Cancer Prevention Diet: Improve Food Quality & Avoid Toxins

Is it Really Food?

Not to sound like panic-stricken alarmists, but the modern Western food supply is a minefield of toxic threats. Lurking in any given household today are products that in previous generations would not have passed for food. This is mainly because the world’s food supply has changed drastically in the past 50 years.

This insidious problem has stretched far beyond food additives and contamination as corporations are shockingly allowed to create “food” in a lab using things nature never intended us to eat! 

This “food” is being shown to potentially cause health issues and in some cases, even cancer. 

We are routinely exposed to chemical additives and preservatives, many of which are banned in other countries. 

We face endless exposure to unlabelled genetically-modified organisms or GMOs (more on those further down), pesticide and herbicide residues, and perhaps the biggest threat of all that you’ve probably never even heard of called Mycotoxins (we’ll get into those in more detail in just a bit). 

The Dangerous Toxins in Your Body

Most of these toxins found in food aren’t visible to the naked eye and don’t have a distinctive flavor, so you probably don’t even know you’re eating them. 

But your body sure does! 

The culmination of this perpetual toxic exposure could spell chronic disease or even early death. This is why it’s vitally important to know what to look for and avoid in the foods you eat, which is what we’re covering throughout these first two modules. 

Your (Toxic) Dinner is Served... 

All those images you see on television of happy cows munching grass on pristine pastures next to fields of picture-perfect produce ripening on the vine aren’t exactly the most accurate depiction of reality. Modern farming, at least in the United States, more closely resembles a chemical factory than it does the idyllic, horticultural paradise often portrayed in the media. This is because modern farming has abandoned many of the tried-and-true agricultural principles that sustained humanity for millennia. 

Homesteads growing a multitude of crops (polyculture) using natural manure have been replaced with massive plantations of single crops such as soybeans and corn (monoculture). These crops have, more often than not, been tampered with at the genetic level (GMOs) and require huge amounts of toxic pesticides in order to grow. 

After harvest, these tainted crops are then heavily processed, enriched with laboratory-derived “vitamins,” given fake flavours and textures, and transformed into substances that many people have come to recognize as food, but that aren’t actually food. 

The methods most commonly used to bring you your favourite hot dog or hamburger from the local fast food joint, or even lunch meat at the deli counter, involve a chain of production that’s toxic from start to finish. Highly-polluting factory farms (also called CAFOs) raise animals in extremely confined areas, feeding them an unnatural diet of GMO soy and corn while pumping them full of antibiotics and hormones, and voila... your dinner is served! 

Everything you Need to Know About GMO's

What are GMOs? 

GMOs are crops are created by transferring genetic information from one organism to another, a process different from traditional cross-breeding. To understand GMOs, it is important to know about pesticides and herbicides, which are often used with GMO crops. 

Pesticides are chemicals sprayed on crops to attract, destroy, or control pests, while herbicides kill unwanted plants. Glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide, has been classified as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization. The use of GMO crops, pesticides, and herbicides together can increase potential toxicity in the body. Glyphosate not only contaminates soil and food, but also hinders the absorption of essential plant-based minerals.

The GMO 9 

There are currently 9 genetically modified (GMO) plant crops on the market that humans typically eat: 

1. Corn (field and sweet) 

2. Soybeans 

3. Rapeseed or Canola 

4. Alfalfa 

5. Sugar Beets 

6. Papaya 

7. Squash 

8. Potato 

9. Apples (coming as early as 2016) 

Cotton is another genetically-modified crop which we mostly wear, but are also exposed to through cotton seed oil which is commonly used in processed foods. 

These nine crops can be found with one of two distinct characteristics: -

• Herbicide tolerance 

• Pesticide tolerance or pesticide production 

Herbicide tolerant crops are engineered with genes from bacteria, pieces of virus and other things that aren’t naturally found in crops. 

Why is this done? 

For essentially what the name says – to tolerate large amounts of herbicide that would quickly kill a non-GMO plant. 

In theory, the herbicide tolerant GMO crops were designed to make weeding easier for farmers by allowing them to spray their entire field with herbicide to kill weeds but not the Roundup Ready crops. The reality is that this has led to herbicide resistant weeds and increasing amounts of herbicide needing to be used on crops to combat that problem. 

How to Become a Conscious Consumer

The American regulatory system has been whittled away by special interests that have convinced our legislators that all these toxic food chemicals are safe. Europe tends to take a much more precautionary approach with food additives, approving only those shown to be safe. The U.S. takes a more reactionary approach − unless you can prove a chemical is unsafe, then it’s fair game. 

This has likewise translated into failed policies governing biotechnology and the use of GMOs in the food supply. Europe is far more restrictive on the use of transgenic species in food. The U.S. has not only approved their use without adequate safety testing, but also approved their unlabelled use. This means food manufacturers don’t even have to indicate their presence on food labels. 

Now that millions of Americans have caught wind of the sham, there is a movement afoot to require mandatory labelling of GMOs, and possibly (hopefully!) even an eventual ban. 

But in the meantime, conscious consumers are educating themselves about which food ingredients are most likely GMO in order to avoid them. 

Many food manufacturers are now voluntarily labelling their products as non-GMO using certifications like the Non-GMO Project Verified seal of purity. Others aren’t making it quite as easy, which is why due diligence is required to protect you and your family from these hidden health offenders.

Common Culprits to Avoid

The most common GMO ingredients found in food include: -

• Corn, including corn flour, corn starch, corn oil, and corn syrup (as well as high-fructose corn syrup) 

• Corn derivatives that may be of GMO origin include vitamin C supplements, citric acid, dextrose, and xylitol 

• Soybeans, including soy flour, soy lecithin, and soy protein isolates and concentrates 

• Soy derivatives that may be of GMO origin include vitamin E supplements, textured vegetable protein, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) 

• Cottonseed oil and Canola oil 

• Sugar beets, from which most of the sugar used in processed foods is derived Dairy products that contain rBGH/rBST artificial growth hormones 

• Aspartame, a common artificial sweetener derived from genetically-engineered bacteria 

Avoiding GMOs entirely is becoming increasingly more difficult due to cross-contamination of transgenic species with native ones. Many meat and dairy products also come from animals that are fed transgenic feed, including genetically-engineered alfalfa, which is difficult to trace as a consumer. 

Action to take: BUY ORGANIC

Looking for a certified organic label when dealing with these ingredients is your safest bet, as the National Organic Program prohibits the use of GMOs in any organic product. Contained under the organic food heading are non-genetically modified foods or simply non-GMO. In other words, if you buy something that is labelled “organic” it is automatically non-GMO. We also recommend reaching out to local farmers and discussing the issue, and partnering with those who’ve made a commitment to using and growing only clean food products. Or best of all… grow your own organic garden with non-GMO seeds!

Processed, Packaged Poisons

Food processing methods such as heat, pressure, and certain forms of light and radiation severely diminish food of its life force, naturally occurring enzymes, and nutrients. These processed “foods” also place a tremendous burden on your digestive system, compromising your immune system and greatly contributing to the growing cancer epidemic. 

On top of the processing that destroys nutrients, most packaged foods (food in cans, bottles, boxes, plastics, etc.) contain added chemical toxins that have been deemed “safe” by various government regulatory agencies, even when they’re not! 

A short list of these chemical toxins includes things such as: -

• Preservatives to extend shelf-life 

• Artificial colors 

• Artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame) 

• Artificial flavor enhancers 

• “Food conditioning” agents such as emulsifiers, anti-foaming agents, anti-caking agents, stabilizers, thickeners, modified starches, gelling agents, and the list goes on. 

In addition to these toxic additives in processed foods, there are over 10,000 chemicals that are labeled GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the food industry itself! By labelling them as GRAS, food companies can then take advantage of a loophole that allows these chemicals to be approved for use without ever having to be tested for human safety. 

Unbelievably, if you look for these ingredients on the label, they aren’t even there. Yep, the GRAS loophole also allows food corporations to avoid labelling these ingredients! Processed foods with fancy labels seem to have a shelf life of a gazillion years. Well, that’s how long the undigested food particles and chemical toxins in them can last in your body too.

Here’s something to always remember: 

If you want to live a long and healthy, cancer-free life, eat foods with a shorter shelf life. 

Let’s discuss how to do that next. 

Choose Whole Foods 

You’ve just learned about the processing of foods and why they are so damaging to your health. Whole foods are foods that exist in nature, and for the most part as nature intended. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and animal based food like poultry, beef etc. as well as fish and eggs are all whole foods. 

A simple example of a meal containing 100% whole foods is chicken, sweet potatoes, string beans, and salad; all whole foods and all easy to digest and very nutritious. This is the way you want to eat as much as possible. If it has more than one ingredient, question it. It’s likely very difficult to digest and not very nutritious, despite what the label says. If you’ve seen an ad for it, forget about it! 

Your body was made for whole foods and nutrients derived the way nature intended, not isolated, synthesized compounds that mimic nutrition while maximizing corporate profits. Eat whole foods and rather than heavily processed foods and your health will Improve. It’s really pretty simple... Just eat real food! 

Uncovering Hidden Threats

Mycotoxins 

Planet earth is a lot like the human body. It is a living, breathing organism dependent upon an immensely complex and unfathomably large microbiome that populates its upper crust. Much like our own intestinal tract, the earth’s soil contains hordes of beneficial bacteria. 

These friendly bugs help keep living ecosystems everywhere in proper balance, as well as supply plants and food crops with vitamins, minerals, and other critical nutrients. The earth’s microbiome also helps protect lifeforms from being destroyed by pathogenic viruses and fungi… Or at least it’s supposed to, anyway.

Over the past 30 or so years, these helpful critters have been abused and degraded by persistent chemical pollution. 

One of the biggest culprits is Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, which many leading experts say is now the leading cause of soil destruction in the world today. Roundup, which is sprayed by the millions of tons on industrial food crops, not only destroys beneficial soil microbes, but it also chelates (removes) essential nutrients like zinc and copper from them.

This leaves the lifeblood of plants and food crops completely stripped of their bio-potential. And, without this protective shield of armor, so to speak, food crops in particular are left vulnerable to toxic destruction by what is now referred to as mycotoxins, which are extremely damaging to human health. Dave Asprey, the creator of the popular  has made addressing mycotoxins his number one priority. This is because these poisons are literally everywhere in the modern, nutrient-depleted food supply .Bulletproof Diet 

Mycotoxins form from yeast and fungi that develop on foods grown in microbe-deficient soils, which are more the norm than the exception these days. Mycotoxins can cause nervous system damage, and have been linked to cancer. 

The 6 Worst Toxins 

The worst mycotoxic offenders, according to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, include: -

• Aflatoxins (AF) 

a family of fungal-based mycotoxins often found in maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts 

• Ochratoxins (OT) 

often found in cereal grains, coffee, dried fruits, wine, beer, cocoa, nuts, beans, peas, bread, and rice 

• Trichothecenes 

a protein-inhibiting mycotoxin often found in cereal-based foods 

• Zearalenone (ZEN) 

a mycotoxic xenoestrogen found in many food crops grown in glyphosate-treated soils 

• Fumonisins (F) 

often found in corn 

• Tremorgenic toxins 

often found in spoiled food products 

Mycotoxins seem to be most often found in conventional grains, including wheat, corn, barley, and oats. Non-organic, processed foods are more prone to mycotoxin formation. 

This is why the creator of the Bulletproof Diet advises adherents to stick with a so-called “Paleo” style diet low in simple carbohydrates, high in healthy fats, and rich in macronutrients. If you’re looking for guidelines on avoiding mycotoxins, this Bulletproof Diet Roadmap infographic explains in further detail which foods to avoid, and which to embrace to minimize your exposure.

Chemical Nightmare 

Most standard American fare, as you’ll probably notice, doesn’t even come close to fitting the bill for a mycotoxin-free diet. 

Not only is American food a mycotoxic nightmare, but it’s also a chemical nightmare. This is because of all the additives, preservatives, and colourful food dyes used in much of what you’ll find on grocery store shelves today. 

FDA-approved or not, these chemicals don’t in any way contribute to your health or well-being. They only feed the bottom lines of large food corporations that use them to extend the shelf lives of their products and decrease manufacturing costs. 

And believe it or not, there’s a whole slew of chemicals used in the U.S. food supply that are so noxious that other countries have outright banned them. 

Petrochemical-based food colourings, for instance, which usually have numbers next to their names, aren’t allowed in Europe. 

Truth or Dye 

When food is produced on a large scale and made artificially, it loses its natural nutrients and colors. To maintain their appeal, manufacturers incorporate artificial food coloring, preservatives, and substances to prevent decay. The authentic nutritional value and appearance of the foods are substituted with synthetic ingredients in order to enhance their attractiveness and marketability.

Dangerous Dye Colours 

Dangerous dye colours are used in a variety of food products and cosmetic products and have been linked with a range of damaging health issues when tested on mice and rates including brain tumors, kidney tumors, immune system tumors, adrenal tumors. Tests have also been carried on children linking hypersensitivity and hyperactivity disorders as well as a range of other behavioural issues.

What is unforgivable, is that the food industry  uses these dyes in products aimed at children.  Example include coloured  cereals, energy drinks and cheese flavoured crisps/chips.

In addition, studies show that these dyes are carcinogenic.

Dyes include: -

• Brilliant Blue (baked food products, cereals and beverages) 

• Indigo Carmine (found in candies, pet food, causes brain tumors in rats.  

• Fast Green (drugs, cosmetics, sweets)

• Erythrosine (Red #3) (baked goods, sweets. FDA banned for causing thyroid tumors.)

• Allura Red (Red #40)  (desserts, cereals, cosmetics, drugs.)

• Tartrazine (Yellow #5)  (found in same products as above.) 

• Sunset Yellow (Yellow #6)   (found in same products as above.) 

Every year, US manufacturers add around 15 million pounds of food dye in their food products. This is unforgivable. All to make food look more attractive, whilst adding no nutritional benefits. 

ACTION TO TAKE: Avoid artificially coloured food and replace with whole food or natural colours from fruits and vegetables.