Is packaged ham REALLY that bad?

purplecow1977 · 21-04-2014 3:50pm #1

Is it really that bad for the 'average' person or is just the equivalent of garlic to a vampire for the extremely health conscious amongst us?

Ham & cheese toasties are just so easy & tasty for lunchtimes! :-(

If it really IS that bad, what are the alternatives? Freshly carved ham from the deli counter?

El_Dangeroso · 21-04-2014 4:27pm

As with anything, the dose makes the poison.

If it's one ham and cheese toastie a week (btw, shop-bought bread and processed cheese aren't super healthy either) and you're otherwise in good health and a healthy weight I wouldn't let it bother you.

But if it's everyday then maybe not. From the most conservative estimates of observational studies, 50g a day of processed meat is the limit, but that could be that people who eat a lot of processed meat don't have great diets to begin with.

Fresh meat is best though, so get your meat needs from fresh wherever possible and don't sweat the odd slice of ham. (fresh everything else is also a good rule of thumb!)

dor843088 · 21-04-2014 7:49pm

purplecow1977 wrote: »

Is it really that bad for the 'average' person or is just the equivalent of garlic to a vampire for the extremely health conscious amongst us?

Ham & cheese toasties are just so easy & tasty for lunchtimes! :-(

If it really IS that bad, what are the alternatives? Freshly carved ham from the deli counter?

No its not that bad. Is it the healthiest choice ? No . Is it the worst choice ? No.

whirlpool · 21-04-2014 8:58pm

purplecow1977 wrote: »

Is it really that bad for the 'average' person or is just the equivalent of garlic to a vampire for the extremely health conscious amongst us?

Ham & cheese toasties are just so easy & tasty for lunchtimes! :-(

If it really IS that bad, what are the alternatives? Freshly carved ham from the deli counter?

I suppose it really depends on who you ask. A vegetarian organic-crazy person will tell you it's the worst thing ever. Someone on your more average kind of diet will tell you it's grand. It's going to be hard to get a regulated answer. Is there anything specifically in the packaged ham that you'd be concerned about?

For me personally, I decided recently to remove processed meats from my diet, as I've read a tonne of info about processed foods and meats lacking nutrients and containing damaging chemicals. Myself, I can't say for certain that that is correct information, but I've had to just make the best decision I can with the information I've read that I trust the most.

conzy · 22-04-2014 3:56pm

I eat a full packet of ham as a snack most days, have not died yet.

~100 cals ~20g of protein ~2g of fat

mickman · 22-04-2014 4:35pm

conzy wrote: »

I eat a full packet of ham as a snack most days, have not died yet.

~100 cals ~20g of protein ~2g of fat

A packet of processed ham a day is terribly bad for you. And i presume you mean 100 cals per slice

maximoose · 22-04-2014 4:38pm

mickman wrote: »

And i presume you mean 100 cals per slice

I doubt it. It's around 10cal per slice in most of Denny's range anyway.

Kyro · 22-04-2014 4:39pm

mickman wrote: »

A packet of processed ham a day is terribly bad for you. And i presume you mean 100 cals per slice

What's so terribly bad about it?

Ash.J.Williams · 22-04-2014 4:46pm

Kyro wrote: »

What's so terribly bad about it?

it's processed, pumped with a salt solution, not great for your stomach in large doses, can contribute to cancer like all processed stuff.....

but then again....doesn't everything

i'd prefer slices off the cut, however the cheaper packaged slices would be made of many types of pig meat compressed in a container and baked giving it a square or rounded shape that's easy to slice. (like sausages only without the gristle and spices)

Even the proper ham (think it's a hind quarter) is pumped with a solution and cured in a tank of salt for days.

mickman · 22-04-2014 4:48pm

Kyro wrote: »

What's so terribly bad about it?

Nitrates and heaps of salt

jane82 · 22-04-2014 4:49pm

Great source of protein when theres nothing else in the fridge.
Bit salty but so is salt.

Alf Veedersane · 22-04-2014 5:27pm

A pack has less than half a gram of salt in 100g.
112 kcal (based on Denny's crumbed ham).

It's not my idea of fine dining but I don't think Conzy is going to be on his death bed from eating it anytime soon.

Unless he's distracted by a passing pack as he benches and dies when he drops the bar on himself.

mickman · 22-04-2014 7:14pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

A pack has less than half a gram of salt in 100g.
112 kcal (based on Denny's crumbed ham).

It's not my idea of fine dining but I don't think Conzy is going to be on his death bed from eating it anytime soon.

Unless he's distracted by a passing pack as he benches and dies when he drops the bar on himself.

Toxin ingestion in processed meat won't kill you right away but it will cause a build up in the body and eventually lead to disease

Alf Veedersane · 22-04-2014 7:51pm

mickman wrote: »

Toxin ingestion in processed meat won't kill you right away but it will cause a build up in the body and eventually lead to disease

He's talking about 100g. There won't be enough toxins in there to eventually definitely result in disease.

Essien · 22-04-2014 9:12pm

For me, it's the type of thing where the threat is just so remote and vague that I just can't see myself ever caring enough to not eat ham.

purplecow1977 · 22-04-2014 9:23pm

Thanks guys.
I have an 'okay' diet otherwise but it's not extremely healthy - I eat crisps and chocolate and drink alcohol but I had heard reports about packaged ham linked to some forms of cancers and just wanted to see if it was an urban myth or what.

I don't think 1 slice of ham a day is going to kill me!

whirlpool · 22-04-2014 9:44pm

purplecow1977 wrote: »

Thanks guys.
I have an 'okay' diet otherwise but it's not extremely healthy - I eat crisps and chocolate and drink alcohol but I had heard reports about packaged ham linked to some forms of cancers and just wanted to see if it was an urban myth or what.

I don't think 1 slice of ham a day is going to kill me!

No, it's more likely to be the crisps and chocolate and alcohol that kill you :P

But no I don't think 1 slice a day is going to kill you. While eating that diet, you mightn't be the healthiest you could be, or feel the best you could feel, but unless you're willing to cut out most of the junk in your diet then I wouldn't be getting bogged down with 1 slice of ham a day.

purplecow1977 · 22-04-2014 10:33pm

whirlpool wrote: »

No, it's more likely to be the crisps and chocolate and alcohol that kill you :P

But no I don't think 1 slice a day is going to kill you. While eating that diet, you mightn't be the healthiest you could be, or feel the best you could feel, but unless you're willing to cut out most of the junk in your diet then I wouldn't be getting bogged down with 1 slice of ham a day.

I could have predicted people would hone in on that!!!

Small changes eh!!

conzy · 23-04-2014 7:30pm

These threads are hilarious

I eat a packet of ham / chicken / tuna / roast beef as a high protein snack and im going to get cancer?

I think I'll just start eating Nutri-grains and Belvita "Breakfast Biscuits" instead

purplecow1977 · 23-04-2014 7:36pm

conzy wrote: »

These threads are hilarious

I eat a packet of ham / chicken / tuna / roast beef as a high protein snack and im going to get cancer?

I think I'll just start eating Nutri-grains and Belvita "Breakfast Biscuits" instead

You're easily entertained.

conzy · 23-04-2014 7:44pm

Ham is serious business

dor843088 · 23-04-2014 7:57pm

conzy wrote: »

These threads are hilarious

I eat a packet of ham / chicken / tuna / roast beef as a high protein snack and im going to get cancer?

I think I'll just start eating Nutri-grains and Belvita "Breakfast Biscuits" instead

Nutrition and diet threads have always been hilarious. Mention bread for guaranteed comedy.

purplecow1977 · 23-04-2014 8:09pm

dor843088 wrote: »

Nutrition and diet threads have always been hilarious. Mention bread for guaranteed comedy.

WHITE bread?! :P :eek:

mickman · 23-04-2014 8:27pm

conzy wrote: »

These threads are hilarious

I eat a packet of ham / chicken / tuna / roast beef as a high protein snack and im going to get cancer?

I think I'll just start eating Nutri-grains and Belvita "Breakfast Biscuits" instead

Well you have a 1 in 3 chance of getting cancer in your lifetime anyway. Adding known carcinogens into your diet won't help your cause

Alf Veedersane · 23-04-2014 8:56pm

I nearly got knocked down as I crossed the road at the weekend to buy ham in the shop.

Q.E.D.

Amirani · 23-04-2014 9:00pm

mickman wrote: »

Well you have a 1 in 3 chance of getting cancer in your lifetime anyway. Adding known carcinogens into your diet won't help your cause

The fact that 1 in 3 people get cancer doesn't necessarily mean that you automatically have a 1 in 3 chance of getting cancer.

NoPainNoGain · 23-04-2014 9:03pm

Do you ever look at the pork content on the back of the packets? Scary on some branded products :-O

Ludikrus · 23-04-2014 9:05pm

conzy wrote: »

I eat a full packet of ham as a snack most days, have not died yet.

~100 cals ~20g of protein ~2g of fat

Buy yourself a cooked ham hock from a supermarket or butchers hot food counter instead. They're about 4 or 5 quid, just as convenient and far nicer ham.

El_Dangeroso · 23-04-2014 9:20pm

People joke, but we used to have shocking rates of stomach cancer in this country. There were no fridges in homes, most meats were heavily salted to preserve them. When fridges made an appearance, stomach cancer became very rare.

I don't know if it's causation or not, but I'm sure as hell not taking the chance.

ezra_pound · 23-04-2014 9:30pm

mickman wrote: »

A packet of processed ham a day is terribly bad for you. And i presume you mean 100 cals per slice

Isn't all ham processed?

Akrasia · 24-04-2014 10:17am

mickman wrote: »

Toxin ingestion in processed meat won't kill you right away but it will cause a build up in the body and eventually lead to disease

And what 'toxins' are these?

Is packaged ham REALLY that bad?

Comments