Is any amount safe? Kathleen Zelman is a registered dietitian who, among other things, served as the director of nutrition for Web MD for many years. She recently wrote a white paper for the North American Meat Institute addressing some of these questions and concerns about processed meats.
She sat down with me to discuss this further. As Kathleen explains: Minimally processed meat is the correct term for raw, uncooked meat products that have been minimally altered grinding, cutting to create familiar cuts like strip steaks or pork chops.
No additives or preservatives are used. It is simply processed from the whole animal into edible portions you see in the grocery store. Examples include hot dogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, lunch meat, bacon or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations. You see the problem. Most of us would not call a piece of raw chicken or pork processed meat.
But in the meat industry, these are considered processed meat. For that matter, most of us would not put a can of tuna in the same category as hotdogs or corned beef.
As Kathleen points out: Our meat supply is safer than it has been in a long time because we have these additives serving the purpose of food safety, as well as the process of curing or fermenting or smoking. What are the concerns with cured meats? Most of the health concerns about processed meats come from large epidemiological diet studies that have linked the consumption of processed meats with increased risk of various diseases, including colon and other cancers of the digestive tract, heart disease, and diabetes.
Of course, correlation is not causation. And there could be a lot of other explanations for this finding. For example, people who eat a lot of processed meat tend to have less healthy lifestyles in general. They are more likely to smoke, for example, and less likely to exercise regularly.
They tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and so on. Some, but not all, processed meats are also quite high in sodium and saturated fat. People who eat a lot of processed meat tend to have less healthy lifestyles in general. On the other hand, the correlation between processed meat consumption and increased health risks has been pretty consistent across decades of research and hundreds of thousands of subjects.
The role of nitrites and nitrates A lot of people think that the nitrites and nitrates in processed meats are the problem. Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are often added to cured meats like ham, bacon, and hot dogs.
Uncured bacon and sausages are often made with celery extract, which is naturally high in nitrites. Ironically, the level of nitrites and nitrates in uncured products is often just as high as in their cured counterparts. These compounds are added in order to preserve the meats and give them their characteristic flavors and textures.
But nitrites and nitrates also have a variety of beneficial actions in the body. In fact, the primary source of nitrites and nitrates in the diet is vegetables. And many of the beneficial effects of vegetables may be thanks to their nitrite content. The level of nitrites and nitrates in uncured products is often just as high as in their cured counterparts. The problem is that they react with other compounds—both in foods and in the body. What is a plant-based diet?
Is bacon bad for you? What is a flexitarian diet? All health content on bbcgoodfood. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.
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Back to Recipes Smoothies Autumn drinks See more. Back to Recipes Whole foods recipes Healthy dinners See more. Back to Recipes Vegetarian dinners Quick vegetarian See more. Keeping a food log can help you be more mindful of just how much processed meat you are eating. Be sure to carry healthy substitutions like hummus and vegetables that can replace that deli sandwich. Once you become of aware of your eating habits and start choosing healthier foods, reducing and even eliminating processed meats from your diet will become easier.
My Chart. Donate Today. For Physicians. Cancer Moonshots. February Guide: Eat less processed meat. Previous Article. Next Article. February : Processed meat and cancer: What you need to know. For many, a turkey sandwich is a lunchtime fixture, bacon is a prized breakfast treat and cookouts wouldn't be the same without hotdogs on the grill Unfortunately, when these processed meats are preserved, cancer-causing substances form. So how much is too much?
Will my daily turkey sandwich give me cancer? Some processed meats include: Ham Sausage Hot dogs Pepperoni Beef jerky Deli meats, including roast beef and turkey Why are processed meats a cancer risk? Heme is a pigment found mostly in red meat Nitrates and nitrites are added to keep processed meat fresher longer Heterocyclic amines and polycyclic amines are produced when meat is cooked at high temperatures All of these chemicals can damage the cells in the colon and rectum.
Tips to avoid processed meat If processed meat products are part of your diet, you can take steps to reduce or eliminate them. Read the label. Check the ingredient list for words like nitrate, nitrite, cured or salted. Be an educated buyer. Skip nitrate-free meats. These meats may have less nitrates and nitrites. When you eat these foods labeled nitrate-free, your stomach actually turns some nitrates into nitrites.
And some of these nitrites can then form cancer-causing substances in your body. Reduce portion sizes of processed meats and eat less frequently. Choose a plant-based diet most often and have some meatless days.
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