lunch meat, is it bad to eat?!
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Why is this in Vegetarian/vegan?
Listen, lunch meat is so processed it is not going to contain parasites. The anti-meat people make up all kinds of stories to stop people from eating meat.
You do seem to be thin. Do you eat dairy products? Those might help you gain weight. Do you get any exercise? And your age might be an issue. I had an aunt that used to drink straight cream to try to gain weight when she was in her early 30s. Now that she's in her 50s, she's fighting to lose weight.
As long as you're eating a balanced diet and feel good, don't worry so much about your weight.
Processed foods in general are bad for you. Lunch meats are loaded with fats and salt, weighed down with water. Eat what you want. I eat turkey sandwiches and would die without my bacon. We like what we like.
I worry about foods that are handled by deli people. However, I have never heard of anyone getting a parasitic condition from consuming luncheon meats. PS Always check the expiration date. Oh, I did hear of one getting sick from that ham salad stuff you get in the deli. (I don't think there is any ham in there, just a lot of fat and pickles. Yuck)
Whoever is telling you that is either misinformed or trying to scare you. It is absolutely NOT TRUE. Lunch meat is a little high in salt and probably somewhat high in fat so I wouldn't eat it all the time but there is definitely not microbial or parasite issues with commercial lunch meat.
PhD Food Chemistry and Nutrition
I've never heard that you can get parasites from lunch meat. However lunch meat is very high in sodium nitrates and nitrites which is used to cure the meat. that much sodium on a regular basis is not good for people. Too much salt on a regular basis contributes to hyper tension, strokes and heart disease.
I would still eat lunch meat, but only occasionally.
Well i have not heard about getting parasites but in general lunch meat is not the best for you. They often get recalled. Also they have high levels of sodium. I get meat cook a lot at once and freeze what I am not eating for later. That way I can have meat, but not deli meat.