It's the end of the world!

This week, a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified processed meats as carcinogenic alongside asbestos and arsenic.  This is great, as far as I am concerned as I advocate eating fresh healthy foods and not processed foods... BUT.... this also includes.... BACON!

In fact, it's more than jus bacon... but jeez!  Bacon????

Let's start off by understanding exactly what processed meat is:

PROCESSED meat describes anything that has had chemicals added to it to improve longevity and therefore shelf life such as:

Ham, salami, pate, chorizo, sausages, hamburgers, etc...

Some of those chemical additives are; nitrites and nitrates, monosodium glutamate (MSG), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (SAP), Tetra Sodium Pyrophosphate and you will also find a lot of salt, sugar, water and other "flavorings" added too.

Experts believe that the substances that have been added are what cause cancer.  Or at least raise the risk of cancer - especially bowel cancer.

If you are thinking of your daily life then think about mince meat/ burger meat.  Nowadays, most people buy either straight from a fast food restaurant or they buy frozen or even "fresh" ready-made burgers at the supermarket.  Even if something appears fresh as in NOT frozen, it will have an ingredient list packed full of additives.  The mince you buy fresh from the butchers is unprocessed and if you take it home and make it into burgers, sausages or pasta sauce, it will stay generally unprocessed.

The problem is in the shop bought burgers, sausages, etc..

Officials from the WHO have said that just 50g of processed meat per day increases the risk of bowel cancer by almost a fifth.  This report also classifies red meat as "probably carcinogenic" but admitted that it does also have some nutritional benefits such as being a major source of protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12 - amongst others and, strangely enough, all essential for health.

Dr. Kurt Straif from WHO said:

"For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed."

So, another nail in the coffin for processed foods.  This doesn't mean you have to give up bacon - you just need to relegate it to the "luxury" or once in a while category.  You can make your own burgers using fresh mince from your local butcher - your body will love them and I'm sure your local butcher will appreciate the business.

Next time your are in your local supermarket check out the packaged mince meat.  What looks like minced meat is actually "prepared mince" and has an ingredient list... It is very easy to be tricked into consuming loads of preservatives and additives as most of us just base our choices on what we see and don't bother to check the labelling.  This happened to me recently!  Trying to find decent chicken in Spain is difficult.  Most end up dry with minimal cooking and don't really taste of anything.  One day in the supermarket I found a package that said "Extra Tender" so I popped them in my trolley and made chicken cacciatore for dinner.   The family loved it and everyone was amazed at how tender the chicken was.  The next time I did the shopping I made a beeline for these, but this time I noticed the LONG list of "ingredients" and nearly fainted....

Chicken breast (80%), water, salt, sugar, wine, stabilizers (E-451, E-407), antioxidants (E-331, E-301), acidity corrector (E-262) and natural aromas.

So be careful when out shopping and make sure you check the labelling.

Other alternatives to processed meats and red meat are fresh chicken and fish - so maybe you need to get creative in the kitchen!  And, if you want red meat, make sure it is fresh and unprocessed.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com