Introduction:
Bacon is not only delicious on a breakfast plate alongside eggs, but it is also used for toppings, garnishes, and even in baked potatoes, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and pizzas. The unique flavors of bacon meat are derived mainly from the key ingredients of pork, salt, fat, and even added sugars. Bacon meat is an unbeatable favorite amongst many individuals worldwide and is a popular choice even for feasting because of the smoked flavors or taste it yields. Bacon is mainly prepared from the pig’s belly and is mainly salt-cured. Also, it can often be smoked further to give it characteristic flavors before it reaches the local stores or grocery.
Most of the fat in bacon is known to melt away when it is cooked and drained eventually (on plates that are stacked with paper towels for this purpose). During the processing of the meat, salt and nitrites would be added to most commercial brands to improve its appearance and overall shelf-life. Bacon in the United Kingdom and Canada is slightly different in variety than that of the United States because, in these regions, the bacon is derived instead from the back of the pig rather than its belly, giving a taste similar to that of ham varieties.
What Is the Nutritional Content of Bacon?
The following nutrition information, as enlisted by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) for 3 slices, or around 0.076 ounces of commercially available bacon, is as follows:
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Fiber: 0 ounces.
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Sugar: 0 ounces.
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Protein: 0.02 ounces.
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Fat: 0.03 ounces.
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Sodium: 0.001 ounces.
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Carbohydrates: 0.001 ounces.
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Total Calories: 161 kilocalories.
Bacon contains hardly around 0.001 ounces of carbohydrates, usually without any sugars, but some commercial brands tend to incorporate added sugars in moderation or even in excess to make up for its extra flavors. For example, bacon that would be labeled as brown sugar or maple has a high added sugar content. The major nutritional drawback of this food is that there is no essential dietary fiber at all.
What Are the Possible Health Benefits of Bacon?
Because bacon is high in protein and very low in carbohydrate content, it can be considered a popular choice for individuals following a keto diet plan. Additionally, some of the benefits bacon meat may yield are due to its dietary fats, such as monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid. Also, these fats may help in the absorption of vitamin D and can also help boost energy production. Furthermore, even if someone eats small amounts of bacon, they may find themselves satiated, which can help in ketogenic diets as part of weight management.
Bacon would possibly yield some amounts of B vitamins, including vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12. Further, approximately 0.00002 ounces of the essential mineral selenium (for bodily metabolism) can be obtained, which can contribute to around one-third of the daily recommended intake. Bacon is also rich in phosphorous, which can be useful in bone metabolism and yields up to 0.0002 ounces per single serving. This food is quite high in calories obtained from the fats in it, almost a whopping 108 to 110 kilocalories from fat alone.
What Are the Possible Allergies?
Just like allergies are possible with any other type of meat, a bacon allergy would be possible even in healthy individuals and could develop at any stage of life.
In individuals with a previous history or possibility of bacon allergy, this could further be related to the alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). The AGS, also called alpha-gal allergy or tick-bite meat allergy, is one of the most severe forms of allergies in humans that can prove potentially life-threatening and manifest with acute allergic reactions. Typically, clinical symptoms occur in individuals who consume bacon meat or who are exposed to products that contain alpha-gal. For individuals who may be possibly allergic to bacon, immediately report their symptoms (if any, after consumption) of hives, rash, headaches, stomach cramps, sneezing, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the registered health care provider or allergist. In rare cases, anaphylaxis would be a potentially life-threatening reaction that should be addressed as a medical emergency by the allergist. This could potentially be one of the links found in current nutrition research that increases the chances of developing certain types of cancer.
Can Bacon Consumption Lead to Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer?
Because bacon is also high in saturated fat content, it may not be heart-healthy. As per current nutrition research, nutritionists do not recommend consuming saturated fat and instead advise cutting back on the consumption of processed foods and saturated or trans fats as much as possible to sustain ideal cardiovascular health. Also, because of the higher number of calories derived from saturated fats in bacon and its sodium content, this combination of elements in this food makes it a poor choice for individuals who are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Apart from this, those individuals looking to have healthy weight management may find that consuming one typical strip of bacon can yield around 40 calories, which can quickly add up upon consuming multiple pieces.
Fried bacon is the highest in terms of its content of heterocyclic amines that are detrimental to systemic health. Heterocyclic amines are high in bacon compared to other meat varieties and are also associated with an increased risk of developing some forms of cancer. Though these are preliminary research findings that are not scientifically conclusive, because bacon is processed and fried bacon is high in these cancer-causing compounds, caution should be exercised when consuming this food. Further, the processed meat forms of bacon often have added flavorings as well as preservatives such as sodium nitrite. Some research studies also advocate the addition of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to bacon during the processing time to prevent the conversion of sodium nitrite to nitrosamines, which are associated with cancer. According to the information from multiple observational studies, there would also be a direct link between the heavy consumption of processed meats and the development of chronic diseases and systemic ill health.
Also, one serving of bacon, though not high in calories, would be high in sodium content. The recommendation for daily sodium intake by the American Heart Association is around 0.005 ounces. However, the American Heart Association (AHA) also advises that most adults should instead strive to ideally limit or cut back on added salt or sodium, with the ideal limit of 0.003 ounces a day, to sustain systemic health.
What Are the Possible Vegan Alternatives?
The alternative options for vegans or vegetarians to bacon meat are the plant-based bacon varieties. The plant-based bacon would be suited to such individuals and can also easily be found in online retail or select local grocery stores. Vegans and vegetarians can check the label to see how plant-based bacon compares in terms of nutrition content to the actual bacon. However, the point to note is that even these varieties are highly processed food items that may not be cardioprotective or heart-healthy.
Conclusion:
Current nutrition research gives a detailed insight into the harmful aspects of consuming bacon high in saturated fats and calories. Especially the processed form that has added sodium content and sugars- all of which can prove more detrimental to the overall systemic health. The best way to use bacon for individuals who are consuming it in their diet is to use it only as a condiment in limited amounts rather than treating it as the main part of the meal; ideally, limit consumption as much as possible.
