Featured Image Credit: dr.alandesmond/Instagram
Topics: Health, Food and Drink, Cancer, NHS
Kya Buller
Topics: Health, Food and Drink, Cancer, NHS
Whether we like it or not, we're constantly being bombarded with what we should or shouldn't be eating - and it seems like every other day, we're told one of our favourite foods might have awful consequences.
In the age of social media, everyone fancies their chances as some kind of health expert or nutritionist - but ultimately, we should only be investing in the opinions of qualified doctors.
Dr Alan Desmond, medical doctor MB FRCP, who is also the best-selling author of the book 'The Plant-Based Diet Revolution: 28 days to a happier gut and a healthier you', has revealed the one food he simply won't eat.
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He captioned his viral video: "If I could get rid of just one food….
"Bacon, sausages, ham, deli meats, pepperoni, pastrami, bratwurst and corned beef might be tasty, but are they worth 644,000 deaths a year?"
He says: "Why I never eat bacon.
"As a doctor who cares about gut health and overall health, I wish we could get rid of bacon and processed meats completely. Here's why.
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"Processed meats like bacon, salami, sausage and hot dogs are so bad for you. Not just increasing your risk of serious digestive health problems including bowel cancer, but also increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes and early death.
"It's been estimated that processed meats cause more than 644,000 preventable deaths every year due to heart disease, cancers, and complications of Type 2 diabetes.
"That's why I never have bacon for breakfast."
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As per the NHS: "Red meat provides us with iron, zinc and B vitamins. Meat is one of the main sources of vitamin B12 in the diet.
"It is recommended that you do not eat too much red meat, processed meat or meat that is high in saturated fats as this can lead to health problems."
The health service continue: "Eating too much processed meat and red meat probably increases your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer."
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Processed meat can also be high in salt and eating too much salt can increase your risk of high blood pressure.
If you currently eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red or processed meat a day, it is recommended that you cut down to 70g."
They add: "If you eat more than 90g of red and processed meat on one day, you can eat less on the following days so the average amount you eat each day is no more than 70g."