Cancer dietitian reveals the foods she would NEVER eat… and there’s a ‘healthy’ plant-based product on her blacklist

A cancer dietitian has revealed which foods and drinks she avoids at all costs, and while there are some surprising items, diet soft drinks are fine in her book.

Nichole Andrews, a registered dietitian and nutritionist specializing in oncology, recently went viral on TikTok describing the items on her “do not touch” list in a clip that has been viewed nearly 3 million times.

Andrews, 38, based in Washington in the US and who goes by the nickname ‘The Oncology Dietetician’, said she created the list to combat misinformation about what we eat and drink and the risk of cancer.

“I know how wonderful and powerful nutrition can be in helping survivors achieve better treatment outcomes and reduce the risk of recurrence,” she said.

‘Unfortunately, there is so much misinformation out there that people can’t eat properly. So I’m happy to clear up that confusion and help people eat with confidence.”

The first item on her list is perhaps unsurprising: alcohol.

While there is debate about the health benefits of drinking a glass of red wine, Andrews explained that when it came to cancer risk, the drink was a no-go.

“I don’t drink alcohol,” she said.

‘All types of alcohol – including red wine – increase the risk of six different types of cancer.

‘It’s the ethanol in the alcohol.

“Really, any consumption of alcohol – any alcohol – immediately begins to increase the risk of cancer.”

Scientists have well established the link between alcohol and numerous cancers, including those of the liver, colon and breast.

It is believed that as many as one in 25 cases of cancer in Britain are caused by drinking alcohol, around 12,000 per year.

Pepperoni and other meats were the second item on Andrew’s list.

The second item on the list was pepperoni and deli meats.

“Processed meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer with every consumption,” she said.

“So whether that’s pepperoni… or pre-cooked meat, any consumption of it increases the risk of cancer.”

In a similar vein, Andrews said the third item on her list was cold cuts, also known as lunch meat in Britain, such as sliced ​​ham for the same reason.

Eating too much processed meat is a known risk factor for bowel cancer and is estimated to cause almost a sixth of the nearly 45,000 cases of the disease diagnosed in Britain each year.

Nitrates and nitrites, chemicals used in preserving these meats, can damage cells in the intestine, leading to changes that can become cancerous.

Number four on Andrew’s list was sugary drinks, not because of a specific ingredient, but because these drinks represent empty calories that can contribute to weight gain and therefore cancer risk.

“Making sure your body fat tissue stays low will maintain healthy calorie levels,” she said.

‘I don’t want my calories to come from soda.

“If you go out to eat and drink a large soda, you’ll get a ton of extra calories.”

But in good news for people who like a fizzy diet drink, Andrews said these, along with her own personal preference for water or unsweetened iced tea, were fine.

She said excess body fat can increase the risk of 13 different types of cancer.

In Britain it is estimated that obese or overweight people cause around one in 20 cases of cancer each year, equivalent to around 18,000 cases.

Next on her list was hot dogs, for the same reason as processed meat, and she urged people to use raw sausage meat at home instead and use whole wheat buns to make it healthier.

Number six was sugar, specifically adding sweeteners to food and drinks, such as cubes in your tea and coffee, for the same reason she urged people to avoid sugary drinks.

Continuing the list, Andrews said red meat was number seven.

She explained: ‘Red meats do not increase the risk of cancer when consumed, as alcohol and processed meats do, but they do increase the risk of colorectal cancer after 18 ounces per week.

‘I usually stick to one portion of red meat a week, or I just don’t have any at all.

“So when I eat out or cook at home, I build my meals around chicken, turkey, fish, seafood or different types of plant proteins like soy.”

Red meat is listed as a likely cause of colon cancer, meaning that while there is evidence that it can cause the disease, it is not as strong as the data specifically linking processed meat.

Number eight on Andrew’s list was morning coffee.

Although a cup of coffee does not directly increase the risk of cancer, Andrews urged people to consider the impact of added sugars and aim to reduce them.

‘I love coffee, and coffee does not increase the risk of cancer, it is a safe choice.

‘I like cold or mixed coffee in the summer, but they can contain so many calories so quickly.

“What I do is I either get a kid’s size, and I order it semi-sweet, so half the serving of sugars is added to it.”

“It just brings the calories down because (those drinks) can easily reach 800 calories.”

For the penultimate item on her avoidance list, Andrews warned people to beware of non-whole grains like white bread or white rice.

“Whole grains are going to help you reduce your risk of colon and breast cancer, and they also give you more fiber and more nutrients because it’s less processed,” she said.

‘More fiber helps you reduce your risk of cancer and improve digestion.

“I do brown rice, whole wheat pasta, brown bread, whole wheat tortillas – I always choose whole wheat.”

More than one in four cases of bowel cancer in Britain is estimated to be caused by a lack of fiber in the diet, according to data from the charity Cancer Research UK.

Finally, Andrews warned people to beware of plant-based milks that are popular in vegan diets.

“I always go for cow’s milk, I always go for dairy – dairy is so packed with nutrients,” she said.

She added that while these products are great options for people with a dairy allergy, she wouldn’t avoid them because they directly cause cancer, but because of a lack of nutrients that reduce the risk of the disease.

“They are all safe choices and if you like them I want you to continue to enjoy them, but I choose not to because of the low protein content.

‘Because of the great calcium it contains, cow’s milk also reduces the risk of colon cancer.

‘Any dairy consumption you have – (especially) low-fat dairy – will reduce your risk of colon cancer.’

Around half of all Britons will develop cancer in their lifetime, but around one in three cases are thought to be preventable by changing habits such as diet.

Almost 400,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed in Britain every year, which is equivalent to one person being diagnosed with the disease every two minutes.

The number of cases of this disease in the population has increased by 3 percent over the past ten years.

But experts are particularly concerned about the rise in cancer rates among young adults, with rates among people aged 25 to 49 having risen 22 percent since the 1990s.

Bowel cancer is one of the cancers that has been specifically identified by experts as a disease on the rise among young people who are otherwise perfectly fit and healthy, for an as yet unexplained reason.