Episode 134: Is Ham as bad as Cigarettes?

About this episode

The episode discusses the risks associated with ham and processed meats, clarifying misconceptions about their classification as carcinogens compared to smoking.

In this episode, I unpack the controversy around ham and processed meats, and separate the facts from the fearmongering. I explain what it actually means when processed meat is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, why that doesn’t mean it’s as dangerous as smoking, and how social media has done a pretty poor job of explaining the difference. I also break down the real increase in bowel cancer risk associated with processed meats, how to put that risk into context, and why nutrition decis...

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Steedman

Topics covered

• processed meats
• health risks
• cancer
• nutrition
• social media
• fearmongering

Keywords

• ham
• processed meats
• Group 1 carcinogen
• bowel cancer
• nutrition
• health risks
• social media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: social media

Products: ham, processed meats

More episodes of Bite Me Nutrition

• Episode 133: How to stop tracking calories · May 22, 2026 · 7 min
• Episode 132: Are you eating too much protein? · May 15, 2026 · 19 min
• Episode 131: Meal Planning · May 8, 2026 · 8 min
• Episode 130: High Risk Hunger Days · April 3, 2026 · 7 min
• Episode 129: Hunger Isn't the Enemy · March 27, 2026 · 7 min
• Episode 128: How long should I maintain weight loss? · March 20, 2026 · 8 min