The idea that I might have to stop eating bacon seriously frightens me!

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The World Health Organization recently classified processed meats as a group 1 carcinogen. This is the same category as tobacco. EEK!!! This terrifies me because (as you may ask my family) I’m a bacon whore on Sunday mornings.

Here is how the World Health Organization vacation system works.

The agency weighs the strength of scientific evidence of foods, drinks, pesticides, plants and anything that is a potential cancer causer.  It does not take into account how much of that substance you have to consume to increase your risk of getting cancer.  The products are broken into 4 groups:

Group 1 –carcinogenic (cancer-causing)

Group 2A- probably carcinogenic

Group 2 B possibly carcinogenic

Group 4- probably not carcinogenic

Red meat contains a chemical called heme that is broken down into carcinogenic compounds in the gut.   Also,  nitrates and nitrites are used to cure meats (or help preserve them) and these can turn into carcinogenic compounds. To take it one step further, cooking these preserved meats at high temperatures can create more cancer-causing compounds.

Does make sense that we should cut back on the amount of processed foods like hot dogs and pepperoni?  Of course!  I try to stick to a diet of mostly vegetables supplemented with some fruits, nuts, seeds and lean, organic meats.   We should also stick to rule of buying food in the most natural state and unprocessed form possible.  Remember #JERF–Just Eat Real Food

Our family uses Applegate products which do not contain nitrates or nitrites. We also like to buy products from local farmers. That way we know what the animals are fed, how they are treated and that they don’t contain artifical ingredients or preservatives.

Remember that Group 1 also contains alcohol and sunlight which many of us have no problem consuming regularly.

Remember there is bad meat which is processed and CAFO raised.  There are also good meats that contain no hormones or antibiotics and are grass-fed.

Here’s the scoop!

Smoking raises your risk of lung cancer by a factor of 20. It causes 1 million deaths worldwide every year. He raises your risk of colon cancer by 1.1-1.2 per daily serving of meat. Eating an extra 50 grams of processed meat daily increases the risk of colon cancer by 18%

Here are a few references that look into the subject a little closer if you look at the posts on this subject.

www.drdeborahmd.com

www.zoeharcombe.com

www.marksdailyapple.com

www.bloomberg.com

I’m going to continue to use common sense and make good choices —-Eat my veggies!!! and occasionally throw in some nitrate/nitrite free bacon!  After all, you have to enjoy life!