Limiting your meat consumption is recommended by doctors, but not all meats have the same effects on the body. Which is the least healthy?
One type of meat is singled out by experts, who consider that consuming it in excess is bad for your health. For once, it’s not just about red meat. If its over-consumption should be avoided because of its negative impact on health, we now know that another type of meat, certainly eaten more frequently, is one of the significant causes in the development of certain cancers.
This meat is certainly one of the most consumed in the world. Available in the form of sausage, ham, salami, bolognese or nuggets, it is an integral part of the diet of Western countries, it is also the queen of fast food and food across the Atlantic. That said, our American neighbors are not the only ones to harm their health by consuming it. In France, at least 94% of the population consumes it once a week in the form of cold meats, and at least one in two young people (18-24 years old) consumes it in the form of processed dishes. However, more and more doctors are warning about the health risks linked to even light consumption of this meat.
It is found in prepared meals, and in most of the food sections of your supermarket: this meat is “processed meat”, which according to nutritionists is, by far, the most unhealthy meat. before red meat, when we eat too much of it. The main reason is precisely in its transformation and in its composition, whatever form it takes. There are sometimes very numerous additives and chemicals which can contribute to the development of chronic diseases, diseases which cause 74% of deaths worldwide according to the World Health Organization.
The idea that manufacturers put chicks in a blender to make nuggets is actually not that far-fetched. The manufacture of processed meat is not very tasty, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, which explains, for example, that the sausages used to make hot dogs are made “by forcing bones, to which are attached edible meat, to be passed under great pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bones from the meat tissue.
Processed meats are in fact pieces of meat (red or white meat) to which animal fats and preservatives have been added and which have then been cooked, dried, or smoked so as to extend their shelf life. One of the problems with this type of meat is that it contains nitrates and nitrites which, once in the body, can lead to the development of many cancers and even a form of dementia, if consumed in excess.
Health authorities recommend avoiding processed meats because from 25 grams of processed meat consumed, the risk of cancer increases. However, in charcuterie alone, the French eat on average 288 grams of processed meat per week, according to a survey by Behavior and Food Consumption in France (CCAF) dating from 2016.