Food For Life Cancer Series: Replacing Meat and Dairy Alternatives

When cancer researchers started to look for links between diet and cancer, one of the most noticeable findings was that people who avoided meat were much less likely to develop the disease. This is in part due to the high-fat and fiber-free characteristics of meat compared to plant foods, as well as the formation of carcinogens caused by cooking meat. These cancer causing chemicals, called heterocyclic amines, tend to form within the meat tissue when exposed to high temperatures. In this class, you will explore a variety of vegetarian sources of protein, all of which are low in fat, high in fiber, and loaded with cancer-fighting nutrients. When humans consume dairy products it causes worrisome biological changes in the body, including a rise in the amount of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the bloodstream. Scientific studies have shown elevated IGF-1 levels to be a catalyst for the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells. In this class, you will learn about the wonderful benefits of avoiding dairy products as well as an array of possible dairy-product alternatives that provide ample calcium and other nutrients for a healthful diet.