What Eating Deli Meat Every Day Does To You

Deli meat is an iconic lunchtime staple. In October 2021, Americans spent $418 million on deli meat. Many brands include salami, bologna, pastrami, and turkey.

Let’s be honest. Deli meat isn’t healthy. It is high in sodium, fat, and additives, and eating it daily may be bad for your body. Let’s look at these products and see what happens when you eat them daily.

Eating deli meat every day could affect your heart.

The process of making deli meats involves a lot of processing. Consuming these processed meats on a daily basis could pose a threat to your heart health. A comprehensive study delved into the effects of daily meat consumption on the risk of developing coronary heart disease. The results were eye-opening, revealing an 18% increase in heart disease risk from regular consumption of processed meat and a 9% increase from unprocessed red meat.

The good news for those who eat more poultry is that… Eating poultry did not increase heart disease risk. The study’s co-lead author, Keren Papier from the University of Oxford, says the best way to avoid heart disease from eating deli meats is to limit how much you eat. Eating unprocessed poultry is an excellent way to get protein without risk.

Eating regular deli meat could increase your risk of certain cancers.

Eating processed meat could increase your risk of developing bowel cancer. Eating processed meat regularly may also raise the risk of stomach and pancreatic cancer, but more study is needed.

The higher risk is due to ingredients added to deli meats during processing; some are already present in the meats, says Cancer Research UK. The red color of beef comes from a chemical called haem. This can cause chemical reactions in the body that make cancer more likely. Nitrates and nitrites added to processed meat are also a concern. These substances can turn into cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines in the body. 

Deli meats often have many additives. In addition to sodium, you might find ingredients like modified corn starch, carrageenan, sodium phosphate, and turkey broth in the slices you’re putting on your sandwich (per Eat This, Not That!). These additives make the meat juicy, plump, and flavorful.

A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says eating processed red meat often raises your risk of high blood pressure. The study found no link between eating unprocessed red meat and high blood pressure. One reason processed red meat is bad for blood pressure is because it often has a lot of sodium added to help preserve and flavor it. 

Deli meats may carry an increased risk of foodborne illness. 

Overeating sugar is the main reason for developing diabetes. But deli meat may also affect diabetes risk. 

Eating deli meat may affect your eyes. The salt in it can raise your blood pressure, which can lead to eye problems. High blood pressure can damage your eyes, affecting your retina and optic nerve and causing vision loss.

Eating deli meat every day can make your breath smell bad. This is because cured meats are high in protein. The protein sticks to your mouth and dental crevices, attracting bacteria. This bacteria causes bad breath and damages your teeth.