Don't Eat Meat EVER Again!

Don't eat meat ever again? Yeah. You read the title correctly the first time. Before you go up against me about making such a bold statement, let me tell you that I'm not the one saying it. It's the scientists, undercober journalists and doctors. About 2 weeks ago, I saw a video that showed how frozen chicken is processed. The birds are injected with some clear fluid (only God knows what) to make them bigger, so they are more attractive. The video also said the birds are then coated with formaldehyde to preserve them. If it's true, then that's something scary!

As if that isn't bad enough, I read today that we should all stay away from processed meat. Processed meat is meat that has been modified to either extend its shelf life or change the taste and the main methods are smoking, curing, or adding salt or preservatives.

Simply putting beef through a mincer does not mean the resulting mince is "processed" unless it is modified further. Processed meat includes bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky and ham as well as canned meat and meat-based sauces.

So, why avoid processed meat too? Well, the World Health Organization says processed meat can cause cancer (seems everything caises cancer these days!). According to WHO, suspected carcinogenic chemicals can form during meat processing. These include N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Cooking the meat at high temperatures, especially on a barbecue, can also produce these dangerous chemicals.

However, the WHO's experts admit that the cancer risk is "not yet fully understood". Estimates suggest 34,000 deaths from cancer every year could be down to diets high in processed meat.

In summary, Frankie Phillips, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, says: "The message is to still include red meat in the diet because it is a good source of key nutrients.

"The general message is it's OK to eat some red meat but perhaps to look at ways of increasing the amount of plant-based foods - in particular, pulses."

This won't stop me from having shawarma once a week though, atleast it contains some greens too, even if it's just a little. Lol.


Cover image via Consciouslifenews.com