Do any particular foods cause cancer?

While no food on it’s own has been shown to cause cancer, it is possible that excess intake of certain foods or components in food can increase the risk of cancer. This is one of the reasons a variety of foods are recommended, that is, so we avoid too much of a particular food that could be potentially harmful.

Current research has suggested that high intakes of red and processed meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer. It is possible that meat increases the risk of cancer in several ways. It may be the way it is cooked, the formation of potentially carcinogenic compounds in the stomach, or free radical production by unbound iron from meat that circulates freely in the blood. It is also likely that those who eat large quantities of meat do so at the expense of protective foods such as fruit and vegetables.

This doesn’t mean you need to completely cut red meat out of your diet, but you should take steps to ensure your diet is as healthy as possible. Meat is a good source of essential nutrients such as protein, iron, vitamin B12 and zinc. Recommendations are to eat lean red meat and limit your intake to less than 500g per week and have more fish or chicken in place of meet.  You should limit processed meats such as sausages, frankfurts, salami, ham, and bacon which are high in salt and nitrates.

Following are some suggestions for how to decrease your intake of red meat:

• Make vegetables the main part of your meal instead of meat. Aim to have less than a ¼ of you plate filled with meat and limit red meat to less than 500g per week.
• Add variety to your meal by include at least three colours of vegetables.
• Aim to have three fish-meals each week. Try to include oily fish such as salmon and sardines.
• Try some vegetarian alternatives such as beans or legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, baked beans and red kidney beans. Try adding dried peas and beans, which can be added to casseroles, soups or salads.
• Always purchase lean cuts of meat and poultry that have fat trimmed off and little fat (marbling) through the grain. Always trim any visible fat off the meat before cooking otherwise the meat absorbs the fat when cooked.
• Add canned fish like tuna and salmon to salads or sandwiches.
• Substitute some of the meat in recipes such as Bolognese sauce with vegetables, such as carrot and celery or legumes such as brown or red lentils.
• Reduce the amount of meat for stir-fries and add extra vegetables or try alternatives such as tofu or nuts.
• Have a few meat-free meals each week such as vegetable risottos, omelettes, frittatas, hearty vegetable soups, vegetable curries.