The effects of certain foods, rather surprising.

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My son likes some processed foods way too much. I have always gone by the rule that if it's really processed, not to eat it very often. Overly processed meats and other foods can literally be deadly if eaten too often. My son in law and I were discussing this recently. He is a doctor. He teaches medical school classes so he is always up to snuff on this stuff. Not sure why I am posting this, because it's not going to change anyone's mind. I grew up in an era that eating processed meats was a very common, often everyday thing for many people. I do have to say that since I have eliminated so many overly processed foods, it has made it much easier to maintain my weight and sugar levels, etc. A trade-off of sorts...and I honestly don't miss those things now. Do you eat a lot of processed foods? A single hot dog shaves 36 minutes off your life. For every piece of bacon we eat, we lose 6 minutes. One single serving of prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni and most cured meats takes 24 minutes off your life. (This one worries me as my grandsons eat pepperoni out of the package all the time!) A fast food double cheeseburger costs us 9 minutes. Every single soda, whether it's diet or regular, takes 12 minutes off our life. We as a country eat a lot of processed foods. Some meats we consider healthy, aren't so healthy after all. Bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats rate out the worst, with high sodium and chemical contents. They are usually high in saturated fat, and yet even more sodium. Many have nitrates, which can cause cancer. The recommendations on a lot of these items is to have them no more than once a week, and to consider them a treat rather than an everyday thing. Maybe that's a good idea. Over the past few years, I have researched a lot of processed foods--what's in them, and what effects they can have on a person. Fascinating, but a bit scary. I will still have my BLT's with my homegrown tomatoes...I will still have ham once in a while. Never was fond of pepperoni or salami, and I can live without most things like that. The big shocker for me was a basic peanut butter and jelly sandwich will ADD 34 minutes to your life! As many as I have eaten in my lifetime, I may live forever!!