Resultado de búsqueda
5 de sept. de 2023 · Bacon Health Benefits. Bacon has lots of sodium, cholesterol, and fat, all of which can increase your risk of heart disease. But bacon does have other nutrients, like protein, vitamins,...
- Overview
- How Is Bacon Made?
- Bacon Contains a Lot of Fat
- Bacon Is Fairly Nutritious
- Bacon Is High in Salt
- Nitrates, Nitrites and Nitrosamines
- Other Potentially Harmful Compounds
- Concerns About Processed Meat
- The Bottom Line
Bacon is a pork or turkey product made by soaking the meat in a salty solution containing nitrates and sometimes sugar before smoking it. Processed meats may be associated with cancer and heart disease, so it’s best to eat bacon in moderation.
Many people have a love-hate relationship with bacon.
They love the taste and crunchiness but are worried that all that processed meat and fat could be harmful.
Well, many myths in the history of nutrition didn’t stand the test of time.
There are different types of bacon and the final product can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Bacon is made from pork, although you can also find similar products like turkey bacon.
Bacon typically goes through a curing process, during which the meat is soaked in a solution of salt, nitrates and sometimes sugar. In most cases, the bacon is smoked afterward.
Curing and smoking are ways to preserve the meat, but these processing methods also contribute to the characteristic taste of bacon and help preserve its red color.
Adding salt and nitrates makes the meat an unfriendly environment for bacteria to grow. As a result, bacon has a much longer shelf life than fresh pork.
Bacon is a processed meat, but the amount of processing and the ingredients used vary between manufacturers.
The fats in bacon are about 50% monounsaturated and a large part of those is oleic acid.
This is the same fatty acid that olive oil is praised for and generally considered “heart-healthy” (1).
Then about 40% is saturated fat, accompanied by a decent amount of cholesterol.
The remaining fat in bacon is 40% saturated and 10% polyunsaturated, accompanied by a decent amount of cholesterol.
Dietary cholesterol was a concern in the past, but scientists now agree that it has minor effects on cholesterol levels in your blood (2, 3, 4).
In contrast, the health effects of saturated fat are highly controversial. Many health professionals are convinced that a high intake of saturated fat is a major cause of heart disease.
Meat tends to be very nutritious and bacon is no exception. A typical 3.5-ounce (100-gram) portion of cooked bacon contains (8):
•37 grams of high-quality animal protein
•Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12
•89% of the RDA for selenium
•53% of the RDA for phosphorus
•Decent amounts of the minerals iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium
Since salt is used in the curing process, bacon has a pretty high salt content.
Eating food high in salt has been associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer (9).
Excessive salt intake may also raise blood pressure in people with salt sensitivity (10).
Although high blood pressure is harmful in the long term, studies have not revealed a consistent association between salt intake and death due to heart disease (11).
Nevertheless, if you have high blood pressure and suspect you may be sensitive to salt, consider limiting your intake of salty foods, including bacon.
For more information on the health effects of salt, check out this article.
Processed meat also contains additives like nitrates and nitrites.
The problem with these additives is that high-heat cooking causes them to form compounds called nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens (12).
However, antioxidants like vitamin C and erythorbic acid are now frequently added during the curing process. These effectively reduce bacon’s nitrosamine content (13).
Bacon contains much less nitrosamine than it did in the past, but scientists are still concerned that a high intake may increase the risk of cancer (12).
It also contains various other potentially harmful compounds, which are discussed in the next chapter.
Summary
When it comes to cooking meat, it is important to find balance. Overcooking is unhealthy, but undercooking can also be a concern.
If you use too much heat and burn the meat, it will form harmful compounds like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines, which are associated with cancer (14).
On the other hand, some meats may contain pathogens like bacteria, viruses and parasites.
For this reason, you need to cook meat well enough, but not too much.
Summary
All meat should be cooked well enough to kill potential pathogens, but not so much that it gets burnt.
For the past decades, nutritionists have been concerned about the health effects of bacon and other processed meats.
Many observational studies have associated a high intake of processed meat with cancer and heart disease.
In particular, processed meat has been associated with colon, breast, liver and lung cancers, as well as others (15, 16).
There are also links between processed meat and heart disease.
A large analysis of prospective studies found that processed meat was significantly associated with both heart disease and diabetes (17).
However, people who eat a lot of processed meat tend to follow an unhealthy lifestyle in general. They are more likely to smoke and exercise less frequently.
Many studies have linked processed meat products, such as bacon, with cancer and heart disease.
All of them are observational studies, which cannot prove causation. Nonetheless, their results have been fairly consistent.
At the end of the day, you have to make your own choice and take a look at the matter objectively.
If you think including bacon in your life is worth the risk, then stick to a simple rule that applies to most processed food products: moderation is key.
17 de ago. de 2022 · Health Benefits . Because bacon is high in protein and low in carbs, it is a popular choice for those following a keto diet plan. It also may help absorb vitamin D and helps boost energy. Here is a closer look at the potential benefits of bacon.
- Traditional (pork) bacon is usually higher in fat and calories than turkey bacon, but not as much as you might imagine. A single serving of bacon p...
- As you can see from the list, you might be buying a bacon product that has carbs and not realize it if you think that all bacon is low-carb. Some b...
- Are you on a low carb diet? If you successfully use bacon that contains no carbs, you need to look at what else you are eating that might have carb...
Bacon is Good For You: 6 Health Benefits of Bacon. Believe it or not, bacon has many redeeming qualities beyond just tasting and smelling awesome. In fact, when you start to look a little deeper (and forget about what you’ve heard), you’ll realize that bacon is good for you—at least when it’s consumed as part of an overall healthy diet.
31 de ago. de 2023 · Five health benefits of bacon. Bacon’s nutritional profile is excellent for keto. It’s carb-free and provides plenty of healthy fats and essential nutrients, including B vitamins, selenium, and phosphorus. Here are five reasons why you should enjoy bacon as part of a healthy diet. 1. Contains healthy fats
- 4 min
19 de oct. de 2023 · Health Benefits of Bacon. Diana Miller // Getty Images. Panchetta. This Italian cut of pork belly is streaks ahead of most supermarket fare in terms of taste. It’s also rich in selenium, which is...
9 de ago. de 2018 · Some super fans claim bacon is a healthy choice because it has “good fats.” It’s true that some positive omega-3 fatty acids in it are also in olive oil, a nice-list staple.
