Restricting ham eating

[MrsBarbaraKingstanding]

Anyone seen this is the news today. (sorry can't do link but do BBC website).

I have been vaguely aware of some dangers of processed meat for a while but it has remained vague and so I've not acted.

I'm a veggie but ds2 is a rampant carnivore (much to my dismay) and loves his ham sandwiches which he has regularly, and occasional bacon sandwiches as a treat.

my concern has been more animal welfare so I've tended to buy british ham and free range when possible.

But now I'm thinking I should reduce the overall amount of ham he eats. He's not ging to like this.

Anyone else done this?

[Cosmosis]

Surely if it's Nice Ham it's ok??

[elliott]

I have been pondering this for quite a while as well. I really need to do a bit more research to find out what they mean by 'processed meat'; what it is about it that is bad (i.e. the harmful ingredient - I think it is sulphites but may be wrong); are all sausages/bacon/ham/salami equally harmful etc etc. its a pita though as sooo tasty. I've been trying to cut down but I guess we still have bacon/sausages/ham several times a week...
Anyone actually know about this stuff and can spare me from having to track down the research?

[branhasnocommentfortheDM]

I've known about this for a while, but DS is a pain in the neck regarding sandwiches. He'll only have ham, chicken or jam and he complains if he has chicken more than twice a week. He's a bit of a food refusenik generally and would quite happily not eat anything all day if what's on offer isn't to his liking so I'm a bit stuck.

I do buy 'nice' ham, but even that has preservatives in it.

[muffle]

The BBC story does effectively say if you must have ham make sure it's Nice Ham! I breathed a sigh of relief at that - no crappy ham chez muffle as I tend to get free range/organic meat and buy less of it. But I have been aware of this for a while and I deliberately don't buy ham/bacon etc every other food shop - and when I do, I only buy one or two small packs. DS and DP love it but I try to keep it minimal.

I don't know what's harmful about it but it's something to do with the processing, and I think it's worse if it's smoked. So I think normal sausages that you cook aren't too bad, especially quality ones, but things like salami and frankfurters and chorizo are less good.

[LadyOfWaffle]

I wonder if a joint carved yourself is the same? I have started to cook chicken breasts for sandwiches after actually reading the packets of chicken pieces Even the expensive stuff is full of crap.

[elliott]

Quick internet scan suggests - yes it is the nitrites; not sure it is possible to find ham and bacon that doesn't have nitrites added (or for that matter other smoked/cured products); normal sausages may be ok?

btw it is not just children the advice is for, it came from the WCRF report in 2007 about prevention of cancer - they basically said that really no one should be eating this stuff. precautionary of course, but I guess the principle is, why eat something potentially carcinogenic if you don't have to?

[MrsBarbaraKingstanding]

Hello Quootie, tis I smileyspeople!!

how are you and all the family?

[LadyOfWaffle]

Hello hello! We are all fine thanks, DS2 is 1 on Friday! How are you and yours? Glad you came back!!!

[MrsBarbaraKingstanding]

We are all great. Kids off with GP's for a couple of days while I mumsnet work.

I'm around periodically but tyr not to get too sucked in. You seem the same, not around as much as you were?

[stealthsquiggle]

So it's the processing (factory type processing) that is the problem, is that right?

So if I buy nice free range pork from piggies I know (not quite by name, but close) and we cure / smoke it ourselves, is that OK?

(at risk of sounding lentil-weaver like, that is the route which most of our bacon already takes - ham less so but we don't eat much of it - the DC certainly don't average over 70g a week)

[stealthsquiggle]

Hmm - on re-reading, the BBC article says "curing, salting or adding preservatives to meat can introduce carcinogenic substances" which implies that even if we cure it ourselves it is still bad.

I think I will fall into the "life has risks" camp on this one - as someone else said, life without bacon is not to be contemplated.

[Greensleeves]

weeeeeellllll........you've got to die of something

[Sheeta]

this is confusing - BBC news on TV this morning stated that it was 'processed' meat. I've always taken this to mean things like pepperami, or spam (ergh), corned beef, etc. Never thought it could mean fresh organic ham or bacon.

These stories wind me up (because never have enough information). Does anybody have a link to the actual study/research because that would definitely be interesting.

[MrsBarbaraKingstanding]

That is true Greeny..

We are lullled into belief that if we breastfeed, avoid aspartame, other nasty e numbers and processed meat our children will live forever.

Or at least until the are 120 when they will peacefully die in their sleep of just 'old age' whilst dreaming of their long ago idyllic childhood.

That's what I'm aiming for anyway, so this no ham rule is a real blow to my plans.

(hello to you also, I'm smileyspeople, how is DS1 doing?)

[SomeGuy]

the vast majority of ham is made from reconstituted dogshit meat slurry. Discouraging people from eating it is no bad thing.

[LadyOfWaffle]

No, don't really MN as much as before - too busy really with the DSs and just general RL stuff

[Sheeta]

SomeGuy - yes, but they're not saying reconstituted meat, they're saying processed meat. Apparently this is different? Something to do with preservatives/smoking I think.