Processed Meats Linked to Health Problems?

It’s no secret that processed, nitrate and salt loaded meats like sausage, bacon and organ meats that are highly processed are on the far end of the bad spectrum when it comes to health foods. However, there really hasn’t been a definitive study or conclusion that shows consuming these types of a meats on a daily basis significantly contributes to your likelihood of getting certain diseases or having problems with certain aspects of your health.

When compared to eating meats that were not processed such as pork and hamburger, the risks were not as high, or there was no correlation at all, so the reason might be the preservatives and salt that are loaded into most processed meats. I know they make a tasty part of your meal, but you may really want to reconsider cutting them out all together or just making sure they are only “special occasion” foods if you want to avoid some of the health pitfalls that frequent consumption comes with.

The calorie and nutrition info was similar between the processed and unprocessed forms of the meat, but what was different was sodium and nitrate content. The consumption of these types of meats daily showed a large increase in the risk of both heart disease and diabetes, suggesting that salt and nitrates were the culprit.

What’s the lesson to be learned here? Try to avoid organ meats and processed meats if you can. Sure, it’s ok to indulge in some sausage links or bacon strips here and there, but try to avoid it in your every day consumption as it can definitely play havoc on your health in a couple different ways.