Based on survey data from the National Central Cancer Registry, the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has released a blacklist of carcinogenic foods. Below, the editor introduces five food pairings to avoid:
1. Ham and Lactic Acid Beverages Can Increase Cancer Risk
People who often eat sandwiches with yogurt for breakfast should be cautious. The ham, bacon, and other ingredients in sandwiches, when consumed with lactic acid beverages (which contain organic acids), can easily lead to cancer. This is because, to preserve processed meats like sausages, ham, bacon, and cured meats, food manufacturers add nitrates to prevent spoilage and the growth of botulinum. When nitrates come into contact with organic acids (such as lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, etc.), they are converted into a carcinogenic substance—nitrosamines. Therefore, do not consume these types of processed meats frequently to avoid increasing the risk of cancer.
2. Milk and Chocolate Can Cause Diarrhea
Milk is rich in protein and calcium, while chocolate contains oxalic acid. If the two are consumed together, the calcium in the milk will bind with the oxalic acid in the chocolate to form insoluble calcium oxalate. After consumption, this substance is not absorbed and can cause symptoms such as diarrhea and dry hair, affecting physical development.
3. Seafood and Beer Can Induce Gout
Seafood contains two components: purines and nucleotides, while beer is rich in vitamin B1, a key catalyst that breaks down these two substances. If you eat seafood and drink beer at the same time, it will promote the combination of harmful substances in the body, increasing uric acid levels in the blood and thus forming difficult-to-excrete urinary tract stones. If you have metabolic issues, eating seafood and drinking beer can easily lead to a sharp increase in blood uric acid levels, inducing gout, and even leading to gouty nephropathy and gouty arthritis.
4. Fruits and Seafood Are Hard to Digest
Eating seafood at the same time as fruits like grapes, hawthorns, pomegranates, or persimmons can cause vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. This is because these fruits contain tannic acid, which, when it encounters the protein in seafood, precipitates and solidifies to form a substance that is difficult to digest. After eating seafood, one should wait at least 4 hours before consuming these types of fruits.
5. Radishes and Oranges Can Induce Goiter
Radishes produce a substance called thiocyanate, which has an anti-thyroid effect. If you consume large amounts of fruits like oranges, apples, or grapes at the same time, the flavonoids in these fruits are broken down by bacteria in the intestines into thiocyanate, which inhibits thyroid function, thereby inducing goiter.
The editor reminds: Whether the above food pairings are reasonable is still debated in the medical and nutrition communities. Moreover, after consuming the same foods, reactions may vary due to individual differences. The purpose of this article is to remind everyone to be mindful while enjoying delicious food.