Some people just couldnt have breakfast without a few slices of bacon. Its best to eat in moderation, though. (Photo Credit: Moment / Getty s).
“Bacon” is a type of cured meat that comes from the belly of a pig that is usually between 6 and 7 months old.
Historians think even the ancient Greeks and Romans ate bacon. Today its made all over the world and includes pork, turkey, beef, and even vegetarian options. Â.
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, and minerals. Remember that if you eat bacon, it’s best to do so only sometimes and in small amounts. Â.
A few people actually need more salt in their diets. Many athletes sweat a lot, which can cause electrolyte imbalances. To fix this, they need extra salt in their bodies. A high-sodium diet can also help people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) manage their symptoms. POTS causes a fast heartbeat and dizziness when you stand up.
If these things happen, bacon might work instead of a sports drink or salt tablets. Â.
You can find small amounts of B vitamins in bacon. These vitamins help your body turn the food you eat into energy. B vitamins also are important in forming red blood cells. But other, healthier foods have these vitamins too, including leafy greens, fish, and beans.
Bacon has choline, a nutrient involved in controlling your mood, memory, and muscles, among other things. Some nuts, beans, and seeds, as well as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, are better ways to get choline. Â.
A serving size is equal to about 1 medium strip of bacon. That small serving will provide you with:
Bacon doesn’t have as many vitamins and minerals as some other meats, but it does have some of the following nutrients:
Crispy, crunchy bacon is one of life’s greatest pleasures for many people. There’s nothing quite like that first crackling bite of a perfectly cooked bacon strip. But some claim that crispy bacon may be worse for your health than less done versions. Is this true or just a myth? Let’s sizzle through the facts.
The Cancer Risk of Crispy Bacon
The chief concern with eating crispy bacon is that it can contain higher levels of certain carcinogens that may raise cancer risk,
When any meat, including bacon, is cooked at high temperatures, chemical reactions occur that produce compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Studies show that regularly consuming HCAs and PAHs may increase the risk of cancers like colorectal, stomach, lung, and breast. These compounds tend to form more readily when meat is cooked well done or charred.
Therefore cooking bacon until very crispy or burnt could allow more HCAs and PAHs to form compared to less crispy versions. These carcinogens may penetrate deeper into the meat when cooked longer.
However, the cancer risk likely depends on the frequency and serving sizes of crispy bacon eaten. An occasional slice or two as part of a varied diet is unlikely to significantly raise cancer risk for most people.
Nutrient Loss in Crispy Bacon
Cooking bacon until crispy and browned also leads to some nutrient loss.
As bacon cooks, the vitamin C, B vitamins like B1, B2, B3, and B6 diminish Cooking bacon longer degrades more of these important water-soluble vitamins
Minerals like potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus can also leach out into the drippings the more that bacon is cooked.
So if bacon is charred until very well done and crispy all the way through, more of its B vitamins and minerals will be depleted.
Higher in Fat and Calories
The longer bacon is cooked, the more fat tends to render out. That means that crispy bacon pieces often contain less fat, but more fat drips off into the pan.
A study in The Journal of Food Science showed that as bacon cooked longer, the fat content decreased in the bacon slices but increased in the pan drippings.
Since all that delicious bacon fat gets soaked up, crispy bacon can pack a higher calorie and fat punch, gram for gram, than less done versions. The crispier it gets, the more greasy it can be when you tally up the whole meal.
May Contain More AGEs
When high-protein foods like meat are cooked at high temperatures for long periods, compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) multiply.
AGES have been tied to increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and development of chronic diseases like diabetes.
Cooking methods that use dry heat for extended times, such as frying and broiling, tend to generate more AGEs. So crispy bacon likely contains more of these compounds compared to lightly cooked bacon.
Less Sodium Retained
On the positive side, cooking bacon until very crispy may lower the sodium content retained in each slice.
As bacon fries, some of the salt leaches out into the rendered fat. When bacon gets super crispy, more moisture evaporates, causing more sodium to escape.
So if you’re watching your salt intake, choosing crispy bacon over chewy bacon may mean you ingest slightly less sodium per serving.
So Is Crispy Bacon Bad For You?
While regularly eating charred, crunchy bacon may carry some health risks, it’s unlikely that an occasional slice of crispy bacon will detrimentally affect health in otherwise healthy individuals.
To enjoy crispy bacon safely, here are some tips:
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Choose uncured bacon to avoid nitrites linked to cancer.
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Limit servings to 1–2 slices a few times per week.
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Drain and blot fat to reduce calories and greasiness.
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Bake bacon on a rack at 400°F instead of frying to reduce AGEs.
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Opt for turkey or vegetarian bacon as healthier swaps.
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Balance with lots of protective antioxidants from fruits, veggies, and nuts.
Ultimately, how you cook bacon comes down to personal preference. While crispy bacon may not be the healthiest choice, enjoying it in moderation as part of a nutritious diet is unlikely to pose major concerns for most people.
So savor a few pieces of that satisfying, crispy bacon from time to time guilt-free. Just be mindful of portions and how often you indulge. If you’re worried about health effects, stick to just lightly browned bacon instead.
How to Make Crispy Bacon Healthier
Follow these easy tips for reducing any risks of crispy bacon and still enjoying that irresistible crunch:
1. Use Thicker Cut Bacon
Choosing thick slices of artisanal bacon means you can cook it longer to crispy perfection while still having some chewy lean meat too. Thin bacon strips get crispy quicker, leaving no margins.
2. Rotate Bacon Slices
Frequently flip and rotate the bacon while cooking so all sides crisp up evenly, preventing burning.
3. Blot Fat
Drain bacon on paper towels after cooking to soak up excess grease.
4. Add Acid
Splash a little vinegar or lemon juice into the pan. The acid helps leach out impurities.
5. Cook at Lower Temp
Fry over medium or bake at 375°F instead of higher heat to limit HCA formation.
6. Let Oven Bacon Rest
After baking, let bacon sit in the turned off oven for 5-10 minutes. The residual heat crisps it up without scorching.
7. Mix Light and Dark
Cook some slices less done and others more done to balance flavors and textures.
8. Cut in Half
Slice each strip in half so some pieces provide crispy bits while others offer chewy balance.
9. Add Some Veggies
Serve bacon with antioxidant-rich fresh veggies like tomatoes, spinach, avocado, and sprouts.
10. Eat Occasionally
Save crispy bacon for a weekly or monthly treat so you don’t overdo it.
How to Cook Bacon
On the stove, in the oven, in the microwave, or even in an air fryer are all different ways to cook bacon. Heres how.
On the stovetop:Â
- On medium heat, slowly cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet. Â .
- Don’t add oil; as the bacon cooks, its own fats will come out.
- Turn the slices regularly so they dont burn.
- Take the bacon out of the pan and let it cool on paper towels to soak up the extra grease.
In the oven or air fryer:Â
- Cover a sheet pan with foil and put a metal baking rack inside it.
- Add your strips of bacon to the baking rack.Â
- Depending on how thick the bacon is, cook it at 400 F for 10 to 20 minutes. Â .
- As the bacon cooks, the grease will run down to the sheet pan below it.
In the microwave:Â
- Put some bacon strips on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Cover it with paper towels.Â
- Check on it about halfway through the 4 minutes on high. Â .
- Continue to cook until the bacon is crispy.
Bacon ideas
You can get the taste of bacon with less salt and fat by adding a little to vegetables and other healthy foods. Â.
Try these ideas for bacon:
- Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich
- Kale, bacon, and roasted butternut squash salad
- Hot spinach salad with apples and bacon
- Brussels sprouts roasted with garlic and bacon
Pork Bacon vs. Turkey Bacon
Turkey bacon isnt necessarily healthier than pork bacon. The nutritional values are very similar.
A microwaved slice of pork or turkey bacon contains almost the same amount of protein. Pork bacon has about 3. 6 grams of protein while turkey bacon has 2. 4 grams. Â.
The thin slice of turkey bacon only has 30 calories, while the thin slice of pork bacon has about 43 calories. Its lower in fat, too, â 2. 1 grams per slice, compared to pork bacons 3. 1 grams per slice.
Turkey and pork bacon use salt as a preservative. One slice of each has around 163 milligrams of sodium.
When shopping for and preparing either pork or turkey bacon, consider:
- Choosing reduced-sodium options
- Cooking without added salt or fatsÂ
- Blotting with paper towels to remove excess grease Â
What’s So Bad about BACON? (Truth about Bacon Safety) 2024
What happens if you eat bacon?
“The saturated and trans fats in bacon can also lead to arterial plaque buildup, further narrowing blood vessels and potentially worsening hypertension,” adds Best. Your risk for cancer may increase. Bacon is a type of processed meat, so your risk for cancer may increase.
Is Bacon healthy?
Especially when you use it as part of a larger recipe, like wrapping it around chicken tenders. How you cook bacon influences how healthy it is in the long run. The healthiest way to cook bacon is to cook it until crispy (but not burned), which allows the most fat to melt off.
Is fried bacon bad for You?
Summary Fried bacon may be high in nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic. However, food producers have managed to reduce the nitrosamine content significantly by adding vitamin C. When it comes to cooking meat, it is important to find balance. Overcooking is unhealthy, but undercooking can also be a concern.
Are You Afraid of bacon?
Armed with the facts, you don’t need to be afraid of bacon. If you love it, rest assured that even dietitians say you can eat it in moderation. “You just have to consider when and where a serving of bacon can fit into your daily allowance of sodium, saturated fat, fat, and calories,” says Derocha.
Is cured pork bacon bad for You?
When eaten in moderation, experts say that it should be OK; regular consumption of this processed breakfast meat, on the other hand, can be especially harmful to a healthy diet. In an average slice of cured pork bacon, you’ll find higher amounts of fat and sodium, but you’ll also have a decent amount of protein and major vitamins.
Is Bacon bad for Your Heart?
Processed red meats—including bacon—have been found to have potentially negative effects on heart health when consumed on a regular basis. According to a study published in Circulation, the regular consumption of these meats is specifically associated with a 42% increased risk of coronary heart disease and a 19% increased risk of diabetes.