Is Ham Actually Considered Red Meat?
You may be treated to a perfect roast holiday ham at a dinner gathering to end the year. The sweet-tasting meat can also be served in many other delicious ways. Some of the tastiest dishes include honey-glazed ham, ham and cheese sandwiches, and ham soup. Although ham might be delicious, you might want to consider if it's just as good for your body. That's because ham is actually red meat.
Ham is a cured meat, which means that a preservative is added to remove moisture that helps make it last longer and sustain its flavor and color. In this case, ham is created from one of three forms of curing a pork leg. The first is dry curing, where the pork leg is rubbed with salt, washed after blood is drained, and then suspended in a temperature-controlled environment between six months and two years. In wet curing, the pork is drenched in a liquid of salt brine for between three and 14 days. The third form is smoked curing, in which the pork hangs in a smokehouse as it soaks up smoke, which gives it extra coloring and more layers of flavor. Since it's cured pork, ham is a processed red meat. Pork is considered a red meat because it contains an abundance of a specific protein.
The amount of myoglobin in pork makes it a red meat
What distinguishes red meat from white is the amount of myoglobin that red meat contains. Mammals have the highest amounts of myoglobin in their meat, which is why The United States Department of Agriculture has determined that all meat from mammals is red meat, including ham, since it comes from a pig. Myoglobin is a protein that is actually responsible for the solid red color of red meats because it turns red when it contacts air. Similarly to other red meats, pork contains more myoglobin than white meats such as poultry. Although fresh pork loses some redness as it is grilled, roasted, barbecued, or baked, it's still designated red meat.
The USDA also groups pork with lamb, veal, and beef as livestock, which are all considered red meat. Since ham is a red meat, it has certain health benefits and risks. There are reasons why you shouldn't eat red meat and reasons why you should.
The health benefits and risks of eating ham
According to Healthline, the curing and smoking of ham creates a high amount of carcinogens that can cause cancer. Additionally, when ham is grilled or barbecued after being cooked, the meat's carcinogens can grow even more. Ham also contains lots of salt. If you eat ham regularly, you may dangerously increase your sodium levels. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, or kidney failure. As a deli meat, ham has a high risk of being infected by certain bacteria that can give you food poisoning, so be mindful of the unhealthiest store-bought sliced ham brands you can buy. Although ham has some concerning health risks, it can still benefit your health.
Per
, eating ham will give you a lot of vitamins and minerals that can help keep your immune system strong. Ham also has a lot of protein, which can help build your muscles, increase your metabolism, and regulate your appetite. The results of animal studies also suggest that active biopeptides in dry-cured ham can prevent cholesterol from accumulating in your blood.
claims ham's nutrients are abundant, including selenium, an invaluable mineral that helps with your thyroid health; thiamin, which helps with the production and systems of your body's cells; and niacin, which can transform nutrients into energy and restore DNA. So, if you set out to
, now you know how it may affect your body once you eat that sweet red meat.