Swap Beans for Meat in Your Chili

Hi, I'm Barbara Ficarra with a smart health tip for you. Is chili a favorite meal for your family? I've got a way to make it healthier, get the meat and load it up with beans instead, your kidneys will thank you. That's because animal proteins is hard on your kidney. A recent study suggest that getting most of your protein from meat, be it poultry, pork, or ground beef can boost your risk of kidney cancer by 20-30%.

Kidney cancer is rear but it's on the rise in the United States. No one knows exactly how meat causes kidney cancer. It's possible that chemicals produced when any meat is cooked somehow set the stage for kidney cancer. One study even suggested that exposure to viruses from eating meat like the bovine papillomavirus may be involved in the kidney cancer process.

Substituting beans for some of the meat in your diet may help cut your kidney cancer risk, as well as your risk for heart disease and diabetes. To learn more ways to nourish your family's health, watch and share all our smart tips.