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

Have your steak and eat it too!

It's been a year since my first article THE TRUTH ABOUT SATURATED FATS, so in light of new data I decided it was time for an update.

Saturated fat is still considered to be the number one culprit of clogged arteries and elevated risk of heart attacks in its devoted consumers.  However, there is new evidence emerging that health risks from the consumption of saturated fats really depends on the TYPE of fat being eaten.

It is thought that one particular type of saturated fat called stearic acid, found in cheese, beef, pork, skinless chicken, olive oil, milk and chocolate may actually protect against heart disease.

Stearic acid is just one of a few saturated fatty acids found in foods.  The others include lauric, myristic and palmitic acids.  Repeated studies have shown that stearic acid has no adverse effect on blood cholesterol levels or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the same can not be said of the "others".

One study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stated that eating lean beef on a daily basis improved cholesterol levels, the stearic acid in the beef was responsible for the positive changes.

Participants in the tudy on a daily diet of lean beef for 5 weeks, experienced a 5% drop in total cholesterol and a 4% drop in LDL (bad) cholesterol - almost equal to those in the control group on a diet high in fish, vegetable protein and poultry.  Also both groups kept their weight steady.

Dr. Michael Roussell, one of the study's authors from Pennsylvania State University, said that unlike processed meats such as sausages and ham, unadulterated red meat "brings a unique, heart-healthy blend of fats to the table".

Many myths and misconceptions have led the general public to wrongly believe that all saturated fats are bad when in fact, sensible amounts of foods rich in stearic acid such as red meat, can be eaten without fearing for their heart's health.

"There are different forms of saturated fat, and stearic acid isn't linked to heart disease." says Glenys Jones, a Nutritionist at the Medical Research Council's Human Nutrition Research Department in Cambridge.

"Other forms of saturated fat, such as the fat in butter, have a much stronger association and, of course, too much of any fat will result in obesity, which is a risk for heart disease itself."

Strangely enough, this "new" take on saturated fatty acids really isn't new at all and reaches as far back as 1957, when it was shown that cocoa butter did not raise blood cholesterol levels as much as the fat from the butter did.  Aslo, almost 25 years ago, a major study at the University of Texas demonstrated that not all saturated fats have the same negative effects.

The New England Journal of Medicine reported that saturated fats such as butter and coconut oil, which contain only trace amounts of stearic acid, had far more damaging effects on blood fats than red meat or chocolate.

The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) published a major report in 2011 that challenged the conventional beliefs about the effects of saturated fat in red meat.  In this document Dr. Carrie Ruxton, an independent dietician, confirmed there is "no conclusive link" between cardiovascular disease and red meat that contains some fatty acids, such as stearic acid, that protect the heart.

"There is less saturated fat in a grilled pork steak than in grilled chicken with the skin left on," she said.
"Studies have shown favorable effects of lean red meat consumption on blood pressure and cholesterol levels."

The amount of stearic acid varies depending on the different foods - the good news is that chocolate and red meat have the highes amounts.

Now, all this positive information is not a licence to gorge on anything and everything high in stearic acid.  The key, as with everything, is moderation.

"There is definite evidence that stearic acid has a neutral effect on cholesterol and cardiovascular risk," says Dr. Emma Williams, a BNF nutrition scientist, "However, in many foods stearic acid is lumped together with other saturated fatty acids which are less beneficial and can contribute to a rise in risks.  The truth is, no one has ever said people should cut out animal fats completely.  Just eat them sparingly."

The key, as I said, is moderation, but there is also another thing to keep in mind, and that is VARIATION.  The more varied a diet the better it is for your health.


Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com