A Spanish cardiologist has urged shoppers to cut back on processed meats, warning that convenient sandwich fillings can become an almost daily fixture in people’s diets.

In a TikTok video, Dr Aurelio Rojas highlighted products including cooked ham, sliced turkey, bacon and sausages.

‘The problem is that we eat them daily, at breakfast, as snacks, at dinner,’ he wrote, pointing out that their convenience and taste also make them popular choices for children.

Rojas recommended choosing products with a higher meat content and fewer additives, while keeping consumption occasional, suggesting once or twice a week.

He also drew attention to E249 to E252, the nitrite and nitrate preservatives used in some cured and processed meats.

These additives help prevent harmful bacterial growth, including the bacteria responsible for botulism.

They are authorised in the EU under regulated conditions, so their presence alone does not mean a product is unsafe.

The broader concern is the long-term consumption of processed meat. The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has found sufficient evidence that eating it causes colorectal cancer.

An analysis cited by the WHO estimated that eating 50g of processed meat every day was associated with an approximately 18% increase in relative colorectal cancer risk.

That does not mean an 18% chance of developing the disease or an increase of 18 percentage points.

Processed meat includes products preserved through salting, curing, smoking or similar methods. It can include poultry as well as pork and beef, meaning sliced turkey is not automatically exempt.

However, fresh burgers or homemade meatballs are not necessarily processed meat under that definition simply because the meat has been minced or shaped.

Rojas’s central message is to reconsider frequency, as foods that seem like a quick, occasional option can easily become a staple across several meals a day.