Another study has been released about the dire facts of a diet heavy in red meat, especially processed red meat, like salami.
I love salami! That with olives and cheese, plus a glass of wine, is one of my favorite snacks.
But, according to CNN, the 28-year study–that’s right, health professionals and researchers followed 121,000 middle-aged men and women for 28 years–showed that 20 percent of the subjects died during that time. Now this is people who eat red meat on a daily basis, including the salami, hot dogs, bacon etc. Eating just one extra serving a day of red meat put the subjects in the study at a 13 percent higher risk of dying (does this count if you didn’t have the first serving?)
The bad facts of red meat consumption are:
- High saturated fat content that can contribute to heart disease
- Carcinogens produced by charred red meat at high temperatures
- The high amount of additives in processed meats could cause cancer
Health professionals, cited in the CNN health report, suggest eating more whole grains, legumes and fruits and vegetables, and even eliminating red meat altogether. One professor of medicine though believes that lean meats, fruits and vegetables would be fine, as long as you limit sugar, starch, grain and dairy intake.
One thing is for sure–we Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.
I don’t eat red meat daily, not even the salami, but considering the thought of all those additives, I might just have to stick to nuts and cranberries for my snack. Do they go with wine?
Here’s the full story on CNN.