Experts now say that eating is hazardous to your health

Ok, so I'm exaggerating slightly on this headline. But, according to a leading nutritionist who was featured on “Good Morning America”, it's pretty amazing to see all the foods our medical establishment now believe lead to various types of cancer. The latest tests indicate that we should stay away from the following foods:

1) Anything grilled that is charred. Whether you're grilling steaks, burgers, hot dogs, fish (yes fish), vegetables, or chicken, be careful not to blacken or burn those edges. Medical experts are now telling us that the charred food is bad for our cells. And, that can lead to cancer.

2) All processed meats have to go. Do you like meat from the super market deli? Well, you're going to have to give it up because of the high salt content in all these foods. We always knew that too much salt leads to high blood pressure. Now, we're being told that eating meats that have too much salt or are smoked can lead to stomach cancer.

3) Foods that include lots of Trans fats can cause breast and colon cancer as well. Over the last few years, we've learned that Trans fats can create cholesterol havoc. Bet you didn't know that salami, pepperoni and others in this category will infiltrate your body and damage cells that lead to a variety of cancers.

Now, I'm sure that most or all of these views are accurate and we should always pay attention to latest nutritional/medical advice because these breakthroughs do make us healthier (and live longer). But, it also feels like every few years we hear about new nutrition "fads" that are highly recommended and then they vanish as time goes by. So, I have to be a tad skeptical of everything new. For example, I remember when broccoli was promoted as THE anti-cancer food, and artificial sweeteners were said to cause cancer and milk helped smokers kick the habit (thereby decreasing the chances for lung cancer).

What happened to these recommendations? Do they still hold true according to our medical community?

While I won't go so far as calling them fads, clearly some of these "breakthroughs" have lost some luster over the years, while others may not have even been real threats or benefits to begin with. It would be great to go back in time and hold the scientific community accountable for all of those recommendations that were in deed bogus.

I'm a guy who is in pretty good shape. I exercise a lot, eat pretty well and take care of my body. But, I also take great pleasure in the act of eating all types of tasty foods. In fact, it's one of my favorite things to do. So, although I will take notice and listen to some of the most logical nutrition recommendations to live healthier, life just isn't worth much if I have to sanitize my diet to the point where the joy of eating is gone. Besides, I could always be hit by the proverbial bus tomorrow...   

Comments

[Laura Bower]

I agree. It seems like every other day a new "fad" is being uncovered and urging us to reevaluate the foods/drinks we consume. There are so many mixed messages out there. For example, there have been a lot of studies that say drinking tea is excellent for cardiovascular health, and that adding milk, which aids in bone growth and helping to prevent diseases like osteoporosis, can only add to tea's positive benefits. Some recent studies have found that adding milk to tea can destroy tea's ability to protect against heart disease. There is no "end-all, be-all" cure, and while one food may be great for one particular area of your body, an excess of it, might be detrimental to another key body function. Since I never know exactly what study to trust and what truly are the "super foods", I try to stick to eating everything in moderation. Except for ice cream of course- which I eat in "over-moderation"...