To not have known that deli chicken is a level 1 carcinogen

[nevertearusapart]

Am feeling fairly stupid about this but only just realised that deli chicken / turkey are considered level 1 carcinogenic processed meats so linked to negative health effects incl. cancer. The examples used are typically ham, sausages, bacon, salami etc so I just assumed red meat for some reason. The deli chicken that we eat was labelled 100% natural and only contained chicken, potato starch, salt and vinegar but it now looks like it’s almost bad as the rest.
Does everyone know things like this and what do people put in kids lunches? (And yes I know it’s all about daily / excessive consumption etc etc)

This.

A busybody at work was telling me once that I shouldn't feed my kids rice because it contains arsenic.

I looked it up and you'd have to eat around 20 servings a day to get a toxic amount of arsenic. Your stomach would explode first ffs.

(Also... I'm originally from a country where we all eat rice, from babies to old people, 3x a day, and always have done for thousands of years. She knows where I'm from so it was arguably a bit offensive of her too.)

I had a dietician appointment due to various medical factors including the need to eat very low fat foods. She was pushing a Diabetes agenda with recipes that were so high in fat! My own recipes were healthier than her suggestions.

My main reason for seeing her was trying to work out what to eat for lunch that wasn't processed meat or cheese. She didn't have any ideas that weren't high in fat!

So... I've been working out my own sandwich fillings.

Prawns with low fat cream cheese.
Tuna or salmon with sweetcorn. Mayo optional.
Cucumber.
Avocado mashed with lemon juice, smoked paprika and cut up cherry tomatoes.
Mashed egg and cress with optional mayo or salad cream.
Hummus and cucumber.

I do still succumb to lean ham, sliced chicken, cheese, and smoked salmon but try to limit how much I eat them each week. I also try to make the sandwich more about salad or chutney than the protein. On bad days I just have homemade jam!

Also came across this from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Livestock site

“Pure nitrite, if consumed at levels of ~3-5 grams (equivalent to 6,000-10,000 servings of cured meat eaten at one sitting), can be very dangerous and even cause death”

Likely that it isn’t the nitrite finishing you off in that scenario!

I had packet ham with salted tomatoes on buttered white bread as my lunchtime sandwich today. It was delicious.

I grew up on garlic sausage sandwiches and smoked polish sausage. I hope to make it to 51

HahahAHaaha

When my husband was young he worked in a small factory that produced detergents. He told me they added salt ( the stuff we put on our food) to thicken the detergent. They must have moved on a bit since then.
As I understand it cancer is caused by 'Free radicals' over which we don't have much control.
'Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules that are made by the body naturally as a byproduct of normal metabolism. Free radicals can also be made by the body after exposure to toxins in the environment such as tobacco smoke and ultraviolet (UV) light.23 Oct 2022'

My DH won't eat red meat. I love an occassional bacon sarnie he delights in telling me of the latest study showing I'll die of cancer. (2 rashers a week!!) I just tell him I'd rather die than live without bacon and any other red meat for that matter.