I'm not going to lie... our family really loves deli meat! We'll use it for rollups, wraps, sandwiches, in our eggs. It's a staple in our house and not only that but it's great for high protein quick meals.
However, there are a lot of things to consider when shopping for deli meat because there can be a lot of junk added like sugar, dyes, and other unhealthy ingredients. Lunch meat is not something I would skimp out on as far as quality goes!
In short, the best deli meat is from an animal that has been grass-fed and is certified organic. The health of the animal will determine the health and the quality of the product... and ultimately your health.
Animals eating grains which likely have been treated with pesticides or a poor diet won’t be as healthy as an animal raised in it's natural pasture setting.
How to pick healthy deli meat:
When I shop for deli meat I always do two things...
1. Always, always, always read the ingredient labels!
I remember a long time ago (like over 7 years) when I was first learning about nutrition. I was doing a sugar detox and was supposed to have zero sugar, obviously, during that week. I remember coming home after grocery shopping and had bought deli meat and was so bummed that I never took the time to read the ingredient label because it was loaded with various forms of sugar. I had no idea that deli meat could have so many different processed ingredients. I was astonished at the time! So with that being said, let's talk about ingredients you'll want to watch out for:
Ingredients to avoid in your deli meat:
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) may be a carcinogen
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) may be a carcinogen
Aspartame (or any artificial sugars) increase risk of cancer
Sugar creates a lot of inflammation
Nitrates and nitrites increase your risk of cancer ... see the section below
Corn syrup can be inflammatory and is high in fructose
Smoked/naturally smoked/smoke flavor is a possible carcinogen
Excess sodium brings lots of risks, such as high blood pressure
Coloring agents like caramel coloring increase cancer risk
Natural Flavoring can be upwards of 100+ various (mystery) ingredients that do not have to be disclosed.
2. Choose fresh deli meat when available.
If your grocery store has a meat slicing counter, opt to buy your deli meat from there versus the pre-packaged deli meat.
Nitrites and Nitrates Debacle
Let's go over the nitrates/nitrites discussion because it can be misleading and a little bit controversial.
What are nitrates and nitrites?
Nitrates and nitrites prevent bacterial growth and give deli meat its disÂtincÂtive color and flavor. Nitrates convert to nitrites, and when nitrites interact with protein, that creates compounds called nitrosamines—which may cause cancer.
Even though the government's food labeling rules has allowed companies to market 'no nitrates' on their packaging, it doesn't necessarily mean that there are none.
It just means the nitrates/nitrites they have used to cure or preserve and flavor are from celery or other natural sources, not from synthetic ones like sodium nitrite.
Although that sounds healthier (I thought it did at first!) unfortunately their chemical composition is absolutely the same, and so are the negative health effects. Products cured with nitrates and nitrites from natural sources had average levels of the chemicals that were similar to those cured with synthetic ones. And it didn't matter what type of meat it was—chicken, ham, roast beef, turkey, or salami.
So what should we do? In a perfect world, it would be best to decrease how often your family eats cold cuts because the studies show the increase risk of cancer from regularly consuming them. They've also been linked to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. This includes meats with the label 'no nitrite' because as discussed, even curing meats with natural sources like celery powder, aren't any better for our health + the increased risk of cancer.
I'm a firm believer in doing the best you can + if your family regularly consumes deli meat let's make sure its upgraded + high quality. Here are our top 5 favorite brands for deli meat. These are not the only clean brands out there, but ones we are familiar with + buy frequently depending on what store we are at!
Top Favorite Deli Meat Brands
1. Applegate Organic Lunch Meat
2. Simply Nature Organic Lunch Meat
3. Organic Valley Organic Lunch Meat
4. Dietz + Watson Organic Lunch Meat
5. Plainville Organic Lunch Meat
Now, these are all for turkey meat but you can follow the guidelines above to make sure the other brands you run across have high quality ingredients.
I hope this blog post was informative and allows you the education you need to make the best choice for your family when it comes to deli meats! Remember, it's important to not get overwhelmed (although perfectly normal if you do!) We don't want to be stressed and build up a lot of fear around foods. That is just as harmful for your body as any of these toxic ingredients found in some deli meats. 😉
It is not about perfection, but about progress.
We want to instead be informed, educated, and empowered to little by little make tiny steps towards more nourishing foods for our family. You're doing such a great job, and I am so proud of you.
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