than that in ordinary meat.
Tips
Try to eat less smoked, grilled, and fried food; avoid street stalls. When frying food at home, try to shorten the frying time and avoid burning the food. Do not eat burnt rice crusts.
Overly hot and hard food
Representative foods: hot tea, boiling soup.
People in Guangdong love to drink slow-cooked soup. Just before the meal, when the steaming hot soup is served, it is delightful to take a sip first. People in Chaozhou and Shantou areas have a special preference for kung fu tea.
These two dietary habits have a common feature - they emphasize "hotness". However, from a health perspective, this is not a good habit. Eating overly hot or hard food regularly can cause adverse stimulation to the mucosa of the digestive tract, laying the foundation for carcinogenesis and increasing the risk of esophageal cancer.
Tips
Slightly cool down the boiling soup and hot tea before drinking them. Do not eat overly hard food.
High-fat food
Representative foods: fatty meat, animal offal, cream, cheese; fried French fries, potato chips.
A high-fat diet increases the risk of malignant tumors such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and ovarian cancer. Western countries have a higher prevalence of breast cancer and other malignant tumors compared to China, which is related to their high-calorie, high-fat, low-fiber diet.
With the improvement of living standards, cities in China are following in the footsteps of these Western countries. Junk food is popular in cities, and there are more and more chubby people. In addition to the increasing incidence of cardiovascular events, the risk of cancer has also increased.
Tips
Eat less high-fat food and eat more fiber-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
High-proof alcohol
Long-term excessive consumption of high-proof alcohol increases the risk of various digestive tract cancers, such as oral cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, etc., with esophageal cancer being the most prominent.
Moderation is key in the face of delicacies
You can't eat this, you can't eat that. In the face of delicacies, not being able to enjoy them fully would be a great regret in life, some people lament. In fact, everything should be done in moderation.
Enjoying delicious food and maintaining good health are not contradictory. Occasionally and in small amounts, there is no need to panic. If you enjoy eating grilled, fried food, you can try DIY at home. By cooking your own food, you can control the cooking temperature and ensure the quality of the cooking oil, which is both healthy and hygienic, and allows you to enjoy the fun of cooking.
In addition, while enjoying delicious food, you can also consume the following anti-cancer foods to improve your diet:
1. Tomatoes 2. Green vegetables 3. Onions, garlic 4. Citrus fruits 5. Cruciferous vegetables 6. Soybeans 7. Bran (wheat bran) 8. Low-fat milk.
