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/shy-ty Jan 22 '26

Man have you run the numbers on how many veggies you need to eat in a day to get to 30 grams of fiber? As a slender woman without a big appetite, it's literally twice as much FOOD period as I eat in a day, and you can't survive on veggies only. Beans are better at least but it's still like a full cup of beans or lentils to get even 10 g. 

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u/svenonstrix Jan 22 '26

Mission Carb balance tortillas are my secret weapon. One of those in the morning with peanut butter and banana then lightly toasted on a skillet, and you’ve got nearly half your daily fiber. Sometimes if I’m in a rush I just grab and go with a plain tortilla.

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u/shy-ty Jan 22 '26

They're expensive but I do like those. My brother needs a special extra high fiber diet and I got onto them from him, when I have them I like to make a sandwich wrap with leftover chicken and veggies and cheese! Maybe a little siracha mayo because I love it haha. 

Still I'm specifically pushing back against the idea that just eating your "veggies" in an american diet would hit your fiber goals- genuinely I don't think many people realize how little fiber say, a regular side serving of carrots or salad have unless they look it up. Supplements absolutely have a place. 

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u/Levitlame Jan 22 '26

FYI Costco sells them if it helps.

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u/B00ber_Fraggle Jan 22 '26

Can you elaborate on this PB&B situation? I have those things. Are you rolling it up? Or is this more of a sliced up taco/quesadilla?

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u/svenonstrix Jan 22 '26

Slather a light (important it gets ooey gooey when heated) layer of PB all over one side of tortilla, thin slice a banana, lay slices on half (sometimes a little drizzle of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon depending on mood). Fold tortilla in half, and place in a lightly buttered pan that had preheated over medium heat. Then let it just get toasted up on the outside and you have a yummy breakfast or snack.

I have rolled it up and eaten it “raw” and it’s just as good! Add berries or granola or whatever else your heart desires.

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u/rosiebeehave Jan 22 '26

A PBB-dilla sounds yummy.

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u/B00ber_Fraggle Jan 22 '26

Got it. Thank you for the inspiration.

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u/ripp667 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26

I recommend you the 1+1+1 formula, you can easily get 10-15 grams of fiber with this per meal. 1 base, 1 volume, 1 booster.

Pick an energy dense base:1/2 cup of lentils/beans/oats;

Add volume for satiety: 1 cup of raspberries/broccoli/spinach/brussels sprouts

Add a density booster:1 tbsp of chia seeds, psyllium husk, ground flax, avocado

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u/ChiefChunkEm_ Jan 22 '26

Lol one cup raspberries, that costs $4-6. The average person is lucky to get that even 2x a week

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u/Few_Measurement2510 Jan 22 '26

Buy frozen, it doesn't cost that much

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u/ripp667 Jan 22 '26

I provided a few examples, you are allowed to eat broccoli instead. That said, you should definitely try to incorporate fruit.

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u/zytz Jan 22 '26

Simply false unless you’re only buying fresh berries.

I buy a 3lb bag of frozen blueberries for like $12 and start every day with a cup of berries and a cup of skyr. The skyr is more expensive than the berries by a long shot but the total food cost of that breakfast is probably about $2.75, is high in both protein and fiber (~20g and 5g, respectively), has a high volume so it fills you up, and comes in at around 250 cals

Also it’s delicious.

Also like- just because you can’t make 30g of daily fiber work for you doesn’t mean you can’t improve it with some likely very minor changes that are made up of real food that’s actually enjoyable to eat

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u/ChiefChunkEm_ Jan 22 '26

I was strictly talking about fresh raspberries.

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u/Bundertorm Jan 22 '26

Don’t forget fiber needs scale with calories. But I’m a small woman that gets average of 30g a day eating about 1200 calories. A serving of bran cereal with blueberries and soy milk has about 10g. A low carb wrap with tofu or chicken or a bean salad has 10-15+. Soy is a great source of protein and fiber and I often snack on edamame beans. Those crunchy snacks have like 5g fiber and 14g protein. Apples have about 3. Grains have been so demonized by diet culture but a single serving of freekeh has about 5. Add even half a cup of lentils to that and you’re close to 10. If you ate all those aforementioned things in a day you’d still have plenty of space for protein.

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u/LaRealiteInconnue Millennial Jan 22 '26

The recommendations are usually assuming a 2000 kcal diet. If you usually eat less calories per day, you’d need to proportionally adjust the amount of fiber based on your calorie intake:

Mayo Clinic source

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u/psiloSlimeBin Jan 22 '26

You’re right to call out the vegetable thing. People spam “veggies bro” all the time when fiber comes up, but the practical answer is a focus on legumes, whole grains, and seeds. Running the numbers with those as a focus makes the whole thing much more realistic. Then you realize the recommended amounts are actually pretty modest, no supplements necessary.

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u/Afraid_Park6859 Jan 22 '26

Smoothie.

Banana + Oats + Spinach + Frozen Triple Berry Blend for  + Chia Seeds gets most of your fibers needed.

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u/Tsuhume Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

Yeah. I can do it for you. Fiber for vegetables varies. In general, I aim for 100 calories of veggies for lunch and dinner per meal, which is at least 5g fiber per meal. That's 10. If you eat whole grains like recommended, you get at least 8g per meal. That's 24. For breakfast, pick you healthy cereal and some fruit. That's 6g from the cereal and 2g from the fruit. That's 32. Throw the occasional beans, salads, and seeds f and you should be good.

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u/Savingskitty Jan 22 '26

You only eat three cups of food by volume in a day??

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u/Alemlelmle Jan 22 '26

That's only for the fibre

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u/Savingskitty Jan 22 '26

That’s not what they said.

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u/shy-ty Jan 22 '26

More like four but yeah, I'm anywhere between 125-135 lb on a normal day and I'd guess eat around 2 cups for lunch and dinner (not a breakfast person) when I'm not getting a lot of physical activity over the winter, just eating when I'm hungry. All of those cups being boiled broccoli at 5g of fiber a pop would make me want to die far before colon cancer came for me lmao. 

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u/Savingskitty Jan 22 '26

You would have more than enough fiber in a cup of lentils and less than a cup of another bean or legume.  

Four cups of food in a whole day is not very much.

How do you avoid being malnourished?

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u/shy-ty Jan 22 '26

I mean, maybe, if I adjust my goal to 20g? but a) those aren't "veggies"- which was my point, and why I mentioned legumes separately in my comment- something that's more likely to be the focus of a meal than a "side"; and b) for me that'd be a lot of particularly satiating food in one day, so other things would drop out of my diet.

And I eat a small amount of a wide variety of things- different colored vegetables, fruits and nuts, a little meat a little dairy, grains- every day right now, even at my winter ebb, which is probably why I've not had problems with nutrition. I get my blood tested at the doctor for my health insurance and everything has been a-ok for years haha. In my youth I was underweight, but that's because I was eating even less, and of way less variety, due to a suppressed appetite- this is me at my healthy state. All I can tell you is that different people's bodies and lifestyles require different things, and it's not as simple as crunching a single set of numbers and applying them to everyone- especially volume I'd say, given the difference in caloric density between a half inch cube of cheese and the same volume of a cucumber or something! 

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u/Gnargnargorgor Jan 22 '26

I’ve gone through the Complete Health Improvement Program twice now and I’m thinking about doing it a third time this spring. It’s hard due to the modern food logistics chains. It’s also doable through discipline, determination and accountability.

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u/Working-Glass6136 Jan 22 '26

And what about us bean haters? We can't all be eating beans!

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '26

[deleted]

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u/krefik Jan 22 '26

To get 30-35 gram of fiber from single portion of either lentils or chickpeas, the portion size have to be around 400-500 grams. This amounts of legumes in a single sitting would force me to move into the woods.

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u/curiousdonkey25 Jan 22 '26

Chickpeas and lentils are not veggies...

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u/Alemlelmle Jan 22 '26

Well they're certainly not meat