Cancer-Causing Cold Cuts

The problem: Think replacing your hotdogs with cold cuts will leave you with a healthier lunch? Think again. Cold cuts are preserved with the same chemicals, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrate, used in hotdogs, chemicals that have the potential to cause various types of cancers if eaten in large amounts. Another reason to leave them behind: listeria. Deli meats are commonly contaminated with the bacterium, which thrives even at refrigerator temperatures.

The fix: Enjoy your meat, sans preservatives, by baking or cooking a roast or turkey or chicken cutlets yourself, and slicing or shredding the meat to bring it along on your picnic.