Jan 14, 2012 -- 10:30PM, solfeggio wrote:

A recent study out of Sweden published in the British Journal of Cancer has shown a link between consumption of processed meats like bacon and sausages, containing sodium and nitrate preservatives, with an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer. 

Eating just two slices of bacon or one sausage a day can increase a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 19%.

www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent...
 
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/13/b...

An earlier study saw a link between a high intake of processed meats and colon cancer:
www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jun/15/p...
    
www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10....

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18444144


But wait, there's more.  Consumption of processed meats raises the risk of having a heart attack or developing diabetes:

www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases...

www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2010/05/...
   
     


   
  
  

Many of us rarely eat processed meat. There are so many other choices. My market sells sausage made in store without the chemicals. Occasionally I put a bit of their Italian turkey sausage in a pasta dish.

On the other hand, just living and breathing can cause cancer. A good immune system helps.

I do believe in the golden mean.

Jan 14, 2012 -- 10:30PM, solfeggio wrote:

Eating just two slices of bacon or one sausage a day can increase a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 19%.

I eat bacon about twice a year, when I'm on vacation and I splurge by eating breakfast at a restaurant. I don't cook bacon at home, and about the only time I have sausage is when I have a few pieces on a pizza. (I do, though, sometimes eat sausage and hot dogs when I have a hankering for saurkraut, which is not very often.) 

Bacon is bad for you?  Aha, we told you so!

Shalom   ;)

The Golden Mean -

As taught by Socrates, the Golden Mean is a philosophy that means we should try to avoid the extremes on either side, which would be excess and deficiency, as much as possible.

Aristotle expanded on that theory by saying that, for example, courage is the middle ground between cowardice and recklessness.  Of course, the middle depends upon the situation.  Aristotle believed that the Golden Mean applied only to virtues, and not vices.

What has all of this to do with bacon or sausage?  Well, it probably goes back to the old debate: Should we eat to live, or live to eat?

And, if we live to eat, then stuffing our faces with all our favourite foods as often as possible would mean we were erring on the side of excess.

On the other hand, merely eating to live would be eating a favourite food, such as bacon or sausage, judiciously. 

And this would apply to all foods.  In other words, the key is moderation.

Jan 15, 2012 -- 10:39PM, solfeggio wrote:

The Golden Mean -

As taught by Socrates, the Golden Mean is a philosophy that means we should try to avoid the extremes on either side, which would be excess and deficiency, as much as possible.

Aristotle expanded on that theory by saying that, for example, courage is the middle ground between cowardice and recklessness.  Of course, the middle depends upon the situation.  Aristotle believed that the Golden Mean applied only to virtues, and not vices.

What has all of this to do with bacon or sausage?  Well, it probably goes back to the old debate: Should we eat to live, or live to eat?

And, if we live to eat, then stuffing our faces with all our favourite foods as often as possible would mean we were erring on the side of excess.

On the other hand, merely eating to live would be eating a favourite food, such as bacon or sausage, judiciously. 

And this would apply to all foods.  In other words, the key is moderation.

Much of the philosophy I studied was Aristolean, including logic.

Moderation for me is the golden mean. Philosophy formed much of my thinking, expanded by the arts to a great degree.

All learning need not be totally esoteric.