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"  Put down the tongs and step away from the grill! Those hot dogs are a serious health risk. Yes, even during National Hot Dog Month, the summertime standbys are facing criticism. Hot dogs are just as bad as cigarettes \u2014 or so one group would have you think. More from Delish: Are You a Hot Dog Expert? The Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group that supports an &amp;quot;all plant diet,&amp;quot; according to the Washington Post, erected a billboard along the Indianapolis Motor Speedway warning against the dangers of hot dogs. The billboard shows hot dogs in a cigarette pack and reads, &amp;quot;Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health.&amp;quot; The group wants to warn people about the risks associated with eating processed meats, which are smoked, cured, or salted with chemicals. They believe that hot dogs, along with other processed meats, should have a warning label akin to cigarettes. The meat industry has retaliated by saying in a press release that the group is a &amp;quot;pseudo-medical animal rights group&amp;quot; who wants to &amp;quot;create a vegan society.&amp;quot; More from Delish: Are You a Health-Smart Cook? The group&amp;#039;s claims are not unfounded. According to Time Magazine, a May 2011 report from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund said that people who eat 3.5 ounces of processed meats a day had a 36% greater risk of developing colon cancer than those who didn&amp;#039;t eat processed meats. On the PCRM&amp;#039;s website, they cite a study by National Institutes of Health and AARP Diet that found that those who ate 10 grams of processed red meat daily had a 10% increased risk of prostate cancer. The PCRM also cites a study in Taiwan that connected processed meat consumption with an increased risk of leukemia in children. In a press release, the American Meat Institute&amp;#039;s president, J. Patrick Boyle, asserted that, &amp;quot;Hot dogs are part of a healthy balanced diet...they are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals.&amp;quot; No matter who is right, it&amp;#039;s probably safe to say that if you&amp;#039;re eating a pack of hot dogs a day, you&amp;#039;ve got a problem. Healthy Summer Recipes         Healthy End of Summer Appetizers      Seasonal Summer Salad Recipes      Healthy Summer Grilling Menus     "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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