Yanez 1

Cinthya Yanez
Professor Cole
English 1010
22 December 2015
IEP (Final Draft)
A Tasty Killer
Meat has been a part of the human diet for about 2.5 million years ago; Dr. Pobiner
believes that our ancestors started eating meat when the climate changed and fruits and other
plants werent as available. Besides, meat is easier to process than plants. Meat might have even
helped us become what we are today.
There has been a link made between meat-eating and an increase in the size of our
brains. Theres an idea that meat is such a beneficial resource in terms of a compact
source of calories and nutrients, that instead of having big guts -- like a lot of our living
primate relatives do such as chimpanzees and gorillas -- that we didnt have to invest as
much energy into these big guts. It takes a lot of time and energy to digest plants, and we
could instead invest energy into growing big brains (Pobiner).
Most of us eat meat on a daily basis; it is the main part of our meal, and although meat is
a valued food source, (it provides all of the necessary amino acids, has more calories, and is rich
in iron, B12, and zinc) meat has also many drawbacks. Over the years many researchers have
linked processed red meat to a type of cancer known as colorectal cancer (CRC). This cancer has

Yanez 2
become the third most common type of cancer, and the fourth most common type of cancer death
(Bernstein).
However, meat is also high in fatty acids and saturated fat, both which have been linked
to plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) and coronary heart disease. Iron plays an important role
of preventing anemia, but it can also lead to the formation of N-nitroso compounds in the GI
tract if its overconsumed, which then can result in cancer. Those are only the dangers of red
meat. Processed red meat is different. It is chemically altered to add flavor, or to add color and to
make it last longer. However, this new chemically altered meat becomes more dangerous to
consume because it contains PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), HCAs (heterocyclic
aromatic amines), and nitrosamines (Rohrmann 2).
Nonetheless, the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) feels different about processed
meat. It claims that red processed meat; like bacon, sausages, ham, hot dogs and other deli meats
are part of the American tradition, and great iconic foods. They also claim that these foods offer
good nutrition, and are part of a healthy diet, and if consumers are worried about their fat intake,
they can always turn to leaner choices. A different claim that contradicts this various studies is
that we dont eat enough meat. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans of 2010 states that in fact
we need to be consuming five to seven ounces of meat daily. About 140 to 200 grams.
I find this interesting, that the Dietary Guidelines would recommend people to consume
more meat. Do they want to sell more meat? Where did they get the five to seven ounces a day?
Did NAMI have anything to do with these numbers? I wouldnt want to point fingers. But then
there is also a different study that recommends us to consume 20g of meat a day, and if we
followed this recommendations we would prevent 3.3% of all deaths related to CRC
(Rohrmann).

Yanez 3
Another thing I would like to point out is that consuming meat might not only be harming
our body, but it is also harming our planet. In Bryan Walshs article, he states that There may be
no other single human activity that has a bigger impact on the planet than the raising of
livestock. Raising and feeding livestock takes 1.3 billion tons of grains each year alone.
Imagine how many people we would be able to feed if we stopped raising livestock? But this is
far from happening, I dont think we are ready to give up bacon as a society. Or maybe we will
find a right balance, a system that lets us raise livestock, but also one that will not harm our
planet (Walsh).
A different study done in Uruguay showed that people who ate processed meats were not
only risking getting colorectal cancer, but were more likely to get different types of cancer. Thus
proving that processed red meat is a multiorgan carcinogen. Uruguayan diet is characterized by a
high consumption of red processed meat, even more than in the United States. This study
concluded that different types of processed meats had different effects; bacon was positively
associated with all cancer sites, sausage was not associated with any cancer, and mortadella was
only associated with cancers in the stomach (De Stefani).
I enjoy meat, it tastes good. I tried being a vegetarian for a while; but I could only do it
for one summer. I might have gone a little longer, but my mom was worried about my health, she
said that women need more iron than men do, since every month we lose those minerals. I told
her that I could eat other things high in iron, like legumes, whole grains, and leafy greens. But
she wouldnt hear it, she made me eat meat, a lot of meat, to make up for the months in which I
hadnt.
Based on that experience, I believe people will not be happy if they were told to stop
eating meat. I know I wouldnt. Even after the WHO released a statement that processed red

Yanez 4
meat is a type one carcinogen. I dont think anyone changed their diet. Maybe some did, but
other people might have realized that they would rather die of cancer than to live without bacon.
Meat might have been good for us earlier, it might have been the catalyst that helped us
evolve, and different time periods might have required us to have a diet high on meat. But times
have changed, and so should our diets. The NAMI might try to convince people they need to eat
more red processed meat. It proposes that meat is a necessary part of our diet and that we need it
on a daily basis. Which is true, we need to eat meat, no other food contains all of the necessary
amino acids. However, we need to limit our consumption of meat and find the right balance to
consume it.
I believe that we should turn to different ways to get our proteins; like seafood, tofu,
quinoa, beans, etc. We still have to eat processed red meat, but we dont necessarily need to eat
as much as we are now recommended. And maybe even have a few meals were meat is absent. I
know we cant eliminate processed red meat out of the whole picture, but we can modify a few
things to decrease our consumption of it.
Maybe go for vegan hot dogs instead of the real hot dogs, or instead of bacon go for
turkey bacon. These small, and almost insignificant decisions could make the difference between
being diagnosed with CRC and living a healthy life. I am not asking that you never taste bacon
again, or to avoid meat at all costs. No, thats pointless, eat what you like, treat yourself every
once in a while, just make sure that thats not all you are eating. Have a variety of foods! Try new
things! Explore new foods that introduce you to different proteins. Yes, tofu might not sound as
tasty as bacon, and steaks might be hard to replace with an all vegan dinner. But believe me, it is
worth the change, and you wont regret it, and neither will your colon!

Yanez 5
Works Cited
Bernstein, Adam M., et al. "Processed and Unprocessed Red Meat and Risk of Colorectal
Cancer: Analysis by Tumor Location and Modification by Time." Plos ONE 10.8 (2015):
1-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Nov. 2015
Charlton, Angela. Associated, Press. "UN Agency Links Hot Dogs And Other Processed Meat To
Cancer." AP Top News Package (2015): Newswires. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
De Stefani, E, et al. "Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Cancer: A Multisite Case-Control
Study in Uruguay." British Journal of Cancer 107.9 (2012): 1584-1588. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.
Rohrmann, et al. "Associations between Red Meat and Risks For Colon and Rectal Cancer
Depend on the Type of Red Meat Consumed." Journal of Nutrition 143.4 (2013): 464472. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Pobiner, Briana. Rossetto Kasper, Lynne. "Why Do We Eat Meat? Tracing the Evolutionary
History." The Splendid Table. 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
"Processed Meats: Convenience, Nutrition, Taste." North American Meat Institute. Web. 2015.
Shaffer, Erica. "Industry Says WHO Meat-cancer Report 'alarmist'" International Agency to List
Processed Meats as Hazards. Meat Poultry, 23 Oct. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
Walsh, Bryan. "The Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat Production |
TIME.com." Science Space the Triple Whopper Environmental Impact of Global Meat
Production Comments. Time, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

Yanez 6
What Exactly Is Processed Meat? Online video clip. YouTube. 29 Oct 2015. Perf. Trace
Dominguez. Discovery News. 1 Nov 2015. Film