Burger, bacon, ham, salami, hot dog : Deadly meat

I think back of my early days of enjoying fast foods, McDonalds, Burger King, roadside Ramli burgers, etc. Occasional meals which include sausages, hot dogs, bacons and hams, those are the days before I even know how 'harmful' these processed meats are to my health. 

Today, I'm gonna write about the dangers of processed meats. Before I start off, I hereby provide you some of the processed meats which are available in most supermarkets. 

• Bacon
• Ham
• Sausage
• Hot Dog
• Salami
• Pepperoni
• Hamburger

Now, processed meats are those preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or the addition of chemical preservatives. Particularly problematic are the nitrates that are added to these meats as a preservative, coloring and flavoring. The nitrates found in processed meats are frequently converted into nitrosamines, which are clearly associated with an increased risk of certain cancers. It's for this reason that the USDA actually requires adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to bacon cure, as it helps reduces the formation of nitrosamines.

Meat cooked at high temperatures, as many processed meats often are, can also contain as many as 20 different kinds of heterocyclic amines. These substances are also linked to cancer. In terms of this substance, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections. Heating meat at high temperatures also appears to increase the formation of nitrosamines, with well-done or burned bacon having significantly more nitrosamines than less well done bacon.

So at the very least you will want to surely avoid eating hot dogs, bacon or sausages that are charred and very well done. Many processed meats are also smoked as part of the curing process, and smoking is a well known cause of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which enter your food during the smoking process.

There may be other factors at play as well, but at the very least it's known that eating processed meats exposes you to at least three cancer causing substances, nitrates and nitrites, heterocyclic amines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. People who eat processed meats regularly also tend to eat fewer vegetables than others, which likely only compounds the risks.

Just one sausage a day can significantly raise your risk of bowel cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. Processed meats may also trigger cancer in the prostate, lung, stomach and esophagus. Many processed meats also contain other additives like MSG and high fructose corn syrup, which are two items that don’t belong in your body in any amount.

There is also something very unpleasant that goes into some processed meats called “mechanically separated meats” (MSM). If you see this on a label, put it back on the shelf. Go google yourself if you interested to find out more about MSM. 

I know quite a number of friends who loves hot dogs and sausages, not to mention hamburgers. I used to love bacons for breakfast while I was studying overseas. Not now, not anymore, I regretted it, a lot. 

So, you must wonder, which meat choices are ideal for consumption? Simple, buy and eat organic free range meats. Choose for uncured varieties which doesn't contain nitrites or nitrates. Choose 100% chicken or beef and avoid any meat that contains MSG, HFCS, preservatives, artificial coloring and flavoring. In a nutshell, consume animal meats which should be allowed to live in their own natural habitats and eat their natural diets. Not fed on grains! Cows and chickens are not born to eat grains! 

Go read my earlier post on organic and commercial beef for more knowledge on what to buy while you are at supermarket. Unless you eat any form of meat that comes along your way, then god bless you.