Day 6: Cancer prevention – Avoid Processed Meats And Junk Foods

It is a pleasure to share this part with you today friends, and what I write today will include a personal experience. I believe that when we make the right decision about what we consume and not consume, we can avoid most health risks out there which most of us ignorantly romanced.

If you want to prevent cancer, proactive steps need to be taken, and that includes self-discipline about what one consumes. So, today’s topic is: AVOID PROCESSED MEAT AND JUNKS FOODS.

What Is Processed Meat?

Source

Processed meats are those meats that were modified to extend its shelf life. This modification, often with chemicals, changes the taste of these meats. This method may also include smoking, curing, or using salt or preservatives. You can find processed meats at the supermarkets, and they include bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky and others as well as canned meat.

What Is Junk Food?

Source

Junks foods are those packaged foods that have no nutritional value. They contain high levels of calories like sugar or fat with little or no fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals, etc. Food from many eateries, pizza, and fried chicken outlets is considered as junk food.

How They Cause Cancer?

During the process of packaging the meats, carcinogenic chemicals like N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can form. When these meats are prepared at high temperatures, especially on a barbecue, these dangerous chemicals can also form.

These chemical are known for causing various forms of cancers. If you eat 50g of processed meat per day - fewer than two slices of bacon – it increases your chance of developing cancer by 18%. That is staggering!

What Should You Do?

Really, it is difficult determining for everyone what they should eat. Everyone can eat anything so long there is appetite. However, having a sense of responsibility towards one’s health can go a long way in preventing cancer. Avoiding processed meats and junk foods might just be your last card in negotiating your way through the stormy path of cancer.

My Personal Experience

For some of us who enjoy hot dogs, deli sandwiches, and others, it might be difficult to understand why something that tastes so good can harm our health. I remember picking up processed meat off the shelf and going home to prepare it. During preparation, I noticed the color was not the way it should be. After it was cooked, it tasted so bad and instantly caused my stomach to rumble. Days later, I continue to have pain around my kidneys.

While the effect of this meat was instant in my body, it is not often so with some people. It slowly kills them. By the time a scan is carried out, their cancer might have reached an advanced stage. That is not what you want. So stay away from processed meats and junk foods to prevent cancer.