We live in a fast-paced lifestyle and most of the time many people don’t have enough time to prepare healthy meals. From purchasing fresh ingredients to the preparation and actual cooking of the meals, it can be a huge hassle.
As a result, most people opt to prepare food that is easy to make, such as processed foods. It’s true that these foods are easy to prepare. But what you don’t know about these processed foods is that in the long run, they can cause cancer.
According to a research conducted by The International Agency for Research on Cancer, processed meat such as hot dogs, bacon, sausages, and canned goods as a carcinogen, a substance that is causing cancer, which means that there is strong evidence that processed meats cause cancer.
Experts from different countries reviewed more than 800 studies to reach their conclusions. They found that eating 50 grams of processed meat every day increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. That is almost about 1 hot dog and 4 strips of bacon. For red meat, there was evidence of increased risk of colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. All in all, the risk of a person in developing colon cancer is 5%.
Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, American Cancer Society managing director of nutrition and physical activity, says, “We should be limiting red and processed meat to help reduce colon cancer risk, and possibly, the risk of other cancers. The occasional hot dog or hamburger is okay.”
The Canadian Cancer Society said when it comes to processed meat, Canadians should, “limit your intake and consider it only for things like special occasions” said Sian Bevan, director of research for the Canadian Cancer Society. “Holidays, birthdays… and at a special sporting events. It’ about not making it a daily choice or a regular choice.”
As the old saying goes “Prevention is always better than the cure”, hence limit the intake of processed meats and read meats, and rather, eat lean meats or plant-proteins, and live a healthier life.
Read also: A Simple Pap Test Helps Prevent Cervical Cancer
– Cover Image Credit: Carnivore Style
