Final Web December 2015 Web

Warren Green is a 30 year member of the
Institute of Food Technology, A HAACP
(hazard analysis critical control point)
Instructor with a Bachelors degree in
Nutrition Science.
Warren Green can be reached at
warreng9241@hotmail.com
Health and Nutrition Strategies For Cancer Survivors and Everybody Else
WHAT’S IN YOUR DIET?
Cured meat (sodium nitrite)
In my last series of articles, we focused on the essential nutrients, fats/oils,protein and carbohydrates. Since its almost time for my optimizing diet I thought it
would be a good time to refresh memories on how to structure an optimizing diet for maximum benefits.
An optimizing diet is about reducing your intake to essential nutrients for thirty to sixty days. The purpose is to adjust and balance your immune system. The
toxicity in the environment is always changing. Considering the importance of the system that protects you from the environment, you might want to nurture
and pamper yours. I recently saw a study, that asserts, that the small intestine part of your immune system contains as many neurons (gray matter) as a domestic
cat. So, let me throw a little tidbit for you to think about. Shingles is a viral disease that might be in your body for decades, probably hiding in your nerve sheath
where your immune defense can’t reach. Probably surfaces when the immune system is compromised.
As last months article was going to press, the W.H.O. (World Health Organization informed the world of the carcinogenic dangers of red meat in general and
cured meats in particular. As a former NYS and USDA inspector, I’m well versed in the curing of meats. I’ll share how it works and what you should look for on
the label.
Cures are “wet” or “dry” or “wet and dry” in combination . We’ll deal with the “wet”. Sodium nitrite is the key ingredient in modern curing. Sodium nitrite is
a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved additive, and is a suspected carcinogen because of the development of nitrosamines when its exposed to high
heat. The Centers of Disease Control (CDC), another government agency, states that cancer is one of the leading causes of death. The argument and justification
for use are: It kills bacteria, fixes the color of the meat, and extends shelf life. Sodium Erythorbate/Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is another approved additive and is
used with sodium nitrite. Its purpose is to accelerate the curing process and inhibit nitrosamine formation. Sodium nitrite operates in parts per million. Modern
curing is a sophisticated, precise, process. There are a lot of ways for it to impact your health.
Let’s analyze the W.H.O.’s report. Fifty Grams of cured meat per day raises your cancer risk. Fifty Grams a day is: Six strips of bacon (pork or turkey), or one hot
dog, or two slices of ham, well, you get the idea, its not very much. The W.H.O. Puts processed, cured product in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco.
The largest pork producer in the world (Smithfield) is owned by a Chinese company. I’m not impressed with Chinese quality control. I’ll be paying attention to
the USDA recall list.
To be politically correct, I probably eat as much cured food as anybody else. However, I increase my fiber to move that stuff through my digestive system as
quickly as possible, and I add probiotics to my intake to mitigate the damage of the antibiotics in the meat or poultry.
Finally, I ran into another news brief that caught my attention. Last week the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced sweeping new rules designed to
help prevent large-scale ,deadly outbreaks of foodborne disease. As an agriculture professional, I find it curious that the FDA is the agency overseeing farms and
agriculture manufacturing. Since its inception, the USDA has been the agency that regulated the agriculture industry. We’ll discuss my thoughts next time.
Always remember, you are what you eat. What you consume affects your mood and your health.
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