From the title of this article, you may have figured out that I’ve finalized my 2016 list of resolutions… and you’re right! And you may have also figured out that, among the goals of this year – comprising goals related to myself, my family and friends, self-development, health and nutrition, fitness, career, fun and games – I’ve decided on a 2016 with no processed meat, no deep-fried food and a low intake of red meat. I’m very happy until now with this decision and it makes me very excited that I will be ‘trying’ this nutrition plan for the whole year.

I always knew deep-fried food is one of the least healthy choices on any menu, even if I wasn’t quite sure of the scientific explanation… but I’ve figured it out by now ;) worth researching before taking a definitive decision on your yearly nutrition plan. I wasn’t about to quit bitterballen just because of a hunch I had ;) However, I was quite surprised to stumble upon a great array of articles pointing out to processed meat as one of the primary reasons for some of the worst diseases. Thus, I thought to share this with you guys and maybe you decide to join me on this endeavour and we can share our experiences throughout the year and at the end of 2016… They will probably look like pictures with the tastiest looking deep-friend food that we cannot touch… even something simple like French fries ;)) but let’s not make it even harder.

What is processed meat and why is it ‘bad’ for us?

From the research I’ve done, looks like: ‘Processed’ meat is meat that’s not sold fresh, but instead has been cured, salted, smoked, or otherwise preserved in some way. Processed meat includes products such as: bacon, ham, pastrami, salami, pepperoni, hot dogs, some sausages, and hamburgers (if they have been preserved with salt or chemical additives) and more.

I would probably not be able to write the risks of processed meat as accurately as scientists have and I do not aim to ‘compete’ with people in this filed. Thus, I find that the safest and straight-forward way to explain why I am cutting processed meat from my 2016 diet is by referring you to these following articles I found extremely relevant.

Processed Meats Declared Carcinogenic 

Processed meat and cancer – what you need to know

If You Eat Processed Meats, Are You Risking Your Life?

Why is deep-fried bad for us?

I don’t think deep-fried needs an explanation on what it is. I’m positive we all know by now. Thus, I’ll focus on referring you to the articles below that I found interesting. Additionally, I plan to completely exclude deep-frying from home cooking (even if I have to admit I don’t think I was cooking it at home more than 1 time per month – so that should be easy ;)) harder when you go out though). I do intend to continue using coconut oil for cooking, which is a great way to substitute the other oils that would point to deep-fried cooking.

Health Basics: Why are fried foods terrible for your health?

Why Frying Food Is Unhealthy

7 Major Reasons why you should avoid Eating Fried Foods

I’m not sure to which extent you guys are as convinced about it as I am, but I’m pretty sure that some of the circumspect few would be like: so, why are you doing this? Well, it’s simple… I want to live as healthy as possible and I have been taking some measures along the way towards a healthier lifestyle (quit smoking, did more sports, became more weary of what I eat) and I’d like to continue doing so. I’m not sure if this will ‘save’ me in the long run from some unwanted health problem (but I sure hope it will ;))) What I don’t want is to live with the regret that I could have done something about it to prevent it. That doesn’t mean I don’t indulge into things I crave for (I’m not the typical food angel and I have things I cannot resist to and will not– most of them start with “choco” or end in “cream” :) but I will just try to keep everything in balance the most I can.

Let me know how you guys feel about this article and if you are interested to join me. Also, do you guys have other nutrition related 2016 resolutions you’d like to share? You can do it here or via our Facebook page!

Aiming for a healthier 2016,

Manu

Follow