Reduce Your Processed and Red Meat Cancer Connection

Photo courtesy of pcrm.org

     This past October 26^th, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced to the world that some of the foundational foods that make up a significant part of the American diet, processed meats and red meat, have the ability to cause cancer. In the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Press Release they stated:

“Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.”

and for red meat:

“This association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.”

     And because so many people all over the world consume processed meat, this revelation has become a global public health issue.  According to this same press release, red meat is mammalian muscle and includes: beef, veal, pork (sorry, it is not the ‘other’ white meat), lamb, mutton, horse and goat. Processed meats are those that have been transformed through salting, curing, fermenting, smoking or other processes that enhance flavor, color, preservation and taste and includes: hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, salami, sausages, corned beef and beef jerky as well as meat sauces and meat preparations.

Also in this report it was stated that:

“The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%”

So what does a 50 gram portion of read/processed meat look like?  How about 2 Sausage and Egg  McMuffin Sandwhich from McDeath (McDonalds) , 3 to four slices of bacon or one 4 oz serving of a porkchop.  The typical American has already reached that 18% just by eating breakfast alone. Not to imagine what was eaten for lunch and dinner. I remember when I was growing up we had some form of red meat for breakfast, maybe 1 or 2 beef bologna sandwhiches for lunch and for dinner, Hamburger Helpers Spaghetti was a common feature! Our cancer risk percentiles were through the roof!!!                                                                                                                                       Photo courtesy of medscopdaily.com

By nature, the human body was not made to digest meats. Meat causes a great shortening of our lives. We all eat meat. I eat meat also, but it certainly is not good for us. ~ The Honorable Elijah Muhammad (How to Eat to Live Bk 1 pg. 116)

     With Black people leading in the colorectal cancer category (between 60,000-70,000 for men and 50,000-60,000 as of 2012 according to the CDC), it is evident that a lot of inordinate processed meat consumption is taking place in our communities. If you just have to have meat as a part of your dietary routine, choose the best of meats; organic and pasture-raised. These types of meats are lacking in many of the artificial chemicals in the processed ones. Also, because they are pasture raised, they offer more nutrition such as omega 3 fats which are excellent for the brain and help reduce inflammation. Quality wise, their flesh is more tender and tasty (so I have been told!)

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     Why is meat not good for us one might ask? Well, with any flesh that we want to consume, it should be thoroughly cooked. In the process of cooking meat any living enzymes that it may have once had are completely destroyed. This means consuming it adds no help to the digestion process like raw or very lightly cooked vegetables may provide.  This is one of the reasons quality steaks are ‘tenderized’ with pineapples because they help to start the digestion of the meat before it is eaten.  Coupled with that, its transit time through the entire digestive tract can range from 24-72 hours depending on the health of the individual. And since many people eat multiple times throughout the day with meat at every meal, this build up in the gut allows the undigested meat to sit there, fester and rot as if it were sitting in an unattended garbage can (I think you are starting to get the picture). As a result many people may find they have extended stomachs that a daily set of crunches will not eliminate. And with this toxic soup developing in our bodies, diseased states start to occur. So the next time a Meatless Monday comes around, give it a try. Your health may thank you for it!

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