March 1, 2025 • 8 mins
There's plenty of concerns surrounding the dangers of processed meats - but the issue is receiving more attention following the release of a new book.
Processed explores the dangers - and cancer risks - associated with consuming too much processed meats, including hot dogs, ham, bacon, salami and sausages.
Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara explained the harmful health conditions that come with processed meat.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b is massively on the rise, sales increased
eighteen percent. If you want to be healthy and you
want to lose weight and you want to be fit,
can you be drinking a lot?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
There is a new book which has been released. It's
called Processed. It's I noticed it was released in Australia.
I'm not sure if it's released here yet, and it
talks a lot about the downsides of your processed meats,
your ham, your salami, your sausages, your baking, all those
things that we love and the link to cancer. It
can be very hard keeping up with what we should
(00:43):
and shouldn't be eating. So Erin O'Hara is with us
now with some common sense advice on processed meats. Good morning,
good morning, Good to have you with us. Are all
processed meats bad for us?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah? I think that a lot of people know that
process meats not great for us, and the amount of
high processed meats that we eat significantly increases several health issues.
So not just cancer but mainly cholyirector cancer, but also
the primitive presence of chemicals are carcigenic, but then also
have a huge effect on our heart health as well
(01:18):
as increases our risk of type two diabetes. And it
can affect blood pressure as well, because generally with processed meats,
they usually high in sodium and so that can have
that effect of affecting heart health as well, So they're
not good for our bodies. It's definitely something we should
be mindful of how much we are eating processed meats.
(01:39):
And if you're not sure what process meats are that
your bacon, your sausages, your hot dogs, your saboloise, canned meats,
lunch and meat, those meats that you get in the
Delhi generally, and most of these meats have been processed
to preserve their life, so it might be processed by smoking, salting, curing,
or adding chemical preservatives into those foods.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So it's the food and its basic form is fine,
but it's what we do with it to then make
it beautifully tasty that the issue is coming in. It's
that whole process just.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
To make it tasty, but also to make it so
it's preserved is the other big thing. So it lasts
longer because you can leave these sorts of meats in
your fridge for a long time. If you think how
long you can leave your salami or your ham sitting there,
you don't have to eat it within sort of a
couple of days. It usually can last a lot longer.
And that's all those preserving agents, and the main preserving
(02:32):
agents that are harmful for our health in these sorts
of processed meats are nitrates and night trites which are
added to keep them fresher for longer. Also heterocyclic amines
and polycyclic amines which are added through that when meat
is cooked at high temperatures. Also the hem pigment, which
(02:53):
is mainly found in red meat also not great for
a house. That's where where we don't really want to
be eating too much red meat either, which obviously we're
on this real phase of carnivor diet and eating lots
of meat, so really been mindful of like the types
of meats that you're eating, because eating too much process
meats and red meats have a very different effect than
(03:14):
fish and chicken.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So what are the links between diets, HEGHD, red meat
and processed meats and chronic diseases.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Then there's several studies down there's lots and lots and
lots and studies you can find linking to disease. The
main one is cancer risk, particularly because these processed meats
are carcinogenic, which means carcinogenic chemicals cause cancer. So they're
going to increase your cancer risk, which no one really wants.
(03:41):
So just being mindful, particularly how much you should eat,
Like are they safe to eat? My question would be
probably not. If you are going to eat them, eating
them in small amounts, and be mindful how much you
are eating of them. The first thing is when you're
looking at like reducing your intake of processed meats is
reading the labels and like being mindful of like what
(04:03):
are you putting in your mouth, Like when you buy
meat or even at the soupermarket, before you even purchase it,
pack up the packet, read the back of the packet,
looking for words like night trate, night night write, cured
or salted, looking for those sorts of chemicals in it.
When they are chemicals, they're not going to be good
(04:24):
for your health. It's very different than when you walk
through sort of the fresh meter aisle and everything hasn't
been preserved.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Surely the odd sauca is okay, right, barbecue season, all
those fundraisers we try and have about.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Well, you can get a variety of different types of
processed meats, and that's the thing is they're not all equal.
You can get sausages that have less preserved preserving agents
and are less processed, and you can get a very
processed sausage like your little savoy with the red kind
of wrapping around it, which is sorry, nothing in a
(04:57):
cheerio or a savloi. They are not going to make
great for you.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Haven't haven't had a cheerio for a while.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
But also looking at those labels that say cured or
uncured meat, they can still have nightrates in or night
writes in them. And even if they say night trate
free meat, that can even trip you up as well,
because you think, oh, that's going to be a good alternative,
but there can still be a small amount of night
rate in there, and night rate converts to night write,
(05:31):
which is also not great for your a either and
increases your cancer risk.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Aaron, I know that you know. Keto diets and things
are very popular these days. They often allow you to
eat an awful lot of meat, but you just if
you're on one of those diets you'd be saying you
want your meat in your purest form as opposed to
getting your processed ones.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Absolutely, because the carnivore diet where they're just adding meat
and maybe a little bit of raw honey or raw
milk is really trending through all social media. Still own yep,
you eat just you basically have meat for all your meals,
and they are usually really really high and red meat.
And that's where I have had some people that I've
seen in the clinic and they've tried these diets thinking
(06:12):
they're going to be a wonder solution and unfortunately sometimes
not always good outcomes. So always like when you're looking
at these extreme diets, really look at what the kind
of balance of the nutrition is. It's all about keeping
that balance. And that's even with your processed meats, is
that we want to be mindful that we're not having
too much processed meats. And even if you are doing
(06:35):
sort of a keto sort of diet or a low
carb diet, kind of swapping out your alternative. So even
if you're getting your chicken and you might be buying
a salad out instead of getting sort of that sort
of luncheon, sausage kind of meat in it, Get some
grilled chicken or an egg or fish and have it grilled,
because that is going to be a much better alternative
(06:56):
then your processed meats that you can have put into
those sorts of foods.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Okay, So have you got any other tips for us
how to reduce our intake of processed meats. It's life
from just not don't buy it, oh, you.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Know, and also maybe looking at have some meat free
meals and it's not. And then it's not swapping to
those alternative or full sort of very processed you know,
they look like meat, but they're not meat kind of
alternatives either, because they're going to not be that great
for you. But it's maybe having some meat free meals
where you used to have tofo or maybe some beans
(07:29):
and lentils to getting all those good things that are
good for your gut. So it's all about creating that
harmony of everything balanced together and nothing too much. And
so when you might think, oh, processed meats are easy
because you can just buy them in the delly, throw
them in the school lunches or into your lunch at work,
but really take a second thought and go Okay, maybe
(07:50):
actually this week I'm going to buy an extra couple
of chicken breasts. I'm going to grill them in the
oven and have them in the fridge ready to add
into the sandwiches or add into a salad for lunches.
And I think it's more the convenience factor that really
drives us to these processed meats, and sometimes the taste,
but also looking at that convenience factor of knowing that
there are still good options that you can swap out
(08:12):
and maybe take you a little bit longer to prepare,
but it's going.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
To be a lot better. Fair house as always, Erin,
thank you so much for joining us this morning. Appreciated.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b is massively on the rise, sales increased
eighteen percent. If you want to be healthy and you
want to lose weight and you want to be fit,
can you be drinking a lot?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
There is a new book which has been released. It's
called Processed. It's I noticed it was released in Australia.
I'm not sure if it's released here yet, and it
talks a lot about the downsides of your processed meats,
your ham, your salami, your sausages, your baking, all those
things that we love and the link to cancer. It
can be very hard keeping up with what we should
(00:43):
and shouldn't be eating. So Erin O'Hara is with us
now with some common sense advice on processed meats. Good morning,
good morning, Good to have you with us. Are all
processed meats bad for us?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah? I think that a lot of people know that
process meats not great for us, and the amount of
high processed meats that we eat significantly increases several health issues.
So not just cancer but mainly cholyirector cancer, but also
the primitive presence of chemicals are carcigenic, but then also
have a huge effect on our heart health as well
(01:18):
as increases our risk of type two diabetes. And it
can affect blood pressure as well, because generally with processed meats,
they usually high in sodium and so that can have
that effect of affecting heart health as well, So they're
not good for our bodies. It's definitely something we should
be mindful of how much we are eating processed meats.
(01:39):
And if you're not sure what process meats are that
your bacon, your sausages, your hot dogs, your saboloise, canned meats,
lunch and meat, those meats that you get in the
Delhi generally, and most of these meats have been processed
to preserve their life, so it might be processed by smoking, salting, curing,
or adding chemical preservatives into those foods.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So it's the food and its basic form is fine,
but it's what we do with it to then make
it beautifully tasty that the issue is coming in. It's
that whole process just.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
To make it tasty, but also to make it so
it's preserved is the other big thing. So it lasts
longer because you can leave these sorts of meats in
your fridge for a long time. If you think how
long you can leave your salami or your ham sitting there,
you don't have to eat it within sort of a
couple of days. It usually can last a lot longer.
And that's all those preserving agents, and the main preserving
(02:32):
agents that are harmful for our health in these sorts
of processed meats are nitrates and night trites which are
added to keep them fresher for longer. Also heterocyclic amines
and polycyclic amines which are added through that when meat
is cooked at high temperatures. Also the hem pigment, which
(02:53):
is mainly found in red meat also not great for
a house. That's where where we don't really want to
be eating too much red meat either, which obviously we're
on this real phase of carnivor diet and eating lots
of meat, so really been mindful of like the types
of meats that you're eating, because eating too much process
meats and red meats have a very different effect than
(03:14):
fish and chicken.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So what are the links between diets, HEGHD, red meat
and processed meats and chronic diseases.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Then there's several studies down there's lots and lots and
lots and studies you can find linking to disease. The
main one is cancer risk, particularly because these processed meats
are carcinogenic, which means carcinogenic chemicals cause cancer. So they're
going to increase your cancer risk, which no one really wants.
(03:41):
So just being mindful, particularly how much you should eat,
Like are they safe to eat? My question would be
probably not. If you are going to eat them, eating
them in small amounts, and be mindful how much you
are eating of them. The first thing is when you're
looking at like reducing your intake of processed meats is
reading the labels and like being mindful of like what
(04:03):
are you putting in your mouth, Like when you buy
meat or even at the soupermarket, before you even purchase it,
pack up the packet, read the back of the packet,
looking for words like night trate, night night write, cured
or salted, looking for those sorts of chemicals in it.
When they are chemicals, they're not going to be good
(04:24):
for your health. It's very different than when you walk
through sort of the fresh meter aisle and everything hasn't
been preserved.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Surely the odd sauca is okay, right, barbecue season, all
those fundraisers we try and have about.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Well, you can get a variety of different types of
processed meats, and that's the thing is they're not all equal.
You can get sausages that have less preserved preserving agents
and are less processed, and you can get a very
processed sausage like your little savoy with the red kind
of wrapping around it, which is sorry, nothing in a
(04:57):
cheerio or a savloi. They are not going to make
great for you.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Haven't haven't had a cheerio for a while.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
But also looking at those labels that say cured or
uncured meat, they can still have nightrates in or night
writes in them. And even if they say night trate
free meat, that can even trip you up as well,
because you think, oh, that's going to be a good alternative,
but there can still be a small amount of night
rate in there, and night rate converts to night write,
(05:31):
which is also not great for your a either and
increases your cancer risk.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Aaron, I know that you know. Keto diets and things
are very popular these days. They often allow you to
eat an awful lot of meat, but you just if
you're on one of those diets you'd be saying you
want your meat in your purest form as opposed to
getting your processed ones.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Absolutely, because the carnivore diet where they're just adding meat
and maybe a little bit of raw honey or raw
milk is really trending through all social media. Still own yep,
you eat just you basically have meat for all your meals,
and they are usually really really high and red meat.
And that's where I have had some people that I've
seen in the clinic and they've tried these diets thinking
(06:12):
they're going to be a wonder solution and unfortunately sometimes
not always good outcomes. So always like when you're looking
at these extreme diets, really look at what the kind
of balance of the nutrition is. It's all about keeping
that balance. And that's even with your processed meats, is
that we want to be mindful that we're not having
too much processed meats. And even if you are doing
(06:35):
sort of a keto sort of diet or a low
carb diet, kind of swapping out your alternative. So even
if you're getting your chicken and you might be buying
a salad out instead of getting sort of that sort
of luncheon, sausage kind of meat in it, Get some
grilled chicken or an egg or fish and have it grilled,
because that is going to be a much better alternative
(06:56):
then your processed meats that you can have put into
those sorts of foods.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Okay, So have you got any other tips for us
how to reduce our intake of processed meats. It's life
from just not don't buy it, oh, you.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Know, and also maybe looking at have some meat free
meals and it's not. And then it's not swapping to
those alternative or full sort of very processed you know,
they look like meat, but they're not meat kind of
alternatives either, because they're going to not be that great
for you. But it's maybe having some meat free meals
where you used to have tofo or maybe some beans
(07:29):
and lentils to getting all those good things that are
good for your gut. So it's all about creating that
harmony of everything balanced together and nothing too much. And
so when you might think, oh, processed meats are easy
because you can just buy them in the delly, throw
them in the school lunches or into your lunch at work,
but really take a second thought and go Okay, maybe
(07:50):
actually this week I'm going to buy an extra couple
of chicken breasts. I'm going to grill them in the
oven and have them in the fridge ready to add
into the sandwiches or add into a salad for lunches.
And I think it's more the convenience factor that really
drives us to these processed meats, and sometimes the taste,
but also looking at that convenience factor of knowing that
there are still good options that you can swap out
(08:12):
and maybe take you a little bit longer to prepare,
but it's going.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
To be a lot better. Fair house as always, Erin,
thank you so much for joining us this morning. Appreciated.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks there'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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