Nothing speaks more to North American food and culture than things like hot dogs, hamburgers, or even bacon. Weekend BBQ, football tailgating parties, or family get together’s are all a time when we mow down on pounds and pounds of processed meats, and usually without a care in the world.

Except that we might want to really rethink our love affair with processed meat if a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) is any indication.

In this report the WCRF reviewed over 7,000 clinical studies into diet and cancer only to find that processed meats are too dangerous for human consumption and that we should stop eating these foods immediately and forever.

Needless to say this report has stunned and rocked the health world but apparently these foods contain cancer causing ingredients

Processed meats include bacon, sausage, hot dogs, sandwich meat, packaged ham, pepperoni, salami and virtually all red meat used in frozen prepared meals. They are usually manufactured with a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrite. This is used as a color fixer by meat companies to turn packaged meats a bright red color so they look fresh. Unfortunately, sodium nitrite also results in the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines in the human body. And this leads to a sharp increase in cancer risk for those who eat them.

A 2005 University of Hawaii study found that processed meats increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. Another study revealed that every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 50 percent. These are alarming numbers. Note that these cancer risks do not come from eating fresh, non-processed meats. They only appear in people who regularly consume processed meat products containing sodium nitrite.

via Total Health Breakthroughs

So, about that BBQ this weekend ……

You might want to really think twice about eating that hot dog; or any processed meat. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Recently Brynn Mannino over at WomansDay.com compiled a list of ten of the best and admittedly formidable hot dog recipes around. I have – with a big at tip to both Brynn and Papa Melony – posted it here for your recipe collecting pleasure.

Spaghetti Dogs

Personally I think this one is just a little too off the wall but I am sure something like this would be a hit with the kids. To produce this kid delight simply puncture slices of raw hot dog with uncooked spaghetti and boil.

picture courtesy of Boing Boing

Corn Dog Casserole

Hmm .. I guess the prerequisite for this one is that you like corn dogs, which I don’t and that you have a very low cholesterol level. What you do is layer much like a lasagna the following items: hash brown patties, crumbled bacon, baked beans, corn and French Fries. This is all topped with quarter-inch slices of corn dogs and drizzled with yellow mustard.

picture courtesy of ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com

Ditch Dogs

Wow people are actually willing to pay $14 dollars for this creation at the Ditch Plains restaurant in Manhattan but you can do the same thing by combining a potato bun, a hot dog along with a Gruyere/American/Parmesan mac ‘n’ cheese blend. Me .. I think I’ll pass.

picture courtesy of AlwaysHungryNY.com

Chinese Hot Dog

Almost as much as hamburgers, hot dogs and apple pie our version of Chinese food is a big part of our culture. For those that just can’t do without their weekly fixing of sushi and wonton soup you can try out slices of hot dog wrapped with egg-dipped dough and then deep fried. Apparently they do really well at Eden Wok in New York where they sell for $2.50 each.

picture courtesy of oneannieatatime.com

Le Pogo et Frites

Never mind those Freedom Fries because we have for you the Americanization, thanks to Phil Lee, of a South Korean roadside snack. Basically nothing more than a hot dog surrounded by french fries Phil transformed it using corn meal batter and french fries.

picture courtesy of LastAppetite.com

The Chihuahua

Not surprisingly given the popularity of the venerable hot dog there are a lot of restaurants that specialize in overloading the poor little things with all kinds of stuff. Crif Dogs in New York City is well known for this concoction that sees a hot dog blanketed in bacon and then join with sour cream and avocado.

picture courtesy of chelseaperetti.blogspot.com

The Hamdog

If you are ever in the mood to really hurt yourself then the place to head to is Mulligan`s Bar in Decatur, Georgia, and pony up to one of their Hamdog`s. This `little`creation has the following goodies in it: one hot dog wrapped in a half-pound of beef patty. This is then deep-fried, placed in a hoagie roll and topped with chili, bacon and a fried egg.

picture courtesy of TexasBurgerGuy.com

The Hot Dog Flower

Obviously a pretty simple offering of hot dog goodness but apparently these cumin-flavored goodies are popular food fair in New York City`s Chinatown – especially at the low price of $1 each.

picture courtesy of SeriousEats.com

Hot Dog Summer Roll

Continuing with our mashing up of American hot dog love and Chinese food obsession we have this offering from Jill Snyder where she takes slices of hot dogs and wraps them with rice paper and filled with various vegetables.  Unfortunately this little creation didn`t help her win season five of Bravo`s cooking show – Top Chef, but hey you still might like it.

picture courtesy of ModernDomestic.com

And finally we give you The Cornhole

This one should come with a warning that unless you have a cholesterol level of a new born baby this might not be something you want to try – or at least not make a habit of having. Using the picture as our guide to heart attack hell we have the corn on the cob wrapped with hickory bacon, which is then surrounded by alternating hot dog slices and Colby-Jack cheese sticks which is then encased in ground beef. Good luck and may your cardiologist be with you.

picture courtesy of ThisIsWhyYou’reFat.com

The 10 Best and Formidable Hot Dogs is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m not sure where these are available, but they certainly add that extra spice…or should that be mustard the next time you take your dog for a walk.

New in dog fashion for 2009: hot dogs is a post from: The Inquisitr