Red Meat Dangers

Skip the holiday ham this year and serve turkey instead. If you don’t want to prep a whole turkey, roast two or three turkey breasts.

Make your holiday a healthier one by choosing turkey over ham. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that eating processed red meat, such as hot dogs, roast beef or ham, is linked to heart disease and diabetes.

According to the study, people who ate 50 grams of processed red meat (that’s about one to two slices of deli meat or one hot dog) a day had a 42 percent greater risk of heart disease and a 19 percent greater risk of type 2 diabetes. The culprit was not, as you might expect, the fat content, but rather the sodium and preservatives involved in the curing process.

Hate all of the work involved in roasting an entire turkey? Buy a couple of turkey breasts and legs and roast those instead.