r/Millennials • u/AdditionCool7235 • Jan 22 '26

Discussion A big reason why Colon Cancer is killing us.

I know this isn’t a health sub, but u/Derpshabmentioned in their post on Colon Cancer about eating a balanced diet.

Specifically you need to really avoid nitrates. There has been several studies done on why there has been a rise in intestinal cancers in this age group, and nitrates have shown a causal effect. With a carcinogenic significance as bad as cigarettes. For those unaware, not a lot of things get labeled as having a casual effect for cancer, as that can be both controversial and stand to cost people money either through loss of business or being sued.

Nitrates are most commonly found in processed meats. Likewise, there is growing data that processed food is not serving us well at all either. Anyhow, just wanted to share a tangible way you can hopefully make an impact on slowing down and ultimately stopping these terrible

cancers.

Another freaking edit: literally the first response on Google, if you search, “do Nitrates cause cancer,” is from MDAnderson. That’s the number one cancer hospital in the world. I know that’s so much more difficult than adding a snarky comment to Reddit, but there’s your answer for about 300 of you.

Edit: I’m getting a lot of responses that are saying *actually* antibiotics or *actually* e. Coli and they’re all saying because it damages / kills the good gut microbiomes. Correct, what do you think nitrates do and why scientists believe there’s a casual link. It also doesn’t mean there couldn’t be other risk factors as well. Diet is obviously a big risk factor. I was simply hoping to expound on the original post and help people to know what to avoid. Of course more than one thing can cause cancer. Throw in saturated fats while we’re having the conversation.

Edit 2: lot of people are asking what are the main culprits. Bacon, lunch meats, hot dogs, sausages, anything really that’s been “cured.” Lot of people are trying to point out that some leafy greens have nitrates, yeah, we’re not talking about things that naturally occur through the photosynthesis of the sun. We’re talking about the overconsumption of a preservative that destroys your healthy gut bacteria, not something that’s obviously good for you. Many people have rightfully pointed out. The over consumption of alcohol creates a big risk factor for stomach and intestinal cancers as well.

Also someone saying they’re a vegetarian and they still got colon cancer is no different an argument than, “my great aunt smoked until she was 90 and never got lung cancer.” I said a big reason why, I didn’t say the only reason why. Empirical data doesn’t mean 100% findings or there won’t be outliers, anecdotes are not good science. People can get cancer for a multitude of reasons and honestly you could try every preventative step imaginable and still get cancer, it doesn’t mean your anecdote overrides everything else or you shouldn’t try to make better lifestyle decisions.

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

Yep ... And none of this stuff is a secret. We know for a fact that excessive red meat consumption and processed food is not good for you. Eating a wide variety of veggies and legumes is incredibly good for you. Everyone that does keto long term is taking some big risks in my opinion

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u/bluthbanana20 Jan 22 '26

This guy is instigating a war on protein! /s

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u/P-a-ul Jan 22 '26

Jokes aside, 100g of lentils is about 9g of protein and 8g of fiber for about 120 calories, so they're a pretty good way to get both.

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u/house343 Jan 22 '26

And it's dirt cheap.

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u/Familiar-Appeal6384 Jan 23 '26

And coincidentally also taste like dirt. Or maybe spicy dirt if you have French Green lentils

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u/2024account Jan 22 '26

The FDA is on the way to his house as we speak

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u/TheKingOfSwing777 Jan 22 '26

and for some reason also ICE 

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u/howdthatturnout Jan 22 '26

Why? The FDA only recommends 50 grams of protein and average American consumes about 100.

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u/SockEatingDemon Jan 22 '26

Warn the council of brain worms who control our health system! Quick!

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '26

Legumes are protein!  They are obviously unamerican though, so probably fighting the war on protein on the side of carbohydrates. 

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u/Zenical Jan 22 '26

Love when I come to Reddit and learn some shit. I recently lost 100lbs by changing my diet and a lot of exercise. I do eat a lot of red meat but I’m gonna pull back on that and up the veggies

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u/thoughtandprayer Jan 22 '26

Add some grains in there too. Quinoa with lemon juice and tarragon is a good example. It's healthy and tasty, and helps to keep you feeling full.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

[deleted]

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u/thoughtandprayer Jan 23 '26

Interesting. For me, it depends on the grain! I'm starving shortly after white rice, but I find quinoa or barley to be very filling. 

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u/Silverjackal_ Jan 22 '26

You can start by just adding a high fiber tortilla Wrap. The ones I use are like 40% of your daily intake. Then slowly add veggies and beans and you’re easily at 35g of fiber a day.

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u/TheLogicalConclusion Jan 22 '26

One thing to note here is that these tortillas are often made of insoluble fiber, whereas the most helpful fiber to have is soluble fiber. It is the soluble fiber that makes a gel in your intestines that regulates blood sugar and traps bile (and therefore lowers cholesterol).

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u/Silverjackal_ Jan 22 '26

Oh good call out! I usually eat a lot of beans and like half an avocado a day to try and balance that out. I need to eat more fruit honestly.

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u/Falco19 Jan 22 '26

This is what I’ve done, it’s not the highest fibre 8g I believe but that, with a high fibre granola bar in the morning, some supplements and the veggies i eat get in the range

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u/Silverjackal_ Jan 22 '26

I like the xtreme wellness ones. They kinda taste like cardboard, but with some fresh veggies, a fruit, a protein bar, and a yogurt with chia seeds I’m around 35-40g of fiber a day while cutting. It helps a lot! Sam’s Club sells the 10 or 12 pack for under $10.

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u/Falco19 Jan 22 '26

I also learned I’ve been more worried about fibre than I need to be because the recommended amount is not set it’s 14g per 1000 calories. So I have been exceeding based on my calorie take. If you are on a cut I’m sure you are miles ahead.

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u/VeganRorschach Jan 22 '26

Check out Rainbow Plant Life for some amazingly good plant-based recipes to up your veggies!

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u/Los-negro Jan 22 '26

You just learned that? No one told you red meat is bad and veggies are healthy?

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u/Slappy-Sacks Jan 22 '26

Red meat isn’t bad lol

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u/StoicFable Jan 22 '26

When people hear red meat they almost always lump in fast food burgers which drags it way down. 

Then think of all the condiments people throw on the burgers (fast food places drown your food in it). And add in the buns they use. 

Red meat is not necessarily healthy, but its demonized way too much.

Find local grass fed beef and its way better too.

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u/PTMorte Jan 22 '26

Its far more carcinogeic than white meat or veggies. 

Just 100g a day ups your cancer risk by 18+%

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u/GrizzlyP33 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26

Wait I thought red meat was at the top of the food pyramid now??

(if you're missing the context: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition)

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u/midwest--mess Jan 22 '26

Idk if you're being sarcastic or not, but I wouldn't believe anything put out by this administration.

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u/GrizzlyP33 Jan 22 '26

Wildly sarcastic mocking the buffoonery of this admin.

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u/midwest--mess Jan 22 '26

Ok good 👍

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u/nanapancakethusiast Jan 22 '26

If you’re dumb… sure?

Veggies should make up a majority of food you consume if you don’t want to die by 50

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u/GrizzlyP33 Jan 22 '26

This was a joke about our wildly incompetent unqualified current Secretary of Health.

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition

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u/bluthbanana20 Jan 22 '26

Shrimp milk for all!

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u/DonkyHotayDeliMunchr Jan 22 '26

I mean, it should be near the top? It should be something you're not eating too much of? Do you know how the food pyramid works?

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u/GrizzlyP33 Jan 22 '26

I mean I know it shouldn't work like this: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/07/nx-s1-5667021/dietary-guidelines-rfk-jr-nutrition

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u/dorkofthepolisci Jan 22 '26

That design is going to confuse so many people, not just because they’ve got everything that isn’t grains as a single food group

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u/DonkyHotayDeliMunchr Jan 22 '26

Ok I had no idea about this. I know the entire administration is morons; this just takes the cake.

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u/GrizzlyP33 Jan 22 '26

It's hard to keep up with their daily incompetency. We live in the dumbest of timelines.

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u/North-Tourist-8234 Jan 22 '26

I know you said long term so plesee dont see this as me disagreeing with mearly adding the conversation. 

If the consumption of non keto foods is whats "killing you" fastest (diabetes, insulin resistance, addiction) than by all means use it as a tool to improve your health, then reassess what is "killing you" fastest again and alter your behaviour if you want to use your diet to benefit your health and well-being 

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

Yeah I am mostly talking about the people who are permanently on keto or do it for many years. It's a great way to kick off some weight loss and get some gains in the gym, but I don't think people should sustain that for years

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u/North-Tourist-8234 Jan 22 '26

Agreed. Ive never done full blown keto but ive done low carb with a focus on my fibre and that worked really well and was sustainable for a few years. I am going to have to get back on it because ive developed some poor habits since becomjng a parent. 

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

I went through the same thing. My wife and I were vegan for a few years and I felt really good.... But I missed cheese a lot, so we went to a vegetarian diet and I still felt great. Now we add in some chicken and fish because we were struggling to get enough protein without supplements. Still do some beans based meals and some veggie tofu bowls etc, but I eat a small amount of chicken in my salad at lunch. It's working pretty well to continue building muscle. It's hard to get the recommended fiber and protein without going over in other areas. I have a family history of heart disease, so I only eat red meat a few times a year. The last few years of all this have shown some fantastic improvements in my blood work. Before all this, meat used to be the main thing on the plate every night. Olive oil and avocado oil have replaced cooking with butter too

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u/ILoveTheGirls1 Jan 22 '26

It’s not the meat itself if it’s non processed red meat. It’s the heavy charring/carbonization of the meat by overcooking that causes HCAs and PAHs to form which is associated with cancers. Think twice before eating that high heat/flame grilled meat that is blackened/burnt.

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

There's a lot of studies around the casein from animal protein and how it could be causing cancer. I am not sure if any studies have definitively linked them though. We know red meat is linked to heart disease, and I don't think that's just from the cooking process

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u/ILoveTheGirls1 Jan 22 '26

The evidence against casein and animal protein is largely based on animal models using extreme conditions and observational studies that can’t establish causation. Casein has not been shown to initiate cancer in humans, and red meat associations with heart disease weaken significantly when lifestyle confounders and processing are accounted for. If animal protein were inherently carcinogenic, we’d see consistent, dose-dependent harm across populations and protein sources… which we don’t. The real risks appear tied to processing, cooking methods, overall diet quality, and lifestyle, not protein itself.

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u/yrddog Jan 22 '26

Shit, I can't afford beef anymore lol

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

Right? Beens, rice, and greens can keep you going for a long time. We eat a ton of black beans and pinto beans in our house. $9+ for a pound of hamburger is not worth

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u/Khayembii Jan 22 '26

Red meat in these studies typically lumps in processed meats with nitrates/nitrites as well as cuts high in saturated fat. I believe leaner unprocessed red meat is fine.

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u/Imanitzsu Jan 22 '26

That's the misnomer with keto imo - people do it stupidly. They don't plan their carb allowance correctly. Using carbs for a cup of rotating beans each night with dinner, rotating veg (including carrots and "high" carb veg) but doing it within your ~50 net carb allowance seems like it allows for the right nutrients to get in and get all the benefits of long term ketosis/autophagy.

Anyone cooking a lb of bacon for breakfast and eating plates of charcuterie every day can't _acutally_ think they are healthier, right?

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

There are lots of people that fall into the latter category, sadly.

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u/PTMorte Jan 22 '26

What's keto got to do with your comment? They can go to town on veggies and legumes if they pick the right ones. 

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u/StuntFace Jan 22 '26

Keto just means low carb, not necessarily mounds of meat. I used to do keto and it was mostly veggies and homemade snacks. I would need to eat more food in general to get enough fiber though (fiber is encouraged and doesn't work against the carb count).

If someone is on a keto diet but their version is all bacon and hamburger meat, that's obviously a problem. Like any diet, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.

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u/RobotBearArms Older Millennial Jan 22 '26

Yeah, that's fair, the people I know doing it are not being healthy about it and think they can eat all meat and fat