Eating sandwiches every lunchtime is definitely not a good habit to get into, according to scientists. One of them is to be avoided in particular.
The sandwich is a staple of lunch breaks in France. According to a survey for Qapa.fr, 25% of the inhabitants of the country of the baguette resort to sandwiches at lunchtime. The price is one of the attractive factors. The famous ham and butter sandwich, which sells for an average of 3.04 euros in France, is still a great success.
However, this is far from being the best choice as a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologywhich analyzed the eating habits of 1.97 million people from 20 different countries. It focuses in particular on the consumption of meats, such as ham. Eating two slices of ham per day, or 50 grams of processed meat, as can be the case with sandwiches, is associated with a 15% increased risk of type 2 diabetes over 10 years. This is greater than for a steak, unprocessed red meat, of 100 grams, with a risk of 10% and than for 100 grams of poultry with 8%.
These results are still insufficient to definitively prove that meat consumption increases the likelihood of diabetes, but show a strong correlation. The study “supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce cases of type 2 diabetes in the population,” summarizes epidemiologist Nita Forouhi of the University of Cambridge. This data could prove very important in preventing the risks of a disease that affects four million people in France.
The study did not focus on the origin of this link. Some hypotheses have already been put forward in other research but have not yet been confirmed, such as the high protein or saturated fatty acid content. To date, the recommendations of Public Health France are to favor poultry and limit yourself to 500g per week of other meats. Other factors come into play for the development of diabetes such as weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, etc.
If you add bread and butter to this, it seems clear that this is not the healthiest lunch menu. Maybe it’s time to change your habits and opt for homemade dishes. If you don’t have time and really prefer sandwiches, it would be advisable to choose those with chicken or tuna and raw vegetables, according to Raphaël Gruman, nutritionist at Doctissimo. “The protein comes from the chicken or tuna and there is also a bit of fibre, thanks to the raw vegetables or vegetables, such as salad, that it contains,” he explains. He also recommends opting for wholemeal sandwiches, which are richer in fibre.