Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes - WHO

Read this and saw it on the news. I knew this stuff was bad. But very occasionally I eat sausage or ham. And I LOVE British bacon (very meaty) on a fresh bakery roll. We've been told on tv news here that a certain amount of bacon every week will shorten our lives by a certain number of years. I don't eat it frequently but I'm not giving it up!


bacon.jpg
 
People don't stop doing what is 'bad' for them - even those dying of lung cancer keep puffing away, liver cancer patients keep on drinking. I think moderation is a good idea.
 

We've know for a long time that "processed" meats aren't healthy, and we eat very little these days. We eat bacon four times a year, usually buy some when we go camping. We use the uncured and nitrate/nitrite free brands only.

Red meats are usually unhealthy due to the way they are cooked, overcooked or char-broiled and blackened in the process, we avoid doing these things now that we know better. Also, slowly moving away from eating any meats too often. We'll go weeks on a vegetarian diet, and we've been reducing our beef consumption by eating more chicken and lamb. I think the report is showing a small risk, and a relationship to cancer as opposed to a direct cause, obesity also fits into the mix. I agree, as with everything, moderation is key.
 
Capt Lightning said:
When it comes to it, most people simply don't like being told how to live by faceless committees. I have no intention of changing my lifestyle. Next week they will probably tell us that meat is good for us, but vegetables are bad.
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I have been saying that for years Capt., what is bad for us today will be good for us in a few weeks and then they will find something else bad for us.
 
In one mode of consideration, red meat likely may cause cancer. In another mode, not eating red meat will not protect against cancer. What is exactly the premise then? imp


"It places red meat in group 2A, as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Eating red meat is also linked to pancreatic and prostate cancer, the IARC says."

“What we do know is that avoiding red meat in the diet is not a protective strategy against cancer,” said Robert Pickard, a member of the Meat Advisory Panel and emeritus professor of neurobiology at Cardiff University.
 
Cookie said:
People don't stop doing what is 'bad' for them - even those dying of lung cancer keep puffing away, liver cancer patients keep on drinking. I think moderation is a good idea.
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Yes, Cookie. I agree. Moderation in all things. The Greeks figured that out thousands of years ago. That goes for everything.
Not just food.
 
Capt Lightning said:
When it comes to it, most people simply don't like being told how to live by faceless committees. I have no intention of changing my lifestyle. Next week they will probably tell us that meat is good for us, but vegetables are bad.
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Cap, when I was a kid, a campaign was on recommending that eating eggs be limited. Today, the thinking is reversed, and we are told eggs are good for us. You hit the nail squarely, as far as I'm concerned. Use moderation, don't think abrupt lifestyle changes will prove beneficial. imp
 
Right! No need to panic. It is recommended that people who eat a lot of processed meats cut back, that's all - no one is taking it all away, you can still eat all you want. But the announcement is coming from the World Health Organization, not some trendy fad doctor, and the research was done in reputable institutions like Harvard, etc. who are a bit smarter than the average human.
 
I just remembered some extreme diets I was on as a kid some 70 years or so ago. All prescribed by our Dr. Flood back in the days when they came to your house and diagnosed you at your bedside.
One was raw eggs mixed in an eggnog. Another was Bananas, Banana powder in milk and in everything. The pertinent one to this thread was raw chopped meat, mixed with a raw egg. I am remembering imperfectly, but one of them was to cure a bout with ptomaine poisoning. Others may have been to put on weight. I was a pathetically skinny kid back then. Wish I could say that now. Just had to throw away some pants because of my 48" waist. Yes. I am going to do something about that.

I don't eat it any more, but I did enjoy raw chopped beef with a little salt ( and no egg ) for many years, before it was known to be a problem. I do miss that.
 
In the picture they show no bacon as I eat. We have had Canadian bacon which looks a bit like the lower left corner stuff. I grew up in a poor family that could not afford much meat, so we ate lots of soups, vegetables, one round steak would serve all 7 of us. We often would have lots of rice or potatoes, mashed or baked.

I see no problem with occasionally a couple strips of the American style bacon with a couple fried eggs. Still not rich when we go shopping so doubt if we will have much problems from what we eat. I don't like much sea food so that is out for me. Really not into eating any full dinners as I prefer eating when hungry and only enough to do the job. I eat very little each day and still keep gaining weight if not in charge of what and how much to eat.
 
I guess my uncle the pig farmer had an inkling that this kind of report was eventually going to surface when he mentioned in passing a few years ago, that he wouldn't eat the critters that he was raising in the barn.
 
Making changes gets harder and harder as one ages.... we are so habituated in our lifestyle and routines, and of course our great love of food makes dietary changes extra hard, no wonder people freak out at the thought of giving up their beloved bacon. I loved it too as a child, although I never eat it now, since I have a pretty simple diet (no meat of any kind) but occasionally will eat fish and do eat dairy. I used to be a complete vegan for years and years when I was younger, so I'm very used to the concept of no meat, and I admit I can't really fathom how difficult it is for die hard meat eaters to cut back, let alone give it up, but I do try to be understanding and sympathetic and not judge too harshly, but as an animal lover it's a constant challenge living in a world of carnivores.
 
Underock1 said:
I just remembered some extreme diets I was on as a kid some 70 years or so ago. All prescribed by our Dr. Flood back in the days when they came to your house and diagnosed you at your bedside.
One was raw eggs mixed in an eggnog. Another was Bananas, Banana powder in milk and in everything. The pertinent one to this thread was raw chopped meat, mixed with a raw egg. I am remembering imperfectly, but one of them was to cure a bout with ptomaine poisoning. Others may have been to put on weight. I was a pathetically skinny kid back then. Wish I could say that now. Just had to throw away some pants because of my 48" waist. Yes. I am going to do something about that.

I don't eat it any more, but I did enjoy raw chopped beef with a little salt ( and no egg ) for many years, before it was known to be a problem. I do miss that.
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Underock, you are not alone with the raw beef and egg! I have eaten this sevral times and it's delicious! Steak Tartare. Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/steak-tartare-recipe.html


steak tartare.jpg
 
All of the meats I eat are well done, If I see a speck of red on it I will not eat it....maybe Im the nutty one.
Any red meat I usually throw at the Muslims they seem to enjoy it.:)
 
If we paid attention to all these various reports about what is bad for us, we would probably be trying to live on distilled water. Everything can be bad if done to excess, but very few foods, in moderation, are unhealthy. Personally, breakfast just isn't breakfast without a slice of crispy bacon.
 
I was a vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian for about 12 years but went back to being a carnivore about 9 years ago. At home though we eat vegetarian unless we have guests. So I usually only eat meat when eating out or traveling.

I don't eat a lot of red meat, but when I have a burger it's well done. However, I like steak medium rare - pink but not bloody. A well done steak is like leather.
 
Underock1 said:
One was raw eggs mixed in an eggnog.
I don't eat it any more, but I did enjoy raw chopped beef with a little salt ( and no egg ) for many years, before it was known to be a problem. I do miss that.
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Underock, my mother used to slip me a raw egg sometimes in my chocolate milk when I was a kid, hoping I wouldn't notice. I was a picky eater and a real skinny pickle, so she tried to nourish me in any way she could. I still eat a little bit of lean raw ground beef when I make hamburgers or tacos at home, with salt of course. :)
 
Cookie said:
Making changes gets harder and harder as one ages.... we are so habituated in our lifestyle and routines, and of course our great love of food makes dietary changes extra hard, no wonder people freak out at the thought of giving up their beloved bacon. I loved it too as a child, although I never eat it now, since I have a pretty simple diet (no meat of any kind) but occasionally will eat fish and do eat dairy. I used to be a complete vegan for years and years when I was younger, so I'm very used to the concept of no meat, and I admit I can't really fathom how difficult it is for die hard meat eaters to cut back, let alone give it up, but I do try to be understanding and sympathetic and not judge too harshly, but as an animal lover it's a constant challenge living in a world of carnivores.
Click to expand...

I've made a lot of food changes voluntarily in my old age, just things I wanted to do, didn't have to for any health reasons, and it's been easy for me personally. I'm not a die hard meat eater, as I said we've gone for periods of time strictly vegetarian, I've even told my husband if he ever want to go completely vegetarian, I'd go along with it.

Although there are a lot of good things to eat that are meatless, neither of us want to change our diets at present, but never say never. I know a couple of people who are either vegan or vegetarians, and I can understand why they choose to not to eat meat at all, and I respect them and their choices. I'm also an animal lover, and I want animals to be treated as humanely as possible when being used for food purposes, but I grew up eating meat and choose to continue in a moderate fashion. I don't judge anyone harshly, what they choose to eat is a very personal decision.
 
BobF said:
In the picture they show no bacon as I eat. We have had Canadian bacon which looks a bit like the lower left corner stuff. I grew up in a poor family that could not afford much meat, so we ate lots of soups, vegetables, one round steak would serve all 7 of us. We often would have lots of rice or potatoes, mashed or baked.

I see no problem with occasionally a couple strips of the American style bacon with a couple fried eggs. Still not rich when we go shopping so doubt if we will have much problems from what we eat. I don't like much sea food so that is out for me. Really not into eating any full dinners as I prefer eating when hungry and only enough to do the job. I eat very little each day and still keep gaining weight if not in charge of what and how much to eat.
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Bob, I almost never agree with you politically, so I'm happy to agree with you on this. Sounds like your conservative mind set extends to your eating habits. Yes. Eat when hungry and then eat little. I have no formal meal times. When my wife was alive, her girl friends envied her for not having to cook for me. She was always willing, but I never wanted to waste the time to do a sit down dinner. We all had plenty of family interaction, without everyone juggling their lives so that we could sit at a table together and stare at a lot of chewing faces. I guess I got a little off my intent here. I prefer vegetables to meat, but do chew on an occasional microwaved hot dog, or frozen meat loaf patty. I throw in chicken and turkey every so often. I do like fish, but the only microwaveable is a Stouffer's Fish Filet dinner. Not a gourmet delight, but acceptable with a little home made tartar sauce.
 

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