What Is Processed Meat and Is It Bad for Your Health? Amy Gorin, MS, RDN
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What is processed meat?
Processed meat is as American as baseball, a game where, incidentally, you ll usually find processed hot dogs draped in cheese sauce (also processed). Processed red meat differs from fresh red meat in that it s been cured, salted, smoked, canned, or treated with preservatives, says Lisa Andrews, a registered dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition in Cincinnati.
Along with hot dogs, processed meat includes bacon, sausage, bologna, corned beef, salami, ham, and beef jerky. Yup, your beloved bacon is processed, and so is pepperoni and packaged deli meat.
There s so much to learn and so many decisions to make it can feel overwhelming when you ve just been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. That s why HealthCentral spoke to oncology dietitian and nutrition educator Julie Lanford, MPH, RD, LDN of Winston-Salem, N.C., to get her best tips for developing an eating plan when you’re living with this cancer. Lanford is the founder of CancerDietitian.com and the wellness director for nonprofit Cancer Services aims to help people with cancer regain a sense of control in their lives.
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Nutrition can t guarantee you won t get metastatic breast cancer or make it go away, says Lanford, but it’s still important. Smart nutrition is a form of risk reduction for everyone; plus, it helps you feel better today and tomorrow,” she says. “It doesn t take the place of proven, effective, traditional treatment, but it may enhance your chances of living longer. According to a study in
Born between 1965 and 1980, Gen X is sometimes referred to as the forgotten generation, or sandwich generation, and treated like the neglected “middle child” because of its small numbers and position between two large and loud generations, the Boomers and the Millennials.
Gen X-ers are said to be an adaptable, self-reliant, flexible, mistrusting group with a strong independent streak. All of this was fostered by growing up during the “Just Say No” era and being the first latchkey generation a reflection of an increasing number of two-working adult American families. Gen X-ers were celebrated during COVID-19 quarantines for their abilities to adapt to technology, adjust to change and self-entertain.
UK scientists have linked the consumption of any form of red meat – such as beef, lamb and pork – with a decline in heart function.
The researchers, who studied nearly 20,000 individuals, found that greater intake of red and processed meat was linked with a decline in three different measures of heart health.
Processed meats – such as sausages, salami and cured bacon – are meats that have been preserved by smoking or salting, curing or adding chemical preservatives.
There is some evidence that red meat alters the gut microbiome, leading to higher levels of certain metabolites in the blood, which have in turn been linked to greater risk of heart disease.
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