Everyday Foods That Can Feed Cancer: There are many everyday, seemingly healthy foods that create unnecessary burdens and/or toxins in our bodies, says Ashley Grimmel of An Oasis of Healing.

In recent years, we have seemingly made great progress in our understanding of the intimate connection sugar consumption plays in the growth of cancer, and many of us now know the necessity of phytonutrients for protecting our healthy cells. Despite this wave of information, there are many everyday, seemingly healthful foods that create unnecessary and dangerous burdens or toxicities in our body. Here are three such examples.

Cooking with extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil has a relatively low smoke point, at around 320 degrees. Most recipes call for temperatures of 350 or higher with prolonged heat. Not only are we inactivating all of the healing enzymes in the food that we are cooking, we are also oxidizing the otherwise healthful fats contained in olive oil and causing them to become carcinogens. Yet another assault to olive oil’s health benefits is the microwave. Olive oil is an excellent source of phenols (with positive effects on certain physiological parameters such as plasma lipoproteins, oxidative damage, inflammatory markers, platelet and cellular function and antimicrobial activity). When microwaved even for a few seconds, these phenols are destroyed and the olive oil loses nearly all of its healthful benefits.

Eating fish. Fish have been thrust into the spotlight due to their high content of anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids. Fish obtain this dense fatty acid composition by consuming large amounts of Omega-3-rich algae and sea vegetables which concentrate in their tissues. But these oils are not the only substance concentrated in their tissues. Fish also store environmental toxins, many of which are known carcinogens. Studies have found that all species of fish throughout the world are contaminated with pollutants and toxins. This means that when we eat fish, we are also consuming many dangerous carcinogens, not to mention the accumulated cesium 137 and other isotopes from Japan.

Consuming dairy yogurt. There is much more to what's inside the carton than probiotics, including chemical fillers, sugars and/or artificial sweeteners. Yogurt is a dense source of casein, a protein found in cow’s milk. Casein specifically has been found to quickly stimulate cancer cell growth. Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated cancer growth being turned on when the level of this animal protein exceeds 10 percent of total calorie intake. To put this in perspective, the popular Greek yogurt packs around 20 grams of this cancer-promoting protein in just one small serving.

Navigating the world of nutrition and our food system can seem overwhelming. However, through education, we can empower and enable ourselves to live vibrant, health-filled lives. It becomes clear that we need to return to eating the plant foods that the human body is designed to eat in the form that nature provides: in perfect whole food form.

Ashley Grimmel is the nutritionist and health educator at An Oasis of Healing, in Mesa. She specializes in utilizing nutrition and lifestyle to eradicate cancer and cultivate optimal health. For more information, phone 480-834-5414 or visit AnOasisOfHealing.com.