I get this question all the time: “Can I really eat bacon…But I thought that it would clog up my arteries?
They are so many myths about diet and nutrition, that the majority of my patients are totally confused and open their eyes with an “aw” expression each time I tell them that BACON IS GOOD for our health!
Yes, bacon is a not only a safe food… but it is so good for you! Pork fat is probably the healthiest fat to consume. Why is that?
1. Pork fat has a perfect combination of fats: about 50% is monounsaturated (like in olive oil for example) which everybody knows has many anti-inflammatory properties; 40% is saturated fat, which is the reason that pork fat is stable for cooking , and about 10% is polyunsaturated fat.
2. Pork is fat is very rich in vitamins A and D, assuming that the pigs have been raised on the outside (benefiting from sunshine) and ate what pigs are supposed to eat (basically everything… as pigs are omnivores) but were not fed GMO grains and not treated with antibiotics. Vitamins A and D are fat soluble vitamins absolutely necessary to make new tissues and heal new tissues (bones, nerves, muscles, brain, glands…etc.). Bacon is also rich in vitamin E.
3. Pork fat is rich in cholesterol! Yes! Cholesterol is not an evil molecule, quite the opposite in fact: we need a good level of cholesterol in order to be healthy! Cholesterol is not responsible for cardio-vascular diseases… this is another of the many myths of diet! Every single cell of the body is protected by a fatty layer, most of it, being cholesterol. If we didn’t have cholesterol, we would be just like a puddle! Cholesterol is in the protective layer of cell membranes, and protect cells from virus, bacteria, and chemicals to penetrate them.
4. Bacon is rich in salt! Whoa… Another Myth! Salt is touted to be so bad for us, and we hear everywhere that we are eating too much salt, that salt is raising blood pressure, make you retain water… etc.! The truth is that according to the salt society, we are actually eating less salt than 50 years ago! How about that? And salt IS an absolutely necessary mineral to the body, especially the adrenal glands.
5. Bacon makes you feel good and satiated because it stabilizes blood sugar and improve your mood.
So, if you accept the fact that bacon is good for you, then what about the nitrates in bacon? Nitrites are been associated with cancer.
Bacon needs to be cured with something for preserving it, so you have 3 choices:
– Best: traditionally cured bacon from pastured pigs and cured with salt and herbs.
– Acceptable: Celery salt cured bacon.
– Avoid: commercial bacon processed containing nitrates, MSG, smoked flavoring, liquid smoke, or other questionable additives.
So, this is where I stand, and I eat my bacon every single Sunday. I love it! It feels good eating it, both physically and mentally!
Enjoy your bacon, and let me know what you think!