6 foods that may surprise you…processed meats

As a Nutritionist, people often ask me about particular foods when trying to lose weight, or what they should be feeding their children.

So over the coming days I’ll be sharing with you 6 different foods that may surprise you, common things families buy and consume which may be worth thinking about…

Processed meats have been cured, salted, smoked or preserved in some other way. Sausages, bacon, hot dogs, ham salami, jerky, canned meat, etc. – all the things our children seem to love! The combination of fat and salt makes it tasty.

Next time you go shopping, look at the list of ingredients on a pack of hot dogs – the % of meat decreases significantly to make way for a number of other ingredients including water, preservatives, additives, flavourings and sugars (things ending in ‘ose’). Some of these additives and preservatives have been linked to an increased risks of cancer. Compare this to the ingredients of an organic chicken – chicken, simple!

Remember, you are what you eat. Choose good quality meat or poultry, unprocessed and ideally from animals raised organically, without the use of antibiotics and hormones (after all, you ingest them too!). The recommendation is that meat and poultry should be eaten in moderation, therefore if buying organic meat is an expensive option, why not try reducing your overall intake of meat and eat several veggie meals a week instead. This should balance it out enabling you to eat better quality meat, whilst increasing your veg content – winner winner chicken dinner (as they say…in a different context of course!).

#healthyeating #nutrition #fats #healthyfood #meat #health #diet #healthylifestyle