10 cancer-causing foods you probably eat every day

With the hustle and bustle that goes on in our daily lives, it’s easy for us parents to prioritize convenience in our lives. Sadly, these little conveniences have harmful effects, and eating cancer-causing foods is a perfect example of this.

1. Sunflower seeds

Although they may seem harmless, sunflower seeds easily absorb and accumulate heavy metal compounds, especially if they are grown in metal-laden soils. Heavy metal is notoriously known to cause lung cancer.

2. Chewing gum

Gum base may not be toxic, but some ingredients found in gum are. These include aspartame and titanium dioxide. So the next time you buy gum, make sure these are not on the ingredients list.

3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Often added to food to make it tastier and more flavorful, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) poses many risks to human health according to studies.

4. Pork liver

Not only is pork liver high in cholesterol, but it is also found to be associated with liver cancer and other health ailments.

5. Glass noodles and rice noodles

One essential food additive that is used in such noodles is called “Alum.” Many research established a link between Alum and breast cancer, as well as Alzheimer’s disease for others.

6. Pickled vegetables

We have been taught since we are little that vegetables are healthy and generally good for our health. But according to Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, if they’re pickled, they may be doing more harm than good. Pickled vegetables are generally believed to increase the risk of gastric cancer.

7. Bottled juice

Juice comes from fruit, and fruit is healthy, therefore juice is healthy. Right? Yes and no. Fruits, even though they are healthy, are still loaded with sugar. And sadly, not all juices are made with fresh fruit. In fact, most bottled juices are pumped with artificial flavouring and sugars.

8. Preserved eggs

The use of lead in preserving eggs is one of its major safety concerns. Lead, even in tiny amounts, can be toxic to humans—especially when ingested. Before consuming preserved eggs, do your research and find out if lead has been used in its processing.

9. Fermented tofu

During the fermentation process, tofu has been proved to be extremely vulnerable to microbial contamination. That’s why it’s important that you only eat fermented tofu that came from a reputable source.

10. Youtiao (deep

According to the Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, deep-fried foods such as youtiao increases the risk of prostate cancer in men.

This article is republished with permission from the Asianparent Singapore

This article was first published on AfricaParent.com