Sandy KumskovCancer for Breakfast?
August 31st 2008 23:03
Category: Healthism
First, what the article says:
The Sunday Mail's headline (31-08-08) says: Fried Brekkie "a cancer risk".
Not only is the "traditional aussie fry-up" a "heart attack on a plate", it's now also a cancer risk!
The big concern is if you eat three rashers of bacon and two sausages a day, you increase your risk of cancer by 2/3. Even one sausage a day can increase the risk by 1/5. And of course, the extra calories can also lead to obesity, which is linked to six types of cancer and heart disease.
The article then cites the leading cancers in Australian men and women and deaths from cancer stats.
The full colour picture above of a plate of bacon, sausages, fried eggs, buttered toast, hash brown, fried tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans, are all helpfully labelled with the calorie, cholesterol, fat, protein, and carb counts - as well as "other", presumably less important, nutrients.
Only in the last paragraph do they quote someone with a moderate stance: Dr Tim Crowe of Deakin University, who says poaching the eggs, adding "cancer-fighting" tomatoes, and not over-cooking meat can make a big difference. Eat red meat he says, for its important nutrient load, and avoid the processed food.
So, what does all this mean? Is it more healthism at its best?
We've known for a long time that the preservatives and other additives in processed meats are toxic. Naturally cured bacon is a different ballgame, and not always easy to find. We've also known that charring your meat is probably not a great idea. Having a good load of veges at every meal is a good idea. Minimise processed foods because of the preservatives and other non-foodstuffs they contain, as well as the added sugar.
I'm astonished that the "other" label on the really big picture above the article is almost irrelevant - it's mostly for the 'other' stuff that we need to eat a variety of foods!
And the obesity claim - argh. We still don't know what causes obesity. *Maybe* it's eating too many calories and not exercising enough, and on the surface that seems true. However there are millions of people on the planet who eat too much and don't exercise who are also THIN! And science knows this! Science still doesn't have the answer, the search is ongoing.
AND there's the linnk to obesity and cancer. Again, not necessarily true. Thin people get as many cancers as do people who carry more body fat. Cancer is present in people with more body fat, but the fat is not necessarily the trigger for the cancer. That major qualifier is almost always left out of these articles, reinforcing the fat=unhealthy message, which is largely based on misinformation if not outright lies!
So what would make a healthy big breakfast? Actually everything on the plate, as unprocessed as possible, and not fried to death. Add a few more mushrooms, toss on some spinach. Make the toast organic and wholegrain, make sure the butter's not too thick. And keep the portions a reasonable size, for goodness sake! Your digestive system's not going to thank you for gorging down a loaded-up plate of food that makes you feel bloated after you eat it, no matter how nutritionally-dense it is.
Anyway, my conclusion on this article is that it does have some substance, right down the bottom of the article. The headline sensationalises the message and if that's all people read, they'll think a cooked breakfast is cancer-causing.
The Sunday Mail's headline (31-08-08) says: Fried Brekkie "a cancer risk".
Not only is the "traditional aussie fry-up" a "heart attack on a plate", it's now also a cancer risk!
The big concern is if you eat three rashers of bacon and two sausages a day, you increase your risk of cancer by 2/3. Even one sausage a day can increase the risk by 1/5. And of course, the extra calories can also lead to obesity, which is linked to six types of cancer and heart disease.
The article then cites the leading cancers in Australian men and women and deaths from cancer stats.
The full colour picture above of a plate of bacon, sausages, fried eggs, buttered toast, hash brown, fried tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans, are all helpfully labelled with the calorie, cholesterol, fat, protein, and carb counts - as well as "other", presumably less important, nutrients.
Only in the last paragraph do they quote someone with a moderate stance: Dr Tim Crowe of Deakin University, who says poaching the eggs, adding "cancer-fighting" tomatoes, and not over-cooking meat can make a big difference. Eat red meat he says, for its important nutrient load, and avoid the processed food.
So, what does all this mean? Is it more healthism at its best?
We've known for a long time that the preservatives and other additives in processed meats are toxic. Naturally cured bacon is a different ballgame, and not always easy to find. We've also known that charring your meat is probably not a great idea. Having a good load of veges at every meal is a good idea. Minimise processed foods because of the preservatives and other non-foodstuffs they contain, as well as the added sugar.
I'm astonished that the "other" label on the really big picture above the article is almost irrelevant - it's mostly for the 'other' stuff that we need to eat a variety of foods!
And the obesity claim - argh. We still don't know what causes obesity. *Maybe* it's eating too many calories and not exercising enough, and on the surface that seems true. However there are millions of people on the planet who eat too much and don't exercise who are also THIN! And science knows this! Science still doesn't have the answer, the search is ongoing.
AND there's the linnk to obesity and cancer. Again, not necessarily true. Thin people get as many cancers as do people who carry more body fat. Cancer is present in people with more body fat, but the fat is not necessarily the trigger for the cancer. That major qualifier is almost always left out of these articles, reinforcing the fat=unhealthy message, which is largely based on misinformation if not outright lies!
So what would make a healthy big breakfast? Actually everything on the plate, as unprocessed as possible, and not fried to death. Add a few more mushrooms, toss on some spinach. Make the toast organic and wholegrain, make sure the butter's not too thick. And keep the portions a reasonable size, for goodness sake! Your digestive system's not going to thank you for gorging down a loaded-up plate of food that makes you feel bloated after you eat it, no matter how nutritionally-dense it is.
Anyway, my conclusion on this article is that it does have some substance, right down the bottom of the article. The headline sensationalises the message and if that's all people read, they'll think a cooked breakfast is cancer-causing.
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