Here's why you should STOP eating sausages and salami

Both sausages and salami are salted, cured, smoked and preserved and have many side effects.

Sausages and salami could be a convenient breakfast item, but they have their disadvantages as well. Food companies hide some harmful ingredients in these items. When eaten occasionally, processed foods do not pose too much of danger, but since most of us have grown to become more and more dependent on these foods, it will help to know their side effects from Delhi-based nutritionist Urvashi Sawhney. Both sausages and salami are salted, cured, smoked and preserved in some way to add flavour and extend the shelf life.

Sausages

Sausages can be an extremely unhealthy option. Chemicals such as nitrites and nitrates which occur naturally in red meat are often added during meat processing as a preservative. These compounds can be converted into cancer-causing chemicals in the body and lead to stomach cancer [1].

Additionally, sausages have relatively high fat and salt content that is linked to high blood pressure.Diabetes and hypertension go hand-in-hand. Excess salt intake makes hypertension go haywire that can also affect your blood sugar levels [2]. Smoking meat can also create carcinogens that can be harmful to your body. Here are 10 ways to change your food habits and prevent cancer.

Salami

Salami is also not the healthiest choice as it is a high-calorie food and contains high amounts of sodium and fat. And a considerable amount of fat in salami comes from saturated fat that can clog your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease. Just a serving of salami contains 1890mg of sodium which can be potentially dangerous and possibly can even elevate your blood pressure. Salami is not a rich source of carbohydrate so if you eat salami pair it with a healthy carb to boost your intake of carbohydrates. Here are reasons why you should avoid processed foods even during pregnancy.

Tips:

While buying any of these processed meats check the list of ingredients. The fewer the ingredients, the better will be the quality of sausages and salami.

Also, look for sausages and salami with a relatively low saturated fat and salt content.

Many supermarkets especially in India stock chicken sausages which can be a better option if you want to cut down on red meat.

References:

[1] 1: Joossens JV, Hill MJ, Elliott P, Stamler R, Lesaffre E, Dyer A, Nichols R,Kesteloot H. Dietary salt, nitrate and stomach cancer mortality in 24 countries. European Cancer Prevention (ECP) and the INTERSALT Cooperative Research Group. Int J Epidemiol. 1996 Jun;25(3):494-504. PubMed PMID: 8671549.

[2] 1: Feldstein CA. Salt intake, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. J Hum Hypertens. 2002 Mar;16 Suppl 1:S48-51. Review. PubMed PMID: 11986894.

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