katherinecroftonHot dogs are just as American as hamburgers and apple pie. I remember growing up eating grilled hot dogs and hot dogs mixed with macaroni and cheese. It is delicious, and many children live on hot dogs at home. I do not eat hot dogs now, but I still remember the chemically addicting taste. About 155 million hot dogs are consumed every fourth of July nation-wide. That is a lot of ‘dogs!
However, doctors are now telling parents one crucial message.
Stop feeding your kids hot dogs!
According to new research, children who consume over a dozen hot dogs a month are nine times more likely to develop leukemia. Leukemia is a blood cancer where the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of immature or abnormal leukocytes. These suppress the production of normal blood cells, leading to anemia and other symptoms.
According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, over 24,000 people are expected to die from leukemia in 2015.
These effects are not only linked to children. Fathers who often ate hot dogs before conceiving are more likely to pass cancer to their children and pregnant women who ate a hot dog are more likely to have children who will develop a brain tumor.
Why are hot dogs so dangerous?
It all has to do with nitrates. Nitrates are used to preserve meat so that it has a longer shelf life.
According to Fooducate, nitrates also do the following:
- They maintain the pinkish meat coloration. Without them, the meat would appear grayish.
- They add a characteristic flavor.
- They ward off against Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for botulism, which is a dangerous disease that causes respiratory and muscular paralysis.
However, the additive meant to save us from one poison ends up poisoning those who consume it.
Fooducate also states:
“Unfortunately, when cooked or broken down in the stomach, nitrites form nitrosamines (also called N-Nitroso Compound), which can cause cancer in young children and pregnant women.”
Nitrates can also be found in vegetables that are grown in fertilizers, but many of these vegetables come with their own compounds that fight nitrosamine production.
“Spinach, beets, lettuce, celery, parsley, and cabbage are naturally high in nitrates. The level of naturally occurring nitrites is determined by the plant’s genetics, age, and also the amount of nitrate in the soil where the crops were farmed. Due to increased use of nitrate fertilizers in the last century, these figures are high. But don’t stop eating these veggies, many of them also contain vitamin C, naturally limiting the formation of the toxic nitrosamines.” – Fooducate
What to do?
So, what should a person do to keep their kids safe? The best thing to do is to take hot dogs or any other processed meats off the menu or remove meat altogether. Even buying organic does not guarantee safe food.
It is also important to reduce or stop eating vegetables that are grown in fertilizer. As we mentioned above, fertilizer contains nitrates.
Take a look at how hot dogs are made! Disgusting!
If you’re not yet convinced that hot dogs are one of the worst ‘foods’ out there, all you’ve gotta do is take a look at how they’re made.
Traditional hot dogs are made from a mix of beef, chicken and pork plus all the other nasty ingredients I mentioned previously, like artificial nitrates.
This all gets ground and mixed with water until it resembles cookie dough that’s been sitting in a puddle of Amazon rainforest slime for too long.
And then, they get passed through a mold that turns that sludge into its familiar hot-dog shape.
See for yourself in the video below.