Meat & Your Health

When it comes to eating healthy not all meats are created equal. And what you choose can have a big impact on your health.

Some meats that are much worse for you than others are the processed meats. A newly released study, in the Journal Circulation, found that hot dogs, bacon and sausages along with other processed meats can raise your risk of having a heart attack or developing diabetes. But by the same token, the researchers in this study also found that eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb didn't seem to have that same risk. They said this suggests that preservatives and salt used in processed meats may be what's causing these health problems.

The researchers in this study looked at over 1,600 other studies from around the world and re-analyzed them to find the difference between processed and unprocessed red meats. They defined processed meats as any that is preserved by smoking, curing, salting or with the addition of chemical preservatives. On the average, they found that each 50 gram daily serving of processed meat a day, equivalent to one hot dog or one to two slices of deli meat, increased your risk of having heart disease by 42 percent and diabetes by 19 percent.

The American Meat Institute didn't agree and says this was only one study and it stands in contrast to other research and to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

But your best bet is to use my "moderation" guideline, especially when it comes to summer cooking and snacking.