"all food is cancer causing!"

ncthomas09

Now for starters I DO NOT actually agree with this statement necessarily. But has anybody noticed that almost anything we put in our mouths/bodies seems to cause cancer in some way? Mio, Dairy products, preservatives, non-organic product, meat, etc.!?!?

If we use a sugar substitute = cancer
Sugar = cancer
Go in the sun = cancer
Some sunscreens = cancer
Drink water from plastic containers = cancer

Get my drift!?! If we gave up anything and everything that in some round about way could cause cancer what would we have left!?!? I honestly don't think I could read anything on MFP without someone telling me something I put in my body is going to cause cancer....I mean I'm glad there is information out there warning us about these things but it seems like if I breathe I am going to get cancer.

OK I'm off my soap box now I was just curious if anyone else seems to notice this.

AussieNikki

I agree. If I gave up everything that "might" cause cancer life would suck and wouldn't be worth living.

I don't smoke, drink or do drugs. I am married and don't have unsafe sex. I don't do dangerous sports or anything.

So I am going to drink diet soda and eat chocolate and drink coffee DAMMIT! Lol

ElementalEscapee

Now that you mention it....lol.

I don't use sugar substitutes. What's the point...
I usually consume sugar through fruits and not donuts and other processed *kitten*..
I stay indoors a lot so I don't really worry about the sun that much lolol.
Some suncreens cause cancer? Get a better sunscreen.
Don't drink from plastic containers again, herp derp.

tequila09

So true!!

DollyMiel

Yeah, you're not the only one who noticed this. If I lived my life afraid of everything that gave me cancer I'd probably just live inside some bubble for the rest of my life.

Bet the bubble material would be carcinogenic too, pfft.

amyoliver85

I think the point is that everything we tend to do to our bodies is unnatural and therefore, we get an unnatural reaction. If you were to live clean and eat clean, then you probably wouldn't have to worry about 99% of the diseases out there that cause premature death.

I am not being on a soap box. I certainly don't eat clean 100% of the time. Today is a prime example of that. Disgustingly prime, in fact.

But that's reality. And I think it's really sad to hear that some people think life would suck if they were to live it clean and free of processed foods, drinks and other bad for you products. 100 years ago those people didn't think life sucked and they lived pretty healthy lives for the most part.

I'm actually looking forward to a day when I don't have a dependency on so many processed products. They make my auto-immune disease worse. Seriously. I feel MUCH better when I eat NO processed foods and when I used all natural beauty products or no beauty products. And when I only use sustainable cleansing products. It's a real trip but it makes me passionate about getting to that point.

We depend on processed junk for our convenience. But that convenience has a price. Cost thy name is Cancer. Are you willing to pay it?

saragato

My logic is, if everything I like doing or eating will cause cancer, then I might as well keep going since I'll be expecting the disease anyway.

Yes there are nasty chemicals in stuff that can lead to disease and disorders and we should be wary of our intake and yes some activities will hurt us (the sun thing's no joke, I have an Uncle who spent 30 years in the Navy back when sunscreen wasn't even invented yet and he's always getting skin cancer spots removed from his face and arms) but a good portion of it as well is alarmist bullcrap. Even the truth can get stretched. And really, you have one life to live. Don't make it one that's in fear.

Ziggyzambo

There is no stark line that divides carcinogens from non-carcinogens. Essentially, anything that interacts with your body has a small chance of causing a mutation, and that mutation has a small chance of causing cancer. So, your title is in fact literally true. Of course there is a spectrum, and it is prudent to avoid things that are known to cause a lot of cancers, but common foods do not generally fall under that description.

DollyMiel

I think the point is that everything we tend to do to our bodies is unnatural and therefore, we get an unnatural reaction. If you were to live clean and eat clean, then you probably wouldn't have to worry about 99% of the diseases out there that cause premature death.

I am not being on a soap box. I certainly don't eat clean 100% of the time. Today is a prime example of that. Disgustingly prime, in fact.

But that's reality. And I think it's really sad to hear that some people think life would suck if they were to live it clean and free of processed foods, drinks and other bad for you products. 100 years ago those people didn't think life sucked and they lived pretty healthy lives for the most part.

I'm actually looking forward to a day when I don't have a dependency on so many processed products. They make my auto-immune disease worse. Seriously. I feel MUCH better when I eat NO processed foods and when I used all natural beauty products or no beauty products. And when I only use sustainable cleansing products. It's a real trip but it makes me passionate about getting to that point.

We depend on processed junk for our convenience. But that convenience has a price. Cost thy name is Cancer. Are you willing to pay it?

Yeah, and all-natural avocados and bananas make my intestines flare up in the worst way. The sun is all-natural last I checked and it sure can cause cancer. Not everything 'natural' means it's 100% awesome for you, either.

That was like a drawn-out "No offense, but..." statement, only instead it was a "Not getting on my soap box about clean eating, but..."

Even the truth can get stretched. And really, you have one life to live. Don't make it one that's in fear.

QFT

AussieNikki

I think the point is that everything we tend to do to our bodies is unnatural and therefore, we get an unnatural reaction. If you were to live clean and eat clean, then you probably wouldn't have to worry about 99% of the diseases out there that cause premature death.

I am not being on a soap box. I certainly don't eat clean 100% of the time. Today is a prime example of that. Disgustingly prime, in fact.

But that's reality. And I think it's really sad to hear that some people think life would suck if they were to live it clean and free of processed foods, drinks and other bad for you products. 100 years ago those people didn't think life sucked and they lived pretty healthy lives for the most part.

I'm actually looking forward to a day when I don't have a dependency on so many processed products. They make my auto-immune disease worse. Seriously. I feel MUCH better when I eat NO processed foods and when I used all natural beauty products or no beauty products. And when I only use sustainable cleansing products. It's a real trip but it makes me passionate about getting to that point.

We depend on processed junk for our convenience. But that convenience has a price. Cost thy name is Cancer. Are you willing to pay it?

Computers have been said to cause cancer, cell phones, car exhaust etc.

You going to give up all those too?

ncthomas09

See thats exactly my point!!! Everything in some way they seem to think causes cancer! I was reading a guys blog earlier saying how he cut dairy out of his diet which is fine and great. But he cut it out because of stuff in it that can cause cancer. Well you know what I rely on dairy for my calcium. So I can either eat dairy or I can take multi-vitamins which will also probably give me cancer because of the additives they use to make the pill form.

I mean if people want to not use things, or cut certain things out of their diets because it has a possibility of causing cancer that is fine and great! Let them do it! But seriously they way people talk about these things I am sure the clothes I wear are going to cause cancer at this point! If you really get down to it what if a bug lands on your veggies growing out in the garden that has just come from somewhere that had lots of chemicals. Now all of a sudden your home grown veggies are going to cause cancer!!

At this point with the cancer that runs in my family and with everything that is some how some way going to cause cancer in my life well I guess we will see which wins out....the heart disease that runs in my family or cancer....Doesn't it just suck to know that I can't possibly die from being old now!?!? (**insert sarcastic tone in that comment**)

amyoliver85

You just made MY point for me without realizing it.

Computers, cell phones, cars, etc. have been SAID to cause cancer. It's NOT PROVEN.

Healthy eating and appropriate exercise are the only ways to help stem the effects of chronic disease and fatal illness. There is no guarantee that you won't still get cancer. Many cancers and other chronic illnesses are hereditary and if you're going to get it, you're going to get it and there's nothing you can do about it at this point in time and technology.

Eating and living clean means not putting things into your body that don't belong. Like processed foods, large amounts of dairy products, cigarettes, chew, alcohol. It means exercising and limiting your exposure to other bad things.

BTW...I use a computer approximately 5 hours a week. And I never sit directly next to the computer. I keep a wireless keyboard and sit as far away as I can to avoid direct exposure to full electronics. I also limit the amount of full sun exposure I have each day, limit my time in cars (I ride my bike almost everywhere, even in the winter) and limit my time on my cell phone. In fact, I only use my cell phone approximately 30 minutes to an hour a week depending on my work situation. Otherwise, I only use a landline. I also don't take prescription medications, despite the fact that I have SLE. I also don't own a television. I will also be moving to Micronesia in about 5 years (takes a lot of prep) where I won't have daily access to any forms of technology and will not have access to any vehicles other than a bicycle, and no processed foods. It is, in fact, possible to live without those things. And millions of people do it every day.

So seriously...you're kind of sitting there attacking me for my life choices but I live far healthier than most people. And it is very possible to live without technology and processed foods. You must have been born American and raised American because America is the only place I've ever seen an incapability to deal with a clean life. It's also the only place where I am attacked or people get defensive when I talk about clean living. I personally prefer to have less technology and processed foods in my life. So really, yes...I am working on "giving up" all of those things. They're really unnecessary.

Try it sometime. Go for two whole weeks with less than 5 hours a week of technology and processed foods in your life. Travel only by feet or by bicycle, don't eat anything that isn't organic and natural, drink only water, read books and don't watch television. And limit your computer use and telephone use as much as you possibly can. That means using a written food diary instead of MFP and only using your computer at work if your work requires it. You may find that you actually enjoy being unplugged and eating natural foods.

I don't expect anyone to adhere to the lifestyle that I do. But I would genuinely appreciate not being attacked for wanting to be healthy and live the best way that I can. I have a chronic disease that leads to death and by living the way I do I have made my life better. Technology and drugs didn't help me. Homeopathics did. Eating healthy did. Limiting my sun and technology exposure did. That's got to count for something. And it does to me. And my family.

So just remember, all I do is tell you the truth and tell you how it has worked for me. Attacks and defensiveness don't do anything but make you all seem like jerks. Try a little respect.

Computers have been said to cause cancer, cell phones, car exhaust etc.

You going to give up all those too?

AussieNikki

Where did I attack you?

I asked a question.

ScatteredThoughts

Reminds me of a cartoon strip I saw many years ago:

"We've just discovered that life is carcinogenic."



And did I miss the recipe?

Melanie_RS

"the dose doth make the poison"



let's just give it all up and live in a cave, off the grid --- but ... even rocks give off radioactive material!

ROCKS CAUSE CANCER!!!!

we're doomed, just doomed!

Crochetluvr

Many years ago, there was a show that satirized various current events in our country. One of the most memorable was the "Leisure Suits Cause Cancer" segment where a lab rat was shown dressed up in a tiny leisure suit. I still laugh when I think about it. Lesson? Live your life, take care but don't obsess over any report that says something MIGHT cause cancer.

zaithyr

I call it "food paranoia" lol

thebaconbeast

Wrong bacon doesn't cause cancer...

PunkyRachel

People in today's society are just money hungry. If someone get's cancer, they will blame it on whatever just so they can sue the company for a settlement. Doctors jump on it, to pad their pockets with extra money from the ads and claims they say about such and such being harmful. If hospitals use plastic everywhere, then can it really be that harmful to our bodies if we drink from it? Think about it. My dad got throat cancer, it was removed and never came back (thank God), be he never smoked or chewed, it just happened. Society makes me sick!

Everything cause cancer one way or another, I just shrug off all the stuff I hear, try and do whats good for my body and go on with my life. :-)

DollyMiel

Where did I attack you?

I asked a question.

No, no, you were the one being defensive! In your five-mile-long super defensive response, obviously. lololol

AussieNikki

Where did I attack you?

I asked a question.

No, no, you were the one being defensive! In your five-mile-long super defensive response, obviously. lololol

I know really! I read that part and was like.. ummm huh?

ncthomas09

Reminds me of a cartoon strip I saw many years ago:

"We've just discovered that life is carcinogenic."



And did I miss the recipe?

No you did not miss the recipe...the Forum people moved my post from the section I had it in originally. I think they only read the title

ncthomas09

Wrong bacon doesn't cause cancer...

Hey I like your style of thinking! I just saw something on pinterest that says "everyone likes bacon, if you don't your wrong" Bahahaha. I LOVE bacon!!!

dillonfc123

Life is like a box of chocolate... eventually everything leads to cancer

I totally agree with the OP, it annoys me how everyone gets so paranoid about EVERYTHING!

CountryMom03

Now for starters I DO NOT actually agree with this statement necessarily. But has anybody noticed that almost anything we put in our mouths/bodies seems to cause cancer in some way? Mio, Dairy products, preservatives, non-organic product, meat, etc.!?!?

If we use a sugar substitute = cancer
Sugar = cancer
Go in the sun = cancer
Some sunscreens = cancer
Drink water from plastic containers = cancer

Get my drift!?! If we gave up anything and everything that in some round about way could cause cancer what would we have left!?!? I honestly don't think I could read anything on MFP without someone telling me something I put in my body is going to cause cancer....I mean I'm glad there is information out there warning us about these things but it seems like if I breathe I am going to get cancer.

OK I'm off my soap box now I was just curious if anyone else seems to notice this.

The thing is, these things do. And if you took them all out you would have plenty to eat, actually, you would be able to drink or eat anything you wanted to eat, it goes back to the basics. Eating food that is real food and not chemicals or man made. Products that havent been stripped down and had stuff "added" to them. When the companies started making food more access ready, easier to make, grab, etc thats when we started having all these problems with our health. It comes down to money. Lets see how cheap we can make something so that we have more of a profit. Cutting out non organic foods or foods that have added toxins and chemicals doesnt leave you with nothing to eat lol, you just get the real stuff instead:) is it more expensive?? Yes. Thats why Im not always able to eat clean like I would love to...but I do know that its not healthy and contributing to my risks of illnesses, diseases and cancer.

kwest_4_fitness

Just an observation, but cooking food is unnatural. All other species eat their food as is, either fresh from the kill or a few days old. We're the only ones who cook ours. Or refrigerate it, for that matter. So, starting with that, you're doing something "unnatural" to your food. So go ahead and eat processed food if you feel like it.

You've got one shot at enjoying life before you end up worm food (or unnaturally embalmed and encased in concrete), so if you want a snacky cake or cheezy poof and it fits into your day, have at it. Because you could stroke out tomorrow from a blood clot in your leg, die from a bullet fired into the air from a mile away (true story, actually happened to an Amish girl in Ohio), or walk dazedly into traffic due to lack of processed food in your system before cancer, which is 80% genetic predisposition anyway, gets you. :drinker: I'm never giving up my convenience foods!

Erisad

Meh, everything causes cancer or some kind of disease. Just get health insurance, eat as healthy as you can and hope for the best. :drinker:

ncthomas09

I honestly think I am more likely to get struck by lightening than to die from cancer caused by what I eat, or from lotion for my dry skin or whatever. If I get cancer I am going to bet it will be skin cancer from being in the sun or it will be genetic.

I am tryin to eat healthier but by golly I am going to enjoy life rather than be paranoid about every single friggin thing that may cause me cancer or some other disease.

Long_and_Lean

Ok here's the thing folks -- it's not as simple as that.

First off, let me state the following: I have a Ph.D. in cancer biology and chemical engineering. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow (basically the same thing as residency for MD's) and research prostate cancer (the belly dancing is my side job!). My graduate thesis was on breast cancer. So I think I can safely say I know a thing or two about cancer, what "causes" it and where the state of the field is at this moment. I also know the difference between what's reported in the scientific literature (which the gp does not have access to unless they subscribe to the journal) and what the news picks up.

And what I can tell you is this: it's just not that simple. CNN may report that food xyz "causes" cancer. What they fail to report is under abc conditions, in mice, with this particular cancer subline, blah blah blah. And most of the time what we can report is that something appears to increase the incidence of cancer. This often gets misconstrued as causation by the media, but they are two distinctly different concepts. Cancer is an extremely complex and multifocal disease. You have to account for genetic variation (both within the patient and the cancer itself), environmental factors, drug treatments, etc.....Genetic variation in the cancer you say? Isn't all prostate cancer, for example, prostate cancer? No. Prostate cancer is an extremely heterogeneous (read: varied and different) disease, with many different genetic profiles. Some respond to androgen ablation, some do not. Some cause bone growth, others cause osteoporosis. The list goes on and on. This is also why it is so hard to come up with a "cure" for cancer. What works for one person does not work for another. Currently, the scientific field is hard at work to develop tests to "profile" your specific cancer. You go in, you give a blood sample or what not, and ideally we would be able to tell what's going to happen to you (how aggressive is it?) and what treatments you will respond to. That's one of the goals at least. But in short, let me summarize by showing you this:

TK266

food turned me into a newt!!!



I got better.
:laugh: :laugh:

KuroNyankoSensei

In one way or another, yes. It really depends on your genetic make-up, and the certain genes you contain that gives you a higher risk for said cancer. A cancer cell starts out as a normal cell whose function to "stop" replicating no longer works. Everyday, thousands of these flawed cells appear in our body, but all usually go through apoptosis or programmed cell death so to speak, thus they don't pose a problem. However, cancer starts when this flawed cell does not kill itself off, and begins to replicate uncontrollably, causing a cancerous tumor, and eventually migrating into the bloodstream, and well, you know the rest.

In the past 30 years, the human genome has been successfully decoded, and as of now, it takes I think a week to map out an entire person's genome for around $10,000. We can expect in another few years that the cost will go down to $1,000, which is a trivial cost for the price of information that can theoretically save your life. Knowing what you're more of risk of because of your genetic disposition would be a powerful tool that can help you prevent the certain types of cancer you yourself should be avoiding~