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Is Bacon Really That Bad?

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:30:12 -0700

Bacon mania has swept the world, and this salty meat can now be found in tons of common dishes, such as pizza, creamy pasta, and lasagna. It has even made its way into desserts - chocolate-covered bacon, anyone? Even though a fair amount of people would call bacon their favorite food, it has a bad reputation for being unhealthy. Just how unhealthy is it really? Take this quiz to find out.

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Man Eating Only Bacon For Entire Month of February

FitSugar — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0800

Many people love bacon, but I guess Mike J. Nelson really loves bacon. Or at least he can't turn down a bet. My friend Giggle told me that for the entire month of February, Nelson will be eating nothing but bacon for every meal. Friends of his said that as delicious as bacon is, "no one could eat very much of it and live." So he's attempting to prove them wrong by living solely on bacon for the entire month. Bacon and beer, wine, martinis, and water, of course. Yikes. I guess he didn't get the memo that February is American Heart Month.

Mike is 6'2", 190 pounds, has a 33/34 inch waist, and his blood pressure is pretty consistently 117/65. He said, "I'm willing to bet you my weight will not change (may lose a little, actually), my blood pressure will probably drop a little, and I won’t get any taller."

Are you curious to find out how many calories and fat are in a day's worth of bacon? Me too, so I made a handy chart. To see it read more.

The blog doesn't mention how much bacon he'll eat per day, but based on his height and weight, and minimal activity level, Fit's Calculator says he needs to consume about 2,400 calories in order to maintain his weight. Let's subtract 147 from 2,400, to account for one beer a day, and that leaves 2,253 calories left for bacon consumption. Since one medium strip of bacon contains 46 calories, he needs to consume about 49 strips of bacon a day. Let's see what that means nutritionally.

	Calories	Total (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Protein (g)
Breakfast: 15 strips of bacon	690	54	18	135	2,940	46.5
Lunch: 15 strips of bacon	690	54	18	135	2,940	46.5
Snack: 6 strips of bacon	276	21.6	7.2	54	1,176	18.6
Dinner: 15 strips of bacon and a 12 oz. Budweiser	837	54	18	135	2,960	47.8
Total: 49 strips of bacon and a 12 oz. Budweiser	2,400	174.1	57.2	458	9,641	155.4

Ouch, my heart aches just looking at those numbers. All that fat, cholesterol, and that ungodly amount of sodium. It's so wrong. So unbelievably unhealthy. With a diet like this, I hope Mike gives up and realizes man can't live on bacon alone, before his body goes into coronary arrest.

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Wendy's Baconator: Just How Bad Is It?

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0700

The Baconator is not a new villain for Batman to battle, but simply: six strips of hickory smoked bacon piled high atop two quarter pound beef patties, topped with two slices of American cheese, mayo, and ketchup. This super burger is a creation of Wendy's, who claims to make "waaaay better fast food."

I know fast food can't always be avoided, but should you go out of your healthy way to avoid Wendy's Baconator? Take this quiz to find out.

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Try Turkey Bacon

FitSugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Winter is the time of cooking hearty meals that often contain hidden sources of fat, like bacon. I love the flavor of bacon. It is great to add into many dishes like Eggy Pasta with Spinach and Bacon. There is no reason, though, to use "real" bacon, when you can substitute turkey bacon. I have been doing this for years and must admit that Willie Bird brand turkey bacon is my favorite – it tastes like real bacon and crisps up well (just check that photo). I wanted to know the caloric difference between pork bacon and turkey bacon to see if I really was reaping the health benefits with the substitution.

To see how these two types of bacon compare, just read more.

Bacon Type	serving size	Calories	Calories from fat	Fat (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Protein (g)
Willie Bird Turkey Bacon	1 slice (30g)	60	25	3	1	14	200	7
Oscar Mayer Bacon (Low Sodium)	2 slices (14g)	70	50	6	2.5	10	170	4

I will admit I was surprised to see that the turkey bacon contains more cholesterol than regular bacon, although it contains half the fat calories. The portion is seriously bigger too, for turkey bacon! I think I will keep using turkey bacon and might just go make myself a BLT right now.

Scary Recipe Ingredients to Look Out for

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Butter has a bad reputation in the cooking world but the truth is that there are many other cooking ingredients that are just as unhealthy for us as butter. It's scary that many of us don't even bat an eye at when tossing them into our recipes.

To see the scariest recipe ingredients to watch for, just read more

WebMD has compiled a list of the scariest ingredients, healthwise, for your recipes that you should keep an eye out for when you're cooking this holiday season (and beyond):

Ingredient	Common Serving	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Mayonnaise	1/4 cup	396	44	6.5
Bacon grease	2 T	250	28	13
Heavy whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	205	22	14
Puff pastry	2 ounces	312	22	3
Cheese (like cheddar)	2 ounces	228	19	12
Light whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	174	18.5	11.5
Sausage, cooked	2 ounces	209	18	6.1
Bacon	4 strips	150	13	4
Butter	1 T	102	12	7.2
Sour cream	1/4 cup	123	12	7.5
Cheddar cheese, 1 oz	1/4 cup	115	9.4	6
Pie crust, 9-inch deep dish	1/8 slice	115	8	2
Half-and-half	1/4 cup	79	7	4.3

Me, I always scan a recipe for any of these ingredients and if it has 'em, I typically skip it. If I am feeling creative, I'll work with the recipe figuring out ways to cut out the unhealthy stuff. For example, I'll use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. What do you do? Share the ways you cut out the unhealthy stuff in the comments section below.

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Is Bacon REALLY That Bad For Me?

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 02:00:00 -0700

At my house we jokingly say, "Everything tastes better with bacon." While the taste factor of bacon might be high, its health factor is quite low.

The fat in the bacon is what gives it that flavor you love, and makes it fry up crispy. One bacon strip contains about 40 calories, 3.5g of fat, 1.7g of saturated fat, 7.5mg of cholesterol, 120mg of sodium, and 2.5g of protein. The meat is cured and smoked before you buy it.

Nutritionally speaking, it is high in sodium and has a moderate amount of saturated fat, but the thing you have to watch out for when it comes to bacon is the nitrates (also called nitrites like sodium nitrite). It's a preservative used in processed food to help maintain its color.

Nitrates can be found in bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and cold cuts. The reason they are so bad for us is that when we cook them at high temps, they form Nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic. In the news, nitrite-based preservatives were found to be linked to pancreatic cancer.

Why else are nitrates unhealthy? To find out read more

The high content of nitrites may also contribute to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In COPD, changes occur in your lungs that make it harder to breathe over time.

Fit's Tips: So I'm sorry to burst your bacon-loving bubble, but the brands preserved with sodium nitrite really are unhealthy for you. If you don't want to give up this favorite breakfast food, look for nitrite-free bacon and other processed meats at your local health food or grocery store. Also avoid ordering it when you go out, since there's no way to know if it's free of nitrites or not.

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Sodium & Blood Pressure: What's the Connection

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:30:00 -0700

We all know salt enhances the flavor of food, but too much sodium... well that is a different story all together. If you excessively salt your food, please read this post to learn some of the danger of sodium.

Sodium in small amounts is definitely essential since it:

Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body
Helps transmit nerve impulses
Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles

Your kidneys help to regulate the sodium in your body. If levels are too low, your kidneys conserve sodium, and if levels are high, the sodium gets excreted in your urine. However, when your kidneys can't keep up with your sodium intake, the extra sodium starts to build up in your blood. Since sodium holds water, your blood volume increases, making it harder for your heart to move blood through your blood vessels. This in turn increases pressure in your arteries (high blood pressure), which can cause heart failure. That's an attention getter isn't it?

Do you know how much sodium is too much? To find out read more

The RDI of salt is no more than 6 grams a day, which is about 2,300 mg or 1 teaspoon. I'm not referring to the salt you add to your food, I'm talking about the total amount of salt per day.

Fit's Tip #1: Have your blood pressure checked. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 (systolic/diastolic) or less. When both numbers start to go way up, you've got high blood pressure.

Fit's Tip #2: If you're looking to reduce your salt intake, be wary of high-sodium foods like processed foods - chips, crackers, canned soups, and frozen meals often contain more sodium than you think. Also look out for lunch meats, bacon, condiments, and fast foods as these items often have an insane amount of sodium. Choose salt-free variations of the foods you love, and try to avoid adding salt to your food.

Fit's Tip #3: Exercising regularly, losing extra weight, and eating a healthy, low-sodium diet are great ways to get your blood pressure under control. If you've done all this and your blood pressure is still high, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower it.

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Which Breakfast Side Item Has MORE Calories?

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 09:30:00 -0800

In the morning sometimes you want to have something else with your scrambled egg whites and fruit cup to keep you full until lunch... Which would you choose to add to your breakfast?

Healthy Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:50:57 -0800

One vegetable delight of Autumn is the Brussels sprout. These small leafy balls are packed with fiber as well as taste, and they deserve a place at your Thanksgiving table.

My favorite method of cooking Brussels sprouts is to roast them. It's a simple preparation, but I have added nuts, balsamic vinegar, and cheese to fancy up the dish. While I have often had Brussels sprouts with bacon or pancetta, adding walnut imbues them with a meaty flavor while providing some healthy fats not found in bacon. This recipe is simple to make and is a crowd-pleaser for all ages - my 4-year-old ate three helpings!

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts
Modified from Recipezaar

Ingredients

1 stalk of Brussels sprouts (or about two pounds of sprouts)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesean cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take Brussels sprouts off the stem, wash, and rip off outside leaves.
Chop sprouts until they are a uniform size, leaving the small ones whole and possibly cutting the larger ones into eighths.
Boil Brussels sprouts for 5 minutes. Pat dry.
Place Brussels sprouts in roasting pan and pour in olive oil and vinegar and stir until sprouts are coated well. Salt and pepper to taste.
Roast for 20 minutes, stirring Brussels sprouts to ensure even roasting. After 20 minutes, add chopped walnuts and roast for 5 more minutes or until walnuts are browned.
Sprinkle roasted sprouts with cheese and serve warm.

Serves 6.

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Bacon and Cancer

FitSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 02:00:00 -0700

What is the connection between bacon and cancer? You have to avoid the former to avoid the latter. I know many bacon lovers out there will probably shed a few tears when they read the recent report compiled by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). Taking five years to research and using 200 scientists to compile the data, the report states that one third of all cancers are caused by diet and lack of exercise and could be prevented.

The WCRF created a list of ten tips to help prevent a variety of cancers.

Stay as slim as possible, maintaining a BMI between 18.5 to 25. Excess body fat is not only a trigger for endometrial cancer, but also esophagus, pancreatic, bowel, post-menopausal breast, and kidney cancers.
Exercise vigorously everyday for 30 minutes or for 1 hour of moderate exercise daily.
Avoid sugary drinks and fast food.
Eat a predominantly plant based diet of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and cereals/grains/pulses with every meal.
Eat no more than 500g of red meat a week and no processed meat ever (this is the bit about bacon and ham was singled out as well).
Woman should consume no more than one serving of alcohol a day and no more than two for a man.
No more than 6g a day of salt
Dietary supplements of vitamins and minerals are not recommended (you should be getting all your vitamins and minerals from your food).
Breastfeed babies exclusively for six months.
Cancer survivors also to follow these recommendations.

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