Processed Meats and Their Affect on Diabetes

Red meat is OK or is it Baloney

It is reported on the BBC, Dr Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

"The need is for a major reduction in total meat intake" on 24 March 2009. In that same site were discussed "that people who ate a large amount of red and processed meat had a 30 to 40 percent higher chance of developing colon cancer...."

All meats increase the chances of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. What is often not thought about is that when we eat all this extra meat it tends to increase our weight. It is the extra weight that will trigger diabetes and the extra weight will make that poor heart work harder. Often with that poor heart working harder, the cholesterol in the blood blocking the veins and arteries, makes your poor heart, work even harder. Your heart is for loving so let's not make it work harder than it needs to work by consuming those fatty products that our body doesn't really need.

Nathan Pritikin discussed having a small amount of meat in the diet, if any. Pritikin tended to limit that amount to 10% of the food intake and that was very lean meat.

Let's discus processed meat, and see exactly what they might have in them. Getting this information is very hard indeed. Just because processed meats don't have a particular requirement in one place such as in the USA, Canadian, Australia, New Zealand or England doesn't mean, that there can't be surprises coming from other countries, where there are no rules or regulations.

Firstly we need to look at processed meats and what they consist of. In the above countries basically any kind of meat can be processed such as beef, chicken and pork but others are also processed such as deer, buffalo, turkey, rabbit, camel or even kangaroo. Processed meats are made from off cuts to prevent wastage from the carcasses.

· Sausages

· Hamburger Pattie

· Salami

· Devon/ Baloney

· Luncheon meats

Australia and New Zealand seem to be the only countries where official information is available and is somewhat regulated. The Australian and New Zealand Food Authority rules state: PROCESSED MEATS MUST HAVE BETWEEN 30% AND 66% MEAT, what is the balance I wonder???? Frankfurters are at the bottom of the scale where sausages are at the top of the scale with a MAXIMUM OF 50% FAT, the meat can contain offal in other words, other parts of the animal. Meat pies must have 25% of meat including the pastry. Some of the filling is bread and that is made up of refined carbohydrates which are no good for diabetics anyway.

The main preservatives used to stop botulism and other naughty things from growing in processed meats along with the extension of shelf life are:

· Sorbic acid

· Benzoic acid

· Sulfur dioxide

· Potassium & Sodium Nitrate

· Prop ionic Acid

· Salt

· Sugar

With the exception of salt and sugar most cause allergic reactions and cause irritation to the respiratory system and skin. Nitrates and nitrites can cause cancer

Do you want to eat manufactured meats or would you rather go without?

It is important to eat fresh unprocessed lean meat if you must eat meat, and that will lower the risks of cancer and other problems associated with preservatives, and lower your weight.

There you have it, the best you can expect in manufactured meats in a regulated market is 25% meat with the balance of fat and fillers, and I thought I loved sausages and ham.

Say no to processed meats and limit your other fresh unprocessed lean meats to 10% as a maximum.

YOU CAN DO IT

John Wright
http://jayeatonventures.com

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