Portion control could save your life

Friday 30 October 2015

It turns out that not eating like a pig could save your bacon.

That’s the message from Environmental Health officers who have been dishing out some meaty tips after the World Health Organisation listed processed meats among the things most likely to give you cancer.

Bacon, ham and sausages and salami are now listed as being as bad for you as cigarettes, alcohol, asbestos and arsenic while red meats have been classed as “probably carcinogenic to humans” because of their link to bowel cancer.

The report out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency of the World Health Organisation, concludes that eating processed meat increases your risk of developing colorectal cancer and that there are similar compounds in processed meats as red meats that may cause cancer.

But Environmental Health says it’s all about eating it in moderation and portion control.

Head of Environmental Health Stewart Petrie said: “Our message would always be – everything in moderation. It’s fine as part of a balanced diet but a sensible portion would be the size of your hand without your fingers and thumbs, approximately 4oz."

Mr Petrie says we don't have to avoid red meat altogether as lean red meat eaten in moderation is a valuable part of a healthy diet, a good source of protein and a particularly good source of absorbable iron. But we shouldn't be eating it as a main meal more than three days a week and we should avoid eating large quantities of it, especially processed meat that's high in fat and salt. He said this will keep red meat intake to 300g per week, which is an amount previous reports have indicated is best.  

He says there are compounds in red meat like haemoglobin that can trigger production of N-nitroso compounds during digestion and these chemicals can be carcinogenic. Cooking red meat at a high temperature by grilling, frying, roasting and barbecuing it can also lead to form chemicals that can be carcinogenic.

But it's important to cook red meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 75^oC to kill off any harmful bacteria unless it's whole, untenderised cuts of beef or lamb steak that can be cooked how you like it although the less browned or burnt the outside for he meat it, the fewer carcinogenic chemicals are formed.

Mr Petrie's advice is to opt for alternatives to meat like fish which is said to protect against colon cancer and poultry like chicken, turkey and duck that don't have any effect on colon cancer or we could go for a veggie option that's full of fibre that will protect us against colon cancer.

Cancer can be caused by a number of factors including genetics, smoking and other environmental factors.  But healthy eating can help prevent it. Environmental Health's advise is: 

• Be a healthy weight

• Be active

• Avoid alcohol

• Eat plenty of fruit & vegetables

• Choose different types of fruit and vegetables

• Choose wholegrain breads and cereals

• Avoid excess fats and oils