Eat less processed meat

Public health officials for years have urged Americans to limit consumption of red meat and processed meats because of concerns that these foods are linked to heart disease, cancer and other ills.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified processed meats including bacon, sausage, lunch meat, and hot dogs as carcinogenic and linked them to a number of negative health effects. Fortunately, reducing your intake of processed meat is quite simple. To begin with, you can simply substitute these foods for less processed meats like fresh chicken, salmon, or turkey. Other sandwich fillings, such as tuna salad, chicken breast, or hard-boiled eggs, may be used in place of packaged lunch meats. As an alternative, you might consume more plant-based proteins like tofu, tempeh, tofu, and beans.