For the record – I love a good hot dog. Summer time is typically a ball game, a beer and a dog – Americana at its best. Now with the Memorial Day holiday fast upon us I know the home grill is gonna get a work out and top of the list . . . hot dogs. But what I’ve come to learn from my experience at Fight Colorectal Cancer is perhaps my love for the “dog” needs to be balanced with moderation, closer selection in type and awareness of the potential impact to those at risk.
This past December we saw quite a bit of press on the topic – About.com Colon Cancer posted a very detailed article on the topic worth a few minutes of your time.
Along that same discussion we’ve spoken a lot about diet and nutrition and lots of info can be found as a result of a google search – provided you get past the always entertaining Google Doodles – especially on our own Webinar Series on how to Shape Your Plate.
http://www.slideshare.net/FightCRC/petersen-webinar-032012
Bottom line is balance, moderation and if at all possible exercise. I’ll take mine with the brown spicy mustard – no ketchup, I’m a traditionalist.
What’s on your grill this holiday?
May 26, 2012 at 2:41 pm, Jennifer said:
From the article you reference: “eating more than one and a half ounces of processed meat per day, which includes hot dogs, significantly increases the risk of death…”
With that in mind, your own rah-rah cutesy piece, with its vague recommendation of “moderation” of hot dogs and optional exercising, downplays and reshapes the message.
Your piece will be interpreted by some readers as medical advice. And it is not very good or serious advice.
Please note that if you offer a “take-away” then it doesn’t matter if you also suggest that readers click on links or read other articles — your real message is that they do not have to. “Here’s the take-away,” you wink, “you really don’t have to do much — just chow down a bit less & exercise if you feel like it. No biggie.” Such advice is useless if not dangerous.
What’s on my grill? A terminal illness.
May 27, 2012 at 4:45 pm, Michael Sola said:
Jennifer,
I posted your comment as you bring up some good discussion points and took the time to share them in this forum, and for that I thank you. I also want to take this opportunity to apologize if my post on the FightCRC page offended or upset you. The intent was to bring some attention to the diet aspects around the holiday BBQ and to also promote the information we had shared on our webinar which was why the graphic and link to that piece was also shared.
I rushed the post as I was filling in for the team who typically manage the content and topics for the FightCRC blog. It’s clear from your feedback I did not put a lot of thought in what the interpretation of my comments in conjunction with the article would sound like. The supporting link was nothing more then an opportunity to provide detail material related to the hot dog which our organization typically doesn’t engage in. I am neither qualified nor an expert in the field to offer any advise and should have prefaced my comment with a “personally speaking” aspect.
While my style of blogging, along with my tongue and cheek approach, is not the norm for pieces posted in this blog – I do take this disease very serious. I have lost family members and have friends fighting colorectal cancer. I still manage to keep a positive outlook and try to find as much joy and humor in life as I possibly can. The question of “what’s on your grill?” was meant to engage people to share what they were doing for their holiday menu. I’m sorry you felt it was too light hearted.
From a personal perspective, I’m a firm believer that we need a mix of conversations – sharing comes in all shapes and sizes.