America is a nation of meat eaters, with the average person consuming about 100 pounds of red meat each year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. But numerous studies have found that consuming red meat can be dangerous to your health, causing an increased risk for heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes and multiple types of cancers.
In 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) made headlines around the world when it announced that processed meats cause cancer. Processed meat includes bacon, salami, bologna, hot dogs, sausages, corned beef, pastrami, canned meat and ham. This category also includes any meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives.
The IARC  group of 22 experts from 10 countries found that eating 50 grams of processed meat a day, which is less than two slices of bacon, increases the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18 per cent.