To give my children ham sandwiches every week?

[Popskipiekin]

My dad, who has had bowel cancer, is very up on what food is bad for you. He sent me this link which says - broadly - that ham, bacon and other processed meats are as bad as cigarettes and asbestos health-wise...

www.heraldscotland.com/news/17649774.herald-on-sunday-campaign-time-to-dump-nitro-meat-from-schools-and-hospitals/

DC have ham in some form every week. Sometimes twice. Is this very terrible? I thought ham wasn’t quite in the same category as bacon (which I do know we should be avoiding).

Another vote for the Naked brand of ham and bacon.

Luckily DS really likes tofu. He happily eats my veggie offerings too. My parents would early red meat every day.

I read a letter in the paper from a cancer specialist who said that he had no intention of giving up ham and bacon.

A couple of times a week is fine.

“If you aren’t vegetarian, it is generally recommended that you eat red meat a couple of times a week.”

Would that be “that you eat red meat NO MORE THAN a couple of times a week”?

So much information is garbled, misunderstood, miscommunicated .

OP: I cut down on the amount of times I put ham in sandwiches. I substituted peanut butter, egg mayo, chicken (saved a bit from the roast), cream cheese, tuna, and even cold fish fingers which were a big hit.

TheRedBarrows No I don’t mean eat red meat “NO MORE* than twice a week.

If you want actual recommendations and facts, here’s a link to NHS recommendations for adults and children.

Nowhere does it state children or adults should aim to eat red meat, only twice a week.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/red-meat-and-the-risk-of-bowel-cancer/#

Smoking is not the only thing that is a bad for you at all, the second biggest cause of cancer is obesity so poor diet is just as dangerous.

Ham once a week won’t do much harm, once a day and you have a problem.

once a day and you have a problem.

According to NHS it isn’t a problem.
Their guidelines states you should have no more than 70g a day.

I really wouldn't worry about a twice weekly ham sandwich

I cook traditionally cured gammon, and freeze wafer thin slices in foil. It needs to be really cold to cut, and I use an old-fashioned rotary slicer. I also do this for lamb. There are only two of us at home now so it means we can have a roast dinner without waste. The ham is very much cheaper than the posh supermarket ones.

@LizzieSiddal

You posted this:

If you aren’t vegetarian, it is generally recommended that you eat red meat a couple of times a week.

And then posted a link or an NHS article that says nothing of the sort.

So do you have a link to an article that recommends that meat eaters should eat red meat twice a week?

It is absolutely not as bad as asbestos. Pretty much everyone who worked with asbestos before it was banned (in the factories, on ships, laggers etc) has lung problems now, from pleural plaque to mesothelioma. How often do you see people dying of ham exposure?

I have been known to make my own bacon and ham and it's much easier with a ready-made cure with nitrates as you aren't worrying so much about spoilage. But I have done it with just salt and various herbs and spices, you don't get such a pink colour but it still tastes good and I've never poisoned myself yet 😂

Something some of you might fancy looking into and trying- you can cure the bacon then slice it and freeze, you just need a nice butcher to sell you a suitable piece of meat for what you like. Streaky bacon is the easiest to start with as it's a flat piece of meat so very easy to get salt into all the crevices.

If your dietician suggests eating bacon then I think you need a new dietician.

Ham/bacon/pork is not classified as red meat and does not come with the same dietary benefits (iron etc).

And to those saying it’s only long term consumption that’s the problem - you need to consider that you are creating habits with your children. Whatever you give them regularly is likely to become “normal” and they will continue to eat it regularly.

Just swap the ham for something healthier and better for the environment. It’s really not that difficult.

Wow, some people really don't see the point of getting pleasure from their food!

I like a bit of what I fancy, in moderation, as long as it's kept within healthy bounds. I see this as beneficial for mental health and general wellbeing.

Being po-faced about everything, all the time? Not so great for general wellbeing, IMO. Sometimes we just need to lighten up and enjoy ourselves.

Wow, some people really don't see the point of getting pleasure from their food!

And some people don’t get the point that not everybody gets pleasure from eating salty, highly processed animal products.

Wow, some people really don't see the point of getting pleasure from their food!

guess what, you can have insanely yummy food which isn't processed crap. it's rather worrying that some equal enjoying food with eating unhealthy processed stuff.

Heyha

Best recipe I have is, take about 1.5 kilo pork loin (you can use leg or shoulder but we like just medallions). Put it in fairly tight fitting plastic box and cover with maple syrup, turning every day or so for 4 days. Then drain and cover with sea salt and leave for a day and a half, turning once or twice. Finally, carefully rinse off all the salt, soak in clean water for 10 minutes then slice and freeze in portions. Dead easy, the slicing is the tricky bit, getting it thin enough, you need a really sharp knife.
It’s delicious: our kids prefer it to bought. I don’t do it very often because it is pricey, but no more so than the similar non-additive stuff we get from a farm producer and its lovely for high days and holidays.
The kids say mine is better 😁

Some of the greatest food cultures in the world place huge emphasis on cured meat products. It’s obviously not essential to a delicious diet but there is no doubt that cultures with gorgeous food embrace it enthusiastically.

If your kids like it and are happy to eat it sod what anyone else thinks .
I eat it most days . You could feed them much worse..

And some people don’t get the point that not everybody gets pleasure from eating salty, highly processed animal products.

No, you have misread. I was talking about eating what you fancy. Those who don't get pleasure from salty, highly processed animal products(!) clearly won't be eating them in the first place.

I was actually talking about people who do enjoy them, who would do well to weigh up the rather small increase in risk in eating them, against the pleasure such consumption brings.

In an otherwise healthy diet a little bit of what you fancy does you good. And not all of us have to worry about salt consumption: if I didn't eat a high salt diet I would be very fatigued and frequently faint, due to a genetic condition.

@langrish that sounds good!! I've never tried it with maple syrup.
I have got a basic bacon slicer though, I find it quite relaxing to do

Some of the greatest food cultures in the world place huge emphasis on cured meat products.

Which countries are they? Genuine question. I can think of countries like Spain, France and Italy that have great cuisine and also have cured meat as part of their diet but none that place “huge emphasis” on processed meat.

Really? Those exact countries are obsessive about it! Do you know how many types of ham you can get in Italy?

captainblonde no need for me to guess!!!! I already enjoy 'insanely yummy food' that is also insanely healthy!!

And I also, occasionally, enjoy some food that isn't 'healthy' (though is fine in small amounts in an otherwise healthy overall diet).

Why does it have to be either/or, or black and white?

I enjoy lots of food. It is one of life's great pleasures. I am very suspicious of the 'clean eating' agenda (aka orthorexia, in many cases), where it is promoted and followed in an overly rigid, inflexible way.

That may be technically 'healthy' from a purely bodily point of view, but it can be very unhealthy from a psychological point of view. Balance, moderation and flexibility is the healthy way to go from the point of view of promoting good mental health.

German food is heavily dependent on processed meats too. Life would feel very long if health issues always over ruled pleasure in eating.