Greetings!  

I came across this article recently about bacon. I haven't had

bacon for breakfast in a very long time. Occasionally, I'll

have it on a sandwich, but even that's rare. Whenever I ate  

bacon I would get a headache, most likely from the nitrites (preservatives) and other "stuff".   

I was also under the impression that the saturated fat profile  

in bacon is bad for you.  

Bacon is one of those foods that everyone eats, but no one

likes to admit that they eat it. Come on, you know bacon is

the perfect compliment with pancakes! And how about a

BLT sandwich. I must have ate dozens of those as a kid.

Well, it turns out bacon is not as unhealthy as you might think.

In fact, it's actually healthier than some vegetable oils.  

But don't take my word for it. Read what  the author of this  

article, Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD (a regular

contributor to Prograde) has to say about bacon.  I think you  

just might change your mind too! 

Press on,

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 The Truth About Bacon 

by Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD   

When people today think of bacon, they think of clogged arteries, love handles and sin. They also think of Homer Simpson...

 

That's right: eating bacon means that you're destined for heart disease,  

a fat belly and a lifetime in Satan's dungeon-Doh!

But, thinking this way is a terrible misconception. In truth, bacon is a very good addition to your diet and should be something enjoyed more often than you endulge in pancakes and syrup or crepes with brown sugar.

Pancakes and syrup may look good to some people, but it is not good  

for you at all...

Bacon is not an unhealthy food when choosen correctly. By reading  

this article your're going to learn why and how to properly add bacon  

to your diet, and you're going to start doing it now.

What Is Bacon? 

Bacon is a cured meat (a natural way to prevent the meat from spoiling

by way of salt, and often nitrites) that traditionally comes from a pig. It

consists of both the meat of the pig, plus the fat (known as lard).

Bacon usually comes from either the belly of the pig, the back or the

sides. The amount of fat (lard) in bacon depends on how fat the pig is,

with the belly usually being fattier than the back, especially in America.

Today, you can also find bacon made from turkey,  but if you actually

spent time reading the label of turkey bacon, you'd see it contains a

laundry list of ingredients, many of which are not good for you such as

hydrolyzed corn gluten, soy protein, wheat gluten, disodium inosintae,

silicon dioxide and nitrites.

Europeans Have It Right

All over Germany, pork reigns supreme. From bacon to sausage to lard,

no parts of the pig are left unused. And, if you take a good look at

traditional Germans, you will notice that they are not as overweight as

Americans, nor suffer the same incidences of chronic disease.

A traditional German plate

Unlike modern-day Americans, Europeans use lard for most of their

baking and cooking. Previously in the US, we also use to incorporate a  

lot of lard into our daily diets, but with the notion (from our government)

that pig fat is too "saturated" and unhealthy, we shifted to the use of

hydrogenated plant oils (aka., vegetable shortening ) which actually

made us sicker, fatter and more diseased.     

Why Bacon is Better

To understand why bacon, and the fat it's rich in (lard) is a healthy  

choice for us to use in our diets along with other beneficial fats and

proteins, let's look at the nutritional science of this food.

If we take 1 tablespoon of pure lard, we see that is consists of an  

even balance of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with some

polyunsaturates and cholesterol (all animal fats contain cholesterol),  

but no trans fats. Specifically, it contains*:

�    5.9 grams of saturated fatty acids
�    6.4 grams monounsaturated fatty acids
�    2 grams polyunsaturated fatty acids (mostly omega-6)
�    14 mg cholesterol
*anaylsis from Mass Spectrometry at Univeristy of Alberta, 2003

If you compare lard to vegetable shortening, you get**:

�    3.8 grams saturated fatty acids
�    6.7 grams monounsaturated fatty acids
�    3.9 grams polyunsaturated fatty acids (mostly omega-6)
�    2 grams trans fatty acids (man-made)
�    0 mg cholesterol
**anaylsis from ESHA Food Processor

What's most frightening, is the trans fats found in this man-made, fake

lard substitute - trans fats have now been linked directly to heart disease

morbidity and mortality, and there is a strong move to rid our shelves of

this dangerous fat as soon as possible.

Saturated Fat is Not Bad

Some people still think saturated fats are evil, and as a result have

banned bacon from their homes. However, fatty acid experts today

emphasize that saturated fat from natural sources like meats, dairy,  

and tropical oils (coconut, palm) are not detrimental for our health,  

but instead much better than the polyunsaturated and hydrogenated

substitutes we've been recently using.

Sure, maybe it's confusing to try and tell yourself that saturated fat isn't

bad like we once thought. However, it's important that you realize that  

we were fed lies and deception that only made us fatter, sicker and more

unhealthy. We need to change this way of thinking.

The bottom line is that saturated fats, like that found in bacon CAN and

SHOULD fit into a healthy diet -a diet low in sugar, processed

carbohydrates, and synthetic chemicals, but high in fresh low-pesticide

vegetables, organic meats and fish, and nuts and seeds.

Essential Omega-6 and Omega-3 Balance

What about the omega-6 fats in bacon? Some people feel that bacon  

and other foods containing omega-6 polyunsaturated fats should be

minimized, and a focus placed on omega-3 fats such as fish, flax and

certain nuts - which is both true and untrue.

It is correct that we should try to keep a fairly close balance between  

the omega-6 fats (found in most meats and some nuts and seeds) and

the omega-3 fats, but we can't completely eliminate omega-6s in favor  

of omega-3s.

Not only is it almost impossible, unless you eat completely fat-free  

meats and avoid all nuts and oils, but your body needs omega-6s

because they are ESSENTIAL - meaning necessary for proper metabolic

and physiologic function.

It's more important to maintain a healthy ratio of omega-6 fats found  

in foods like bacon, with omega-3 fats found in DHA-enriched eggs  

and omega-3 rich fish.

For example, a great breakfast combination would be a few slices of

bacon with omega-3 DHA eggs topped with organic salsa and avocado.

Delicious and nutritious!

The Science of Bacon Fat 

In 2003, I conducted a research study at the University of Alberta looking

at the effects of a high bacon fat diet compared to a high palm oil diet on

the cholesterol synthesis and inflammation profiles of ten healthy men.

I cooked all the food for these guys every day, so all they ate was what  

I gave them. They ate things like:

�    (BLLTs) Bacon, Lettuce, Lard and Tomato sandwiches
�    Hash Browns cooked in lard
�    Bacon and Egg Omletes cooked in lard

(To say I smelled like bacon all the time was  a compliment...)

After 6 weeks on each diet, their blood was analyzed for cholesterol

synthesis rates, cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and markers

of inflammation.

What was found was that the high lard diet compared to the high palm  

oil diet produced significantly lower total cholesterol, and total-

cholesterol/HDL cholesterol levels, with slightly lower LDL-cholesterol  

and inflammatory marker levels.

What this means is that fat from lard may be less cholesterolemic and

inflammatory than fat from palm oil. This does not mean that palm oil is

a bad fat, but instead suggests that lard may be better when consumed

often.   

Choosing Healthy Bacon 

Now that you know that the fat in bacon is not bad for you, or harmful  

for your health, don't immediately go out and purchase bacon and eat  

it everyday. First, you need to look for bacon that is nitrite-free.

Nitrite (sodium nitrite) is a preservative used in bacon to not only  

prevent spoilage, but also keep bacon a nice red color. However, nitrite  

is also a known carcinogen and is related to increased risk and  

incidences of cancer.

So, if you do decide to choose bacon to help you either stick to a lower-

carbohydrate diet, or just eat instead of toast and jam, make sure you

choose wisely - natural nitrite free bacon is the best.

With bacon, you don't have to worry about the pig being full of artificial  

or natural hormones, because these are not allowed to be used on pigs.

Eat a Better Breakfast 

Now you know that bacon is a good breakfast food - but it can also be

used to enhance the taste of your favorite salads for lunch, or as a side

dish at dinner.   

oink!

No matter what you choose to do with your diet, bacon or not,  

remember that bacon is not bad for you, and will not ruin your  

health. Also, when eaten in the context of a low-sugar, unprocessed  

diet, it will not make your belly look like a pig's.