Hello foodie friends!! Today, I’d like to take a few minutes to address all of the ruckus that the WHO has caused over their claims that bacon and other processed meats cause cancer. I’ve been asked by a few people what my thoughts & take were on it, so why not just share it all with you here?!
So if you’ve been living under a rock that past few days, the WHO (World Health Organization) has released a statement claiming that studies are showing that processed meats such as bacon, sausage, and hot dogs – cause cancer. There has also been talk of red meat being carcinogenic to people. Hmm…
Bacon…. <3
My thoughts on all of this? A bunch of scare tactics. Drama. The WHO wants Americans to be scared. I’ve never heard of one SINGLE food that causes cancer. Cancer is a disease that is usually caused by SEVERAL factors in a person’s lifestyle. Plus, I think you’d have to eat a whole LOT of bacon or processed meats to be worried.
This article pretty much says what I think – it’s a whole lot of hoopla & the real answer is somewhere in the middle. A bit of bacon here & there is NOT going to kill you, but I would mainly rely on unprocessed meats and protein sources, as well as lots of veggies with a sprinkling in of bacon here & there to your diet (to add that delicious pleasure that only bacon seems to supply). You know what I mean. Mmm… 
Also, the wonderful Maria Emmerich summed up the whole bacon/cancer study pretty well on her blog… don’t think I could break it down any better than her. Her Does Bacon Cause Cancer? post is worth a read. As she pointed out, it’s very important to know what KIND of study this data is coming from (an unreliable diet recall – over a year), the actual numbers, & who funded the research (Cocoa-Cola, Ben & Jerry’s). After analyzing all of that – I don’t feel this was a solid study. Pretty sketchy, IMO.
As for red meat causing cancer… what KIND/SOURCE of red meat?? Not all sources are equal. There’s processed/unprocessed, and obviously grass-fed, or commercial corn fed. My bet is on the corn fed causing the cancer. Also, what kind of population are they studying & getting data from?? Are these healthy, non-smoking, alcohol-free individuals? There are just SO many questions you have to ask yourself any time you hear about a new study & some miraculous new findings. ALWAYS question it & do your own research! So many things are just NOT what they seem & what they want the general population to think they are.
Bottom line: enjoy your Sunday morning bacon & your grass-fed sustainably raised steaks. If you live a healthy lifestyle & eat mainly unprocessed meats & whole foods – I wouldn’t stress it. There are far worse things out there that will give you cancer.