The World Health Organization recently announced that a new investigation discovered that processed meats are likely to cause cancer. They put such delights as bacon, sausage and hot dogs in the same category as smoking and diesel fuel. The scientific panel that did the World Health Organization study examined epidemiological studies from multiple ethnicities and global diets.

With that study in mind, you might consider vegetarianism. While there are certain risks inherent in that particular diet, studies generally report it as healthier than processed meat.

The Vegetarian Times, a publication devoted to the vegetarian way of life, reported in its “Vegetarianism in America” study that 3.2 percent of adults in the United States (more than 7 million people) are currently following a vegetarian diet. Of those, about 0.5 percent are vegans, who consume no animal products and do not use products derived from animals, including eggs, gelatin and dairy.

There are also: lacto-ovo vegetarians, who do not consume meat, poultry or fish but do eat eggs and dairy; lacto-vegetarians don't eat meat, poultry or fish, but do eat dairy; ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but eschew meat, poultry, fish and dairy; and partial vegetarians, who may eat the occasional bit of fish (so-called pesco-vegetarians) or poultry (the pollo-vegetarian).

Then there are others who claim to be vegetarians and follow a largely vegetarian diet with occasional servings of meat. These lapsed vegetarians are about 10 percent of United States adults, more than 22 million people.