Deli Meats: Safe or Scary?
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Does deli meat make a good lunch? Credit: stu spivack, Flickr
Deli meats are not only a staple in most kids' lunchboxes, they're also now thought of as "diet food" by many, thanks to the Subway ads touting the weight Jared Fogle lost while eating the chain's sandwiches. Is there something magical about cold cuts that will lead to weight loss?
Absolutely not -- Jared simply reduced his caloric intake to drop the weight, and chose to do it by eating no breakfast, and then a sandwich for lunch and dinner. But are deli meats like bologna, salami, roast beef, and turkey good for you and your kids?
VERDICT ...
Bologna: Bologna is one of the dreaded "processed meats," meaning it contains the carcinogen sodium nitrite. The amount of processed meat considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research? None. Plus, some brands also contain the neurotoxin MSG (monosodium glutamate).
Salami: Also a processed meat, salami, like bologna, should be eaten only rarely, if at all.
Roast Beef: Roast beef is a much better option as it contains no nitrates and has a fraction of the salt and saturated fat of a processed meat like bologna. But it's still a red meat, so roast beef shouldn't be daily fare for your child.
Turkey: With half the saturated fat of red meats and no nitrates, plain roasted turkey breast is the best choice when it comes to cold cuts. Choose a brand with the fewest ingredients: organic varieties tend to contain nothing more than turkey breast, water, and salt, while mainstream brands can also have sugar and various additives.
Jennifer Schonborn is a holistic nutrition counselor, certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Sign up for her newsletter and free consultation at jenniferschonborn.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Heather 1-08-2010 @ 10:38AM
Most parents really don't have a choice but to send deli meats now. I hate sending them but my son's school has banned all nut products. So he can't have even an almond butter sandwhich. No peanuts, not soy , no nuts, no highly allergenic foods, which would also ban , milk, stawberries, citrus fruits, wheat. What is left? Cheese and deli meats and some veggies and fruit( if you child will eat that) . If they would make the allergy kids eat in a different room then I could send him with an almond butter and jam sandwhich.
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smilinggreenmom 1-09-2010 @ 10:51AM
I used to buy deli meats a lot for our family until about last year when we decided we were going to eat whole healthy foods and eliminate processed junk. It now sounds so gross to me to think about deli meat with all of the nasty stuff that goes into it. We are trying to make much healthier choices and right now we do eat well and take our Vidazorb probiotics, but we also want to work on working out more! Thanks for this tip on the meats!
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