A couple of my friends were making homemade sausages today - totally from scratch, mincing their own meat and making their own links. It sounds complicated and I am interested to see the results, especially as I tend to avoid sausages. I can't stand not knowing what goes into them, especially when I come across a strange white lumpy bit that I fear might be testicle or worse!!
I then came across an interesting article directly linking (no pun intended) processed meats to increased risk of heart attacks and diabetes. When researchers from Harvard checked out the nutrients in red meats and processed meats, they had similar saturated fat and cholesterol levels, but processed meats had on average 50% more nitrate preservatives. Nitrates being shown to increase artery clogging and reduce glucose tolerance, both risks for these diseases.
I think I will stick to my no eating sausage and crap meat policy - and wait patiently for my sample of home-made variety. (hopefully my friends will read this blog)
Coincidentally, I just came across this post as well:
ReplyDeletehttp://askgeorgie.com/?p=2433