Processed meats and cancer - will you be giving them up?

robotrobo

Pollycat wrote: »

Why not give it a double-whammy and start smoking sausages.

your not smoking my sausage:D, anyway im married:)

Callie22

I would imagine that the amount of processed meat that most ordinary people eat is no worse for them than breathing in pollution or being exposed to potential carcinogens in cleaning products etc etc. Modern life exposes us to so many things that could potentially cause cancer that it seems strange to single out one thing - the cynic in me wonders if it's more a case that the 'processed meats' companies have less political leverage than the 'sugar' companies ...

If you're eating processed meat for every meal, or even daily, then you probably should take a look at your diet but as a small part of an ordinary diet I can't imagine it's any worse or better than anything else.

meritaten

but the link between processed meats and cancer is not news. it's been known for years and years. so is the link between charred meats and cancer. which is why too frequent BBQs is NOT healthy.
personally my diet wont change - I hardly ever eat any processed foods. cannot remember the last time I actually ate BBQ and meat is a very small part of my diet.
but - nobody will ever convince me that white wine isn't good for you or real butter either!

grandmasam

I agree with Meritaten,
As well as essentials i.e. white wine, real butter, chocolate, cream,:D I also eat meat, my own free range eggs, homemade bread, but all this in moderation, well, most of the time!! Change my diet? I don't want to.

At nearly 70, ex farmer, good food and plenty of exercise [ working outdoors! ] and maintaining a positive outlook, even when the shtf, has helped.
Just to add, I have had 2 heart attacks and have m.e. Still going on, practising now to be a really difficult old bat! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Caz

happydays89

We are going to wait a couple of months because the experts will change their minds and say bacon and sausages ect are good for you,it happens everytime.

busiscoming2

We don't eat a lot of processed meat anyway so probably won't make any difference to us. Saying that I did Chorizo stirfry for dinner tonight...

Don't tend to eat burgers, bacon or ham. We have sausages from the butchers once a fortnight.

I've lost track of what is good and bad for you - I can't keep up!

Slinky

I have a friend who has eaten ham sandwiches for lunch 5 days a week for about 30 years.


Our neighbours lost their 35 year old vegetarian, extremely fit daughter to bowel cancer.


Not going to worry about this particular scare, life leads to death eventually.

System

I'm not going to be able to change hubby and our sons habits. They love bacon and sausage but i rarely eat the stuff.

We dont have large portions of meat anyway and red meat we only eat twice a week at the most.

lessonlearned

jack_pott wrote: »

If you were paying attention you would have noticed that they have been at pains to emphasise that it's about the preserving not the "quality", a piece of cured ham from Fortnum's is just as bad as a piece from Lidl.

Depends on how it is cured, what preservatives are used.

Air drying and/or salt are traditional methods used safely For centuries.

They are of course slower than chemical processing and are therefore more expensive.

Like I said, consume less and consume better quality.

lessonlearned

Slinky wrote: »

I have a friend who has eaten ham sandwiches for lunch 5 days a week for about 30 years.


Our neighbours lost their 35 year old vegetarian, extremely fit daughter to bowel cancer.


Not going to worry about this particular scare, life leads to death eventually.

A relative was a butcher, who lived to a ripe old age of 91.

He Ate huge amounts of meat, breakfast was bacon, sausage, black puddings - every single day. But he was a proper butcher using traditional methods.

He also drank copious amounts of whisky, smoked 40 a day and a large Havana cigar after dinner. Was as strong as an ox, with a healthy heart and good lungs.

My belgian grandmother was the same - table groaned with food, ate cheese and cured meats, every day for breakfast and again for supper. Red meat every day lunch, except fish on Friday. Died at the age of 90 with complications from a broken hip.

Neither ate convenience foods or processed muck.

All these food scares are nonsense.

There is nothing wrong with meat, cheese or dairy or even proper artisan bread.

The problem lies with the way food production has become an industrialised process, relying on chemicals to enhance flavour, over use of preservatives to prOlong shelf life, pumping animals full of growth hormones and anti biotics, extensive use of weedkillers and chemical fertilizers and so on .......

If you cook from scratch, using good naturally produced ingredients and avoid processed rubbish then your diet will be fine.