Processed meat is considered to be pretty unhealthy for the most part. It is filled with additives and harmful chemicals that are not naturally present in meat. These chemicals and additives are heavily connected to chronic diseases.
What is Processed Meat?
Processed meat is any meat that has been preserved either by canning, drying, curing, salting, or smoking. But meats that have been either frozen or mechanically processed i.e. sliced or cut are unprocessed. Some of the more popular food products that fall under the process meat umbrella are:
- Sausages, hot dogs, salami.
- Bacon, ham.
- Salted and cured meat, corned beef.
- Smoked meat.
- Dried meat, beef jerky.
- Canned meat.
Processed Meat is Linked with Chronic Disease
Regularly consuming processed meat has been heavily associated with the development of chronic diseases. This is mostly due to the chemicals utilized in the preservation process.
Some of the more common chronic diseases include:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Heart disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Bowel and stomach cancer
Eating Processed Meat is Associated with an Unhealthy Lifestyle
Eating processed meat doesn’t just cause chronic health conditions. It also has the ability to lower your general quality of life. This is because a lifestyle built around regularly consuming processed meat generally neglects other elements of a healthy diet. This includes eating a balanced diet (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) and eating quality food. It is important to invest in not just eating a balanced nutritious meal, but in eating qualify food. This means avoiding foods grown or prepared pesticides and other chemicals. The best thing to do is invest in fresh whole foods, like fresh meat, dairy products, organic fruits, organic veggies, and whole grains. If you have to eat processed foods, then at the very least try to avoid canned foods, which have more additives inside them than some other processed fo