Baseball season is upon us with MLB Opening Day taking place a few weeks back. With the return of America’s favorite pastime, the increase in hot dog consumption naturally occurs. After all, who doesn’t love a ballpark frank at your hometown’s baseball stadium?
The only problem, though, is that every bite of hot dog makes you more susceptible to colorectal cancer. A new poll by the Physicians Committee by Morning Consult consisting of 2,204 adults determined that people aren’t even fazed by the idea that what they’re putting into their bodies could lead to health problems down the road.
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In that group, 70 percent were aware of the health issues but would still be eating hot dogs at some point this year, and more than half said they would be doing so at a baseball game.
Don’t Eat Hotdogs When You’re at a Game
While it may seem innocent, eating processed meat means you’re also inserting carcinogenic toxins into your body. Doing that increases the likelihood of colorectal cancer according to the World Health Organization.
Noah Praamsma, a nutrition education coordinator for the committee behind the poll, told the New York Post that “tens of millions of Americans could eat hot dogs this baseball season.”
The good news, though, is that many stadiums across Major League Baseball are offering plant-based alternatives. In baseball terms, Praamsma tells the outlet it would be “a home run for their health” if people opt to “trade even one serving of processed meat a day for [a] plant-based alternative.” So if you go to the game and pound four franks, at least try one veggie dog in that group.
The reason for this study has to do with the influx of colorectal cancer in the country, mainly in younger adults. According to the American Cancer Society, people younger than 50 have seen rates increase by 2.4 percent for new diagnoses between 2012 and 2021. That’s enough concern for doctors to begin reinforcing positive behaviors to prevent this upward trend.
For starters, eating fewer hot dogs, or even avoiding them altogether, is a smart choice. The time of the season is tempting for many, but let’s face it, there are so many funky food options at these baseball stadiums, why not gorge yourself with s’mores quesadillas instead of hot dogs?
That has to be healthier, right? Right?!
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