Sometimes demonized... sometimes loved with passion. Can the controversial yet mouth-watering bacon and other cured meats help you shed the pounds?
Can bacon help You Lose Weight?
It depends...
First, you have to think about quantities. Bacon is very calorie-dense. Going overboard on your energy needs is very easy, so control your portions carefully. Second, not all bacon is created equal. Like this is the case with other animals, pigs raised the right way (on a pasture that to allow them to eat an omnivorous diet) contain a healthy, safe and fat burning meat packed with vitamin D, antioxidants and a ton of monounsaturated fat – the same good kind you find in olive oil. Your best bets are cured meats that come from a local farm, where animals aren’t confined and fed grains.
About Nitrites
The fear of nitrites may have been completely exaggerated, for a lot of reasons:
The fear of nitrites may have been completely exaggerated, for a lot of reasons:
- Nitrites are naturally present in fruits and veggies, sometimes in higher amounts.
- Nitrites are naturally contained in our saliva, gut and in all our tissues.
- Nitrite-free products are cured with celery salt, which actually generates more nitrite than nitrite-added products during the curing process.
- Nitrosamines – carcinogenic compounds that made nitrites’ bad reputation – are not formed during digestion
- of cured meats when vitamin C is added to the mix .
Processing Matters
Don’t rush for the fridge to cook a pound of bacon yet. The way bacon and other cured meats are made will determine how many nasty or fat-burning ingredients it does – or doesn’t – contain .
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Summary+ Bacon and other cured meats from pastured pigs contain more healthy saturated and monounsaturated fats, minerals and vitamins than the regular supermarket kind.
+ Nitrites are not a problem, especially if vitamin C is added to cured meats.
+ Meats cured the traditional way are healthier.
