A recent column on processed meats generated more questions. Cheri M. from California writes: “Your article … made me wonder. Does processed meat include whole roasted chickens and turkeys and hams that we eat at Thanksgiving and Christmas? We eat a whole roasted chicken about every two weeks.” Most recommendations to avoid excessive intake of processed meat are related specifically to meats that are smoked, salted, or cured in some way. Ham is in that category. Chicken or turkey that has simply been roasted is not.
Barbara K. from New Jersey inquires: “My husband and I stopped eating cured luncheon meats due to a dietary issue I had. Instead, we get uncured ham and uncured bacon. We usually eat them a couple of times a week. Do you think we should eliminate that also from our diet?”
You’ve brought up another complex issue, Barbara. Cured meats are preserved with nitrites, compounds that actually help make these foods safer to eat, according to the International Food Information Council. In fact, nitrites are required by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture in cured foods to reduce the risk for botulism — a potent food toxin.
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However, nitrites can also form compounds called nitrosamines. And large amounts of these substances are in the “probably carcinogenic” classification of the International Agency for the Research on Cancer.
For this reason, the FDA strictly regulates the amount of nitrites added to foods. The food industry also adds antioxidants like ascorbate (vitamin C), which keeps nitrites in traditional cured meats from turning into dangerous nitrosamines. “Uncured” meats are preserved without nitrites — kind of. Plants like celery and other green leafy vegetables are rich in “nitrates” that can be converted to “nitrites” by tiny organisms. So manufacturers have just found a different vehicle for using nitrites to protect the safety of these foods.
All this is to say that, whether a meat is cured or uncured, it is still considered a processed meat that is better eaten occasionally rather than regularly.
Lastly, Ann A. from Nebraska asks, “Does the same issue apply to non-meat items? My husband and I regularly eat sandwiches with Tofurky (tofu-based) Hickory Smoked Deli Slices. We also eat BLTs made with Smoky Tempeh Bacon (made with fermented soybeans) once a week. Should we be concerned?”
Non-meat items are not considered “processed meats” according to the widely accepted definition by the World Health Organization: any meat that has been preserved or changed by salting, curing, fermentation, or smoking.
That is not to say that the foods you mention are not processed, however. They have definitely been changed considerably from their original form. Which is a whole new topic, yes?
Barbara Intermill is a registered dietitian. Email her at barbara@quinnessentialnutrition.com.
