Should we eat less salt? Is fat really bad for you? What’s wrong with gluten, anyway? A science writer and a consultant cardiologist tell us the truth.
Does Bacon Contain Trans Fat? Getting the Facts on This Common Concern
Crispy, savory bacon is a breakfast staple for many. But over the years, concerns have emerged about potential harms of eating bacon, including worries about trans fat content. Does bacon actually contain transfats? Let’s look at what the science says.
What is Bacon?First, a quick bacon primer. Bacon refers to pork belly that has been cured, smoked, and sliced. The curing process involves soaking the raw pork in a brine solution containing salt, nitrates, and sometimes sugars This helps preserve the meat and infuses flavor. After curing, the pork belly is cold smoked to further develop its iconic smoky, salty taste
Nutritionally bacon is high in fat and protein. A 3-ounce serving contains around 13 grams of fat over 50% of which is monounsaturated. It also provides about 16 grams of protein. Bacon is very low in carbs, with minimal micronutrient content aside from small amounts of B vitamins.
Due to the curing and smoking methods used, bacon is considered a processed meat. Other common processed meats include hot dogs, salami, and deli meats.
What Are Trans Fats?Now that we know what bacon is, let’s discuss trans fats. Trans fats also called trans fatty acids are a form of unsaturated fat.
Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in some meat and dairy. But most trans fats in the modern diet are artificially produced by a process called hydrogenation. This alters the chemical structure of vegetable and seed oils to make them solid at room temperature.
Partially hydrogenating oils makes them more stable for frying and ideal for use in baked goods, snacks, and margarines. But consuming trans fats from these sources is conclusively linked to increased heart disease risk.
Trans fats raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and trigger systemic inflammation. They also negatively impact blood vessel function. For these reasons, health authorities recommend limiting trans fat intake as much as possible.
Does Bacon Contain Trans Fats?
Now to the main question: does bacon contain transfats? The short answer is – no. Bacon produced using typical modern curing methods does not contain added trans fats.
Here are the reasons why:
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Bacon is cured, not hydrogenated. No partial hydrogenation takes place during the production of bacon, so trans fats are not formed.
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Bacon fat is not converted to solid form. The high saturated fat content of pork already makes bacon fat solid at room temperature. There is no need to hydrogenate it to achieve a solid texture.
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Bacon is mainly pork fat, not vegetable/seed oil. Bacon doesn’t go through the trans fat forming process used for vegetable oils.
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Ingredient labels don’t list trans fats. If significant trans fat was present, bacon packaging would be required to list it in the ingredients and nutrition facts panel.
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Traditional curing methods don’t produce trans fats. Historical curing techniques like smoking, salting, and osmosis don’t generate trans fats.
While trans fats can form when cooking bacon at extremely high temperatures, the amount is minimal. Overall, modern bacon products don’t contain trans fat in any significant or concerning amount.
Bacon’s Real Concerns
Though it doesn’t contain trans fats, bacon isn’t off the hook when it comes to health. Here are some of bacon’s real concerns:
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Carcinogens from cooking. Cooking any meat, including bacon, at high temps can form cancer-causing agents like PAHs and HCAs. These compounds may increase colorectal cancer risk.
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Sodium content. Bacon contains a large amount of sodium, with one slice providing around 190mg. Too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure.
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Nitrates/nitrites. These curing agents have been associated with cancer. But vitamin C is now added to bacon to prevent nitrosamine formation.
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Heme iron. The form of iron found in bacon may promote oxidative damage and increase diabetes risk.
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Processed meat link to disease. Observational studies link processed meats like bacon to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
So while bacon doesn’t contain transfats, it has other potential health implications. As with any food, moderation is key. An occasional serving of bacon is fine for most people. But limiting intake and avoiding frequent or high consumption is wise.
Minimizing Bacon’s Risks
If you don’t want to fully give up the bacon, there are some simple ways to enjoy it more safely:
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Opt for turkey bacon. Turkey versions provide the bacon taste with less fat, sodium, and processed meat intake.
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Cook carefully at lower temps. Avoid burning bacon to minimize formation of carcinogens.
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Limit portion sizes. Stick to 2-3 bacon strips per serving.
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Pair with veggies. Balance bacon’s effects by eating it with lots of fruits and vegetables.
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Choose leaner sides. Avoid combining bacon with other fatty foods like sausage and hashbrowns.
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Incorporate occasionally. Use bacon as a sometimes food rather than an everyday staple.
The Bottom Line
While bacon has some legitimate health concerns, trans fats are not among them. Unlike many processed snacks and baked goods, modern bacon products do not contain added trans fatty acids. Choosing turkey bacon or enjoying pork bacon in moderation remains a reasonable option for most people. Just be mindful of overcooking and pairing it with plenty of plant foods to optimize your health. With some care taken, you can feel confident that the bacon on your breakfast plate doesn’t contain those troublesome trans fats.
Should I lower my salt intake?
It doesn’t matter if a Tibetan monk got your salt from a cave or a man named Gary got it from brine; it’s always the same thing: sodium chloride. People with high blood pressure are more likely to eat salt, so if someone says that fancy salts like sel gris, fleur de sel, Hawaiian sea salt, or pink Himalayan salt are healthier than regular table salt, they’re not telling you the truth.
The matter of whether or not you should lower your salt intake is less cut and dried. Some people’s blood pressure is more sensitive to salt than others’. Scientists disagree on how to interpret the evidence in a specific case, but that’s not the point: salt makes food taste good.
The first thing that MasterChef judge Michel Roux Jr comments on is a dish’s seasoning. Rick Stein must be scared all the time that the salt police he talks about so often will finally catch him. Nobody has ever won a Michelin star with a salt-free menu.
Professor of medicine at the University of Manchester Anthony Heagerty says that the link between salt intake and blood pressure is not simple. He says, “Lowering salt is good for the population as a whole because many people will benefit from eating less salt overall, but it’s harder to figure out what effect it will have on a single person.” People who are overweight, eat poorly, and drink too much are more likely to develop high blood pressure. If you’re worried about your blood pressure, you can cut down on salt, but it might be more important to watch what you eat and drink overall. ”.
Fruit and veg rich in potassium, such as mushrooms, spinach and bananas, can help lower blood pressure. Look out for the mountains of salt used to make low-quality processed foods and snacks more palatable. If you use salt in a smart way, the food you cook at home will taste better and you’ll know more about what you’re putting in your body.
The great diet food con
Have you ever thought about why people who are on diets seem to be on and off them all the time? Or why people who are overweight are the only ones who have extra low-fat mayonnaise in the fridge? Most processed foods that say they’re diet, low-fat, light, or lighter aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. You’ll see that they aren’t even very good for you when you read the long lists of ingredients.
Take low-fat mayonnaise. When you strip out the fat you have to reinject flavour with sweetness. So an emulsion of eggs and oil becomes an emulsion of water, maize starch, extra sugar and glucose syrup. Or to put another way: water, sugar, sugar and sugar. That’s an awful lot of sugar, and because the traffic lights on packets of food don’t flash red until a whopping 27g of sugar is in each 100g portion – that’s just under seven teaspoons – a busy shopper won’t think twice about choosing this “healthy” option.
Other culprits are microwaveable low-fat meals. Aside from the high glycemic index, carbohydrates, and sugars, food companies are so busy trying to stay just below the line for all the other traffic-light categories that they forget to include many healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, fibers, and healthy fats. It’s why they’re often so tasteless and don’t leave you feeling full for long.
There are no rules for the diet food industry; it’s just the market driving it. It makes money to make cheap food with good branding. Stop buying these tiny, tasteless meals. That’s the only way to bring them to their knees and end this tyranny. As a general rule, if you see a diet food that looks appealing and don’t have time to look into what’s in it, you should just say no.
We love to ascribe value to things. It helps us decide what to do with a lot of different pieces of information, like how we use calories to keep track of what we eat.
People first heard of the idea during the First World War, when the government used it to make sure people didn’t eat too much when food was scarce. Since then, the calorie—the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one centimeter three of water by one degree Celsius—has become the most important thing we know about healthy eating. But at what cost?
In a perfect world it makes perfect sense. Einstein’s most famous equation says that if you use more energy than your body needs, it will be turned into mass, which will show up around your stomach and thighs as wavy mass.
The problem is that our bodies don’t burn energy with the consistency of a Bunsen burner. “Some foods don’t give us all the nutrients we need,” says Pete Wilde, a professor at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich. “For example, when we chew and eat whole almonds, we only take in about two-thirds of the energy that’s written on the label.” The calcium in milk and dairy products reacts with fatty acids and again reduces the energy absorbed. ”.
Your appetite and how much you eat can also be affected by how quickly or slowly different foods are digested. “The more slowly our food is digested the less hungry we’ll feel for longer,” Wilde adds. “Two foods may have the same number of calories, but if one is digested more slowly, it will make us feel fuller and less likely to snack.” ”.
Cola and broccoli both have 140 calories, but your body doesn’t use and store those calories the same way. If you want to lose weight by starving yourself, then a calorie-restricted diet is the way to go. Though you’ll likely bounce back once you start to eat normally. You should think more about what’s in your food if you want to stay healthy in the long term.
A healthy diet is not about restriction but inclusion of diverse and protective foods. Choosing food based on its calories is like picking a partner based on how fast they can run 100 meters: it might work in extreme situations, but it won’t help you in your everyday life or with your health.
