In grade school, your mom would pack a bologna sandwich along with a juice box, chips and an apple, as your brown-bagged blue-plate special of the day.
In college, you learned to relish the smooth, smoky flavors of prosciutto and pata negra Iberian ham.
And what would a day at the ballpark be without a steamy-hot frank to accompany that ice-cold beer?
Yes, from Sunday-brunch bacon to bratwurst and barbecues, the American quest for processed meats is practically a national pastime.
But now the health police are telling you that all those processed meats are going to give you high cholesterol and land you in the hospital with a premature heart attack.
So just how dangerous are processed meats to your health?
The good news is that nutritional experts say reasonable amounts of processed meat consumption is generally safe.
The bad news is that what defines “reasonable amounts” may not include that third wiener at the Cubs game.
“The evidence is quite convincing that regular consumption of processed meats is detrimental to health, including leading to colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology and chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
He added that red meat in itself tends to lead to high cholesterol and other health issues, but stressed that “processed meats are far more harmful than unprocessed meats.”
But it Tastes so Good!
Processed meat does taste better than unprocessed meat, and that is because it is transformed through curing, fermenting, smoking or salting in order to boost flavor and shelf life.
But the food police have science on their side.
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans,” and the World Cancer Research Fund International currently recommends limiting red meat consumption to about three portions a week.
Then again, not all processed meats are created equally.
Processed poultry and fish are less dangerous than processed red meat because they have less saturated fat content and can be rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
In the case of cooked processed meats, such as fried bacon or grilled ham, high temperatures can form additional carcinogens.
Also, most processed meats are high in sodium, which can increase the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
In the end, though, the key word is moderation, so as long as you are not binge-eating pastrami sandwiches or piling on the bacon at every breakfast, you probably can go ahead and enjoy processed meat on a semi-regular basis.
